- Academics
- Quick Links
Dedman College
Associate Professor Bonnie Wheeler, Director
Ranging from the 4th century A.D. to 1485, from Celtic Britain to Visigothic and Islamic Spain, Byzantium to Persia and the Caliphate, from script to print, from feast to fast, from ne arts to liberal arts, from Augustine to Saladin and beyond; this program offers an intense and condensed liberal education. Studies reveal how the historical shapes, institutional structures, literary visions, and artistic forms that emerged from the Middle Ages have colored our concepts of God, society, self, love, individualism, and success.
The Medieval Studies Program affords the student an opportunity for a "classically" liberal education within a broad subset of "Western" (Celtic, Franconic, Italic, Germanic, Visigothic) and "non-Western" (Byzantine, Islamic, Persian) contexts. It is appropriate for preprofessional training in multiple elds, ranging from business to religious studies and from biology to music theory and foreign languages and literatures. It can also lead to graduate work in medieval studies or (more usually) in such disciplines as literature, history, and art/music history.
The Dallas Medieval Consortium makes it possible for students at SMU, the University of Dallas, and the University of Texas-Dallas to enroll in selected medieval studies courses on the other campuses. Through the Consortium, SMU students can elect no more than a total of 15 hours in medieval subject courses at any other Consortium university.
Requirements for the B.A. Degree. Medieval Studies is an interdisciplinary major of 30 hours in medieval subjects, and Latin language and literature, distributed over at least three broad subject areas in medieval studies: 1) history, 2) literature, and 3) music and visual arts (art/music history), with no less than six hours in each area. Latin language and literature courses after the second year may, with the approval of the director, count toward hours for the Medieval Studies major. Students are encouraged to take courses in philosophy, religious studies, and church history, as they are available. Individual student programs are approved by the Director of Medieval Studies and a committee of two other members of the SMU Medieval Studies faculty.
Requirements for the Minor. A student must complete 15 hours from the courses listed, including at least three interdisciplinary and nine advanced hours. No more than six hours at the introductory (1000 or 2000) level may be counted; some of the MDVL and CF (Cultural Formations) courses listed below are also interdisciplinary. Other courses may satisfy the interdisciplinary component. Individual student programs are approved by the Director of Medieval Studies.
As a model, the following is a typical Medieval Studies major sequence for SMU students:
Sophomore year
Fall term:
Spring term:
Junior year
Fall term:
Spring term:
Senior year
Fall term:
Spring term:
* Credit toward Medieval Studies major.
Many courses are offered each year; with few exceptions, the remainder are available at least every other year. Consult with the director about offerings and frequency.
3321. The Birth of the Individual. Examines several basic notions pertaining to selfhood, including consciousness, cognition, motivation, personal identity and decision, as found in medieval texts.
3323. Survey of Native Welsh Literature (in translation) from the Sixth to the 20th Century. Primary focus on medieval and Arthurian texts and their influence on the British and European literary imagination..
3327. The Unicorn: Understanding Varieties of the Truth in the Middle Ages. Investigates the question of how history and fiction were perceived in the Middle Ages.
3329. The World of King Arthur. Investigates Britain's greatest native hero and one of the world's most compelling story stocks: the legend of King Arthur and the Round Table, and the early Arthurian materials and the later romance, epic, and artistic traditions.
3351. The Pilgrimage: Images of Medieval Culture. An exploration of the medieval world through one of its own literal and metaphorical images, moving from Jerusalem to the empire of New Rome, to Rome itself and across Europe on the pilgrimage roads of the Middle Ages.
3352. Ideas and Ideals of Gender in the Middle Ages. Focuses on the status of women in the Middle Ages and the impact of ideas regarding the feminine on the development of (mostly) Western thought.
3353. Medieval Ideas. Presents some of the classic achievements of the medieval mind. While the main focus will be on Medieval Europe and the adjacent Muslim works, wherever possible, students' attention will be drawn to developments in other culture areas.
3398, 3399. Directed Study.
© Southern Methodist University, Dallas, Texas | Legal Disclosures | A-Z Site Index | Contact SMU
Share