Overview

Medieval and Renaissance Studies thus advocates the serious investigation of history, languages, religion, and culture in an effort to narrow what Francesco Petrarca (d. 1374) called “the gap of time.”  The aim is to amplify our comprehension of the women and men who lived in these pivotal epochs.

Undergraduates majoring Med-Ren have the opportunity to construct their curriculum from an array of academic disciplines:  Art History, Classical Studies, English, History, Modern Languages and Literatures, Music, Philosophy, and Religious Studies. Our majors and minors balance breadth with depth by having a number of their academic credits come from more advanced courses.

The Medieval and Renaissance Studies Program seeks intellectual curiosity and rewards intellectual diligence.  In Med-Ren, students increase their knowledge of medieval and early modern Europe by studying relevant literatures, languages, history, and cultural subjects.  Research opportunities for undergraduates may be found in course papers, independent study projects, honors theses, and even study abroad, and students may present their findings at the annual Medieval and Renaissance Studies Symposium on Undergraduate Research, which occurs in late March.  Many of our Med-Ren enthusiasts double-major in one of the fields that contributes to the program.  Many Med-Ren majors and minors also go on to M.A. and Ph.D. work in one of the relevant disciplines.