Course Description
A special topic not otherwise offered in the English curriculum. Topics and instructors vary from semester to semester.
Athena Title
Topics in Medieval Literature
Prerequisite
Two 2000-level ENGL courses or (one 2000-level ENGL course and one 3000-level ENGL course) or (one 2000-level ENGL course and one 2000-level CMLT course)
Semester Course Offered
Offered every year.
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Course Objectives
At the end of the course, students, having read a substantial body of literature, will be able to discuss the assigned works (orally and in writing) with a considerable degree of critical sophistication, to reread them with pleasure, to read and enjoy other works from the period, and to converse with fellow students about texts and issues related to the subject matter of the course.
Topical Outline
The choice and sequence of topics will vary from instructor to instructor and semester to semester. The topics will consist of selected works by various authors, to be read outside of class and discussed in class, examined individually and comparatively in the context of the times and the circumstances of their composition. Periodically during the semester, students will perform a number of graded tasks, including some combination of tests and out-of-class papers. A possible series of topics and assignments might resemble this: English Literature in the Age of Columbus (including Skelton, Henryson, and other late-fifteenth-century writers). Middle English Romance (including Malory, the Gawain poet, and other writers of Middle English romances). Middle English Religious Writing (including the Ancrene Wisse, the Agenbyt of Inwit, and other Middle English religious writings). Middle English Literature and Classical Tradition (including Middle English mythographers, translations of classical works like Douglas' Aeneid, and other relevant works). Paleography of Medieval English Writings (including Old and Middle English texts).