Fall 2004 Undergraduate Courses - Medieval Institute, University of Notre Dame

715 Hesburgh Library, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN 46556-5629, Telephone: (574) 631-6603, Facsimile: (574) 631-8644, Email: medinst@nd.edu

Fall 2004: Undergraduate Courses

MI 180I Philosophy University Seminar: Plato and Aristotle
Gersh, S.
TH 2-3:15 p.m.

The course is an introduction to Greek philosophy with special reference to its two greatest figures: Plato and Aristotle. Plato was the inventor or at least the most articulate early exponent of many ideas which subsequently became standard in western culture: for example, the notions of absolute moral standards and of the immortality of the human soul. Aristotle, although critical of Plato in many respects, also continued his approach in such areas as the systematization of logical and scientific methods. Since both Plato and Aristotle viewed the ability to distinguish real truths from the realm of sophistry and illusion as the distinguishing feature of the “philosopher,” they continue to have great relevance in our modern world dominated by media and commercialism. During the course, students will read and discuss a selection of works (or extracts) in English translation. These will include Plato: Phaedo, Symposium, Republic, Sophist, Timaeus, and Aristotle: Physics, Metaphysics, On the Soul, Nicomachean Ethics.

MI 254 Introduction to Art and Catholicism
Barber, C.
TH 9:30-10:45 a.m.

This undergraduate lecture/discussion course will give students the opportunity to analyze and discuss the history of Catholic doctrine as it pertains to the visual arts. From the Council of Elvira in 306 A.D. to John Paul II’s Letter to Artists of 1999, Catholicism has engaged with and debated the role of the arts as a legitimate vehicle for spiritual experience and theological knowledge. In this course, we will examine the changing, complex, and various ideas that have been brought to the question of the function of art in the Church. It will become clear that Catholic attitudes to the arts have been subject to a range of influences that have helped shape a still fluid and potential relationship between Catholicism and Art. Among other topics, we will examine the accommodation of traditional pagan practices in Late Antiquity; the impact of Byzantine and Carolingian theological discourse on the arts; mendicant thought and practice regarding the arts; lay piety in the later Middle Ages; issues raised by the Reformation; the Council of Trent and the Counter Reformation; the implications of Modernism; neo-Thomist aesthetics; and the aftermath of Vatican II. In all instances the course will be shaped by discussions of primary readings (in translation when necessary) that will set these texts in a context that is social, intellectual, theological, and cultural. Each reading will then lead to an examination of the artistic environment that preceded and succeeded the ideas shaped by these texts. It is expected that students will leave this course with a rich knowledge of the central ideas and works of art that have come to shape the continuing dialogue between Catholicism and Art..

MI 285 King Arthur in History and Literature
Boulton, J. and Boulton, M.
TH 11-12:15

This course—intended to introduce undergraduates to one of the major themes as well as to the interdisciplinary approaches characteristic of medieval studies—is a team-taught examination of the development and influence of the legend of Arthur, King of Britain, both in history and in literature. Historically, Arthur was a Romanized Celtic war-leader who fought the invading Angles and Saxons at the beginning of the history of what was to become England, but he was converted into a heroic king in the later tradition of his own people, now called the Welsh. In the twelfth century, the legend of Arthur and his companions was not only incorporated into the new historiography of England (since 1066 under the rule of French-speaking Normans) but into the new genre of literature created in France around 1150, the chivalric romance, which itself embodied a new ideal for the relationship between men and women derived from the songs of the troubadours of the south. The great majority of these tales of love and marvelous adventures were to be set in the court of the legendary Arthur, and the Round Table was invented in this period as the central focus of the ideals it was made to represent. Kings and princes soon began to emulate the Arthurian court in their tournaments and other court festivities, and from 1330 to 1469 actually founded orders of knights based on the Round Table. The class will read the relevant parts of all of the chronicles, histories, and epics in which Arthur was mentioned, as well as a representative sample of the Arthurian romances of the later period, and of related documents like the statutes of the chivalric orders. There also will be presentations on such subjects as knighthood, arms and armor, castles, and palatial houses. This course may satisfy either the College requirement in Literature or the University requirement in History.

MI 301 Ancient and Medieval Philosophy
Burrell, D.
TH 2-3:15 p.m.

A study of the ways in which Plato and Aristotle set out to understand our world, followed by a consideration of the various ways in which Greek thought was transformed at the hands of later pagan (Plotinus), Muslim (al-Farabi, Avicenna), Jewish (Miamonides), and Christian (Anselm, Aquinas) thinkers. The key point of contact and of difference will be the one which galvanized them, and remains contemporary as well: the universe and the recurring questions surrounding its origins. We shall read original texts, arranged in a manner so as to bring out the progression from ancient to medieval thought. Requirements: One pagers, plus four short papers, together with a midterm and a final, will offer a wide base for assessment.

MI 301 Ancient and Medieval Philosophy
Dumont, S.
MWF 9:35-10:25 a.m.

A survey of Western philosophy from its beginnings in the early Greek physicists to the late Middle Ages. The emphasis in class will be on the reading and analysis of fundamental texts by main figures of the period: Parmenides, Plato, Aristotle, Augustine, Anselm, Bonaventure, and Thomas Aquinas. Concurrent reading of a standard history will supply additional background and continuity. Requirements: Two papers (one each for the ancient and medieval portions of the course), a mid-term, and final examination.

MI 307 Middle Ages I
Boulton, J.
TH 3:30-4:45 p.m.

This course will examine the history of the Roman world from the time of the first incursions of barbarians into the Roman Empire in the third century to the time of the final invasions in the tenth. It will concentrate first on the crises of the third century, and on the consequent transformation of the relatively unified, urbanized, tolerant, polytheistic Roman Empire of Late Antiquity into the two distinct, deurbanized, intolerant, monotheistic, and politically divided civilizations of Latin or Catholic Christendom and Greek or Orthodox Christendom. Next, it will briefly examine the emergence in the seventh century of the new monotheistic religion of Islam and of the new civilization and empire centered on it, which quickly conquered not only the old Persian empire but most of the Asian and all of the African provinces of the continuing Roman empire, and in 711-18 conquered most of Spain as well. The remainder of the course will concentrate on the history of Latin Christendom and its pagan barbarian neighbors to the north and east between the beginning of the Germanic conquests of the western provinces ca. 400 and the final conversion of the peoples of central and northern Europe to Christianity and the simultaneous emergence of a new sociopolitical order in the older kingdoms around 1000. There will be two short papers, two tests, and a final examination.

MI 333A Art into History: Reading the Art of Medieval Byzantium
Barber, C.
TH 12:30-1:45 p.m.

Byzantine art has often been opposed to the traditions of western naturalism, and as such has been an undervalued or little known adjunct to the story of medieval art. In order to develop a more sophisticated understanding of this material we will examine the art produced in Byzantium in the period from the ninth to the twelfth century, a period which marks the high point of Byzantine artistic production and influence. Stress will be placed upon the function of this art within the broader setting of this society. Art theory, the notions of empire and holiness, the burdens of the past, and the realities of contemporary praxis will be brought to bear upon our various analyses of material from all media. How we, as art historians, can write the history of this rich culture will be a central issue of this course.

MI 350 Holy Fools in Christian Tradition
Kobets, S.
MWF 10:40-11:30 a.m.

Through the analysis of a variety of texts ranging from the New Testament books to hagiographies and philosophical treatises we will examine different forms of holy foolishness in spiritual and cultural traditions of eastern and western Christianity and establish their cultural bearings. Concepts under discussion will include asceticism; sanctity; heresy; canonization; hagiography. Among the course readings will be the First Epistle of the Apostle Paul to the Corinthians; Early Christian Paterika; individual vitae of Byzantine holy fools (St. Simeon of Emessa, St. Andrew of Constantinople); controversial Lives of Christian saints (Life of Alexis the Man of God); Lives of Eastern Orthodox Saints (Kiev Cave Monks; St. Basil the Fool of Moscow); Lives of Western Christian Saints (St. Francis of Assisi, Margery Kempe), and later elaborations on the subject of folly found in such works as In Praise of Folly by Erasmus of Rotterdam and Madness and Civilization by Michael Foucault.

MI 371 Survey of French Literature I
DellaNeva, J.
MWF 11:45 a.m.-1 p.m.

This course is designed as an introduction to French literature of the Middle Ages, Renaissance, and seventeenth century. Six major works will be read in their entirety: Yvain (Chrétien de Troyes), Poésies (Villon), Pantagruel (Rabelais), Poésies choisies (Ronsard), Phèdre (Racine), and Tartuffe (Molière). In addition, excerpts from other major representative figures will be read. There will be introductory lectures on each period and author, followed by a number of guided discussions in which all students are expected to participate actively. Students will also be introduced to the technique of explication de texte, a very close reading of a short literary passage. All discussions and written work will be in French. Requirements: Some oral explications (the number of which will be determined in part by class size), three brief papers and required rewrites, a mid-term, and a final exam..

MI 371E Survey of Spanish Literature I
Juarez, E.
Sec. 01 TH 9:30-10:45 a.m.
Sec. 02 TH 11:00 a.m.-12:15 p.m.

Prerequisite: ROSP 202 or above; ROSP 310 (Textual Analysis) highly recommended.
This course is a survey of Spanish literature from the medieval period through the seventeenth century. We will study representative works with a view to understanding the cultural, intellectual, and historical forces which shaped the literary production of the period. Much emphasis will be placed on the evolving notions of “literature” and its conventions. Works to be studied include Poema de mio Cid, Libro de buen amor, La Celestina, Lazarillo de Tormes, poetry of Garcilaso, San Juan de la Cruz, Fray Luis de Leon, Góngora y Quevedo, and one play by Lope de Vega. Active student participation is required. Lecturing will be kept to a minimum so as to allow more time for analysis and discussion of the texts. The class will be conducted in Spanish. Requirements for the course include one paper (7 to 8 pages) on topics approved by the instructor (25% of final grade), seminar presentations and class participation (20%), a midterm exam (25%), and a final exam (30%). This course satisfies the early Spanish Peninsular requirement. Note for continuing students: ROSP 371 replaces ROSP 318. If you have completed ROSP 318 prior to Fall 2003 you may not take ROSP 371

MI 371I Introduction to Italian Literature I
Moevs, C.
TH 11 a.m.-12:15 p.m.

Prerequisite: ROIT 202 or equivalent; ROIT 310 suggested. The course is required for majors and secondary majors.
An introduction to the close reading and textual analysis of representative texts from the Duecento through the Renaissance, including Lentini, Guinizzelli, Cavalcanti, Dante, Petrarch, Boccaccio, Poliziano, Machiavelli, and Ariosto. We will trace the profile of Italian literary history in this period, setting the texts in their cultural and historical context (including music, art, and architecture), with attention to the changing understanding of human nature and the physical world in these centuries. Requirements include class participation, short essays, short presentations, a midterm, and a final. Taught in Italian.

MI 387 Ancient and Medieval Political Theory
Keys, M.
TH12:30-1:45 p.m.

What is the meaning of justice, and why should we care about it? Can politics ever perfectly establish justice? Which forms of government are best for human beings to live under, and why? What is the political relevance of religion and philosophy, family and ethnicity, war and peace, nature and freedom, law and right? What are the qualities of a good citizen and political leader? How should relations among diverse political communities be conducted? This course introduces students to theoretical reflection on these and related questions through the study of some of the great works of ancient and medieval political thought. Readings will include writings of authors such as Thucydides, Plato, Aristotle, Cicero, Augustine, Farabi, Maimonides, and Aquinas.

MI 390 The Medieval Middle East
Cobb, P.
11 a.m.-12:15 p.m.

This course offers a survey of Middle Eastern history from the rise of Islam in the seventh century CE until the rise of Mongol successor polities in the fifteenth century. The course is structured to cover political and cultural developments and their relationship with broader changes in society during the formative centuries of Islamic civilization. Specific topics include: the career of the Prophet Muhammad and the origins of the earliest Muslim polity; the creation and breakup of the Islamic unitary state (the Caliphate); the impact of Turkic migrations on the Middle East; social practices surrounding the transmission of learning in the Middle Ages; the diversity of approaches to Muslim piety and their social and political expression; popular culture; non-Muslims in Islamic society; the creation of the medieval Islamic “international” cultural order. Among the more important themes will be long-term cultural and social continuities with the Islamic and ancient Near East, and concepts of religious and political authority.

MI 391 Islam: Religion and Culture
Asfaruddin, A.
TH 3:30-4:45 p.m.

This course will discuss the rise of Islam in the Arabian peninsula in the seventh century and its subsequent consolidation as a major world religion and civilization. Lectures and readings will deal with the life of the Prophet Muhammad, the Qur’an and its interpretation, early Islamic history, community formation, law and ritual, theology, philosophy, mysticism, and literature. Emphasis will be on the core beliefs and institutions of Islam and on the religious and political thought of its practitioners from the Middle Ages through our own time. The latter part of the course will deal with Islamic resurgence, both in its reformist and extremist manifestations and with contemporary Muslim engagements with modernity. All readings are in English; no prerequisite.

MI 395 Christian Theological Tradition I
Cunningham, L.
MWF 10:40-11:30 a.m.

A survey of Christian theology from the end of the New Testament period to the eve of the Reformation. Through the close reading of primary texts, the course focuses on the Christology of such influential thinkers as Origen, Athanasius, Augustine, Anselm, and Aquinas. How do these thinkers understand the person and work of Jesus Christ? What are the Christological problems that they tried to resolve? How do the different Christologies of these thinkers reflect their differing conceptions of the purpose and methods of “theology”? Some attention will also be given to non-theological representations of Christ. How does the art of the early and medieval periods manifest changes in the understanding of the significance of Jesus? This course is obligatory for all first and second majors but is open to others who have completed the university requirements of theology and who wish to gain a greater fluency in the history of Christian thought.

MI 415 Renaissance Italy
Meserve, M.
TH 11:00 a.m.-12:15 p.m.

This course charts the story of European exploration, conquest, diplomacy, and exchange in the early modern period, from about 1400 to 1650. Although the European experience of the Americas was largely one of conquest and domination, elsewhere in the world Europeans faced the perils of military aggression (as waged, for example, by the Ottoman Empire) or found themselves at a cultural disadvantage (as Jesuit missionaries and European merchants felt, for example, in China and Japan). Drawing on primary sources including letters, diaries, account books, atlases, travel narratives, and political manifestos, we will examine the various ways Europeans went abroad in the early modern world—as pilgrims or crusaders, as merchants or explorers, as conquistadors, missionaries, or sometimes, as converts, refugees, or prisoners of war. Key issues to explore include European ideologies of crusade, conversion, and colonization; the image of the noble savage and the politics of European identity (including the problems associated with “going native” or “turning Turk”); the impact of geographical discoveries on European thought and the Scientific Revolution, and the growing importance of the exotic and the rare in European economic, cultural, and artistic life. Just what did Europeans discover in the “Age of Discovery,” and how did their findings change the culture of Europe itself?

MI 417A French Literature in the Age of Faith
Boulton, M.
TH 9:30-10:45 a.m.

This course will introduce the classic works and genres of medieval France from 1100 to 1300, including the epic, the medieval romance, lyric poetry, and drama. Love in its various forms, including mystical love of God, will be a unifying theme among the various works. Works to be discussed will include the Chanson de Roland, the poetry of Thibaut de Champagne and Rutebeuf, a romance by Chrétien de Troyes, the Miracles of Gautier de Coinci, and the Jeu d’Adam. All discussions will be conducted in French; requirements will include short oral presentations and one 12 to 15 page research paper to be written in French.

MI 422 Dante I: Instructions for Use
Cachey, T.
TH 2:00-3:15 p.m.

According to the eminent critic John Freccero, “Understanding in the Inferno is a process that might be characterized as hyperbolic doubt systematically applied to the values of contemporary society.” This may explain the strong revival of interest in the poem that we have witnessed of late. In this course we will read and discuss in detail the Inferno as well as important “minor” works leading up to the Divine Comedy including the Vita nuova (New Life), the Convivio (The Banquet), and the De vulgari eloquentia (On vernacular eloquence). We will especially focus on major episodes of the Inferno in the light of recent scholarship and in relation to current debates in the humanities. The course satisfies the literature requirement, will be offered in English (but we will read the Inferno in a facing-page translation). Undergraduate students of Italian at all levels are welcome. Midterm, final exam, and brief presentations. For further info: 1-5651.

MI 430C Introduction to Old English
Jones, C.
MW 11:45 a.m.-1:00 p.m.

This course aims to give students a basic reading knowledge of Old English (the language of the great heroic poem Beowulf and many other, less well-known works). No prior acquaintance with the subject is necessary, since we will begin with a concentrated overview of grammar before moving on to translation of simple prose and, ultimately, poetry. In addition to a mid-term and a final exam, there will be short but frequent grammar or translation quizzes and one 8-10 pp. review essay (with brief oral presentation) on some literary, historical, or linguistic topic of the student's own choosing. The required text is Peter Baker's Introduction to Old English (Blackwell 2003), which we will supplement with readings in translation from other sources TBA.

MI 440H The Vikings
O’Leary, A.
TH 2-3:15 p.m.

The Vikings are notorious in European history for plunder and pillage, pagan savagery, and horned helmets. Participants in this lecture-and-discussion course will study the impact of Viking invaders in Europe and North America over four centuries, and will consider whether Scandinavians made any real contribution to the societies they terrorized. Discussion (including heated debates) will be based on medieval primary sources from England, Ireland, France, and Russia. Scandinavian life at home and the possible reasons for migration will also be considered, as background to the more exciting events abroad. The importance of archeological evidence (including art), and modern treatments of Vikings in film and literature, will also be included. Requirements include participation in group discussions, a final exam, and a research paper (10 pages approx.) on a topic of the student’s choice.

MI 441A Jews and Christians thru History
Signer, M.
TH 3:30-4:45 p.m.

In the closing days of the Second Vatican Council, Nostra Aetate (Declaration on Non-Christian Religions) reversed the negative attitude of the Catholic Church toward Judaism and the Jewish people. This remarkable change promoted “dialogue” with Jews, and suggested positive changes in the way Judaism was presented in liturgy and catechesis. Reactions from the Jewish communities were diverse: from rejection to welcoming. This course will explore a number of issues that emerge from the history of Christian thought and theology: How did a negative image of Judaism develop within Christianity? In what ways did these unfavorable teachings contribute toward violence against the Jews? What is the relationship between Christian anti-Jewish teachings and anti-Semitism? Is there any correspondence to Christian hostility within Judaism? In what ways have Jewish authors reacted to Christian tradition? We shall also analyze recent theological writings by Jews and Christians about the changed nature of their relationship: How can Jews and Christians develop religious responses to modernity? In what senses can a study of Judaism by Christians, or Christianity by Jews, help either community to understand itself better? How can Christians and Jews develop a theology of “the other” which is not triumphalist but empathic?

MI 468 Thought and Culture in the High Middle Ages
Van Engen, J.
MWF 1:55-2:45 p.m.

This is a course about the thought and culture of Medieval Europe in the years 1100 to 1350. The course takes seriously the notion of “mind,” that all people, whatever their gender or social class, were gifted with powers of understanding and decision making amidst life’s dilemmas. It asks what we know about how these people thought about, perceived, and experienced their world, what ideals they set for themselves, what they hoped to achieve, how they set about the task of living. The course will proceed with lectures on specific topics and introductions to texts or authors, but in good part by way of a careful reading and discussion of assigned primary sources. Those sources will range from medieval romances to mystical poems, from political philosophy to devotional meditations.

MI 475 Introduction to Christian Latin Texts
D. Sheerin
MTHF 8:30-9:20 a.m.

“Introduction to Christian Latin Texts” (=Medieval Latin I) has two goals: to improve the student’s all-around facility in dealing with Latin texts and to introduce the student to the varieties of Christian Latin texts and basic resources that facilitate their study. Study of syntax and vocabulary will be facilitated by regular exercises in Latin composition. Exposure to texts will be provided through common readings which will advance in the course of the semester from the less to the more demanding: Latin translations of Scripture, exegesis, homiletic, texts dealing with religious life, formal theological texts, and Christian Latin poetry. Medieval Latin II, a survey of Medieval Latin texts, will follow this course in the spring term.