Courses

The Medieval and Renaissance Studies program offers more than 100 courses covering topics ranging across the formative historical period 500 to 1700. Most of these courses are cross-listed with other departments and may be taken toward degrees in both Medieval and Renaissance Studies and in the other departments. Subjects of special topics courses vary from semester to semester.

Majors and minors in the program take two courses to satisfy the Medieval and Renaissance Cultures requirement. Majors distribute eight electives in four course study areas: Fine Arts, History, Language and Literature, Philosophy and Religion. Minors may take any three additional courses as electives.

To see courses offered during a specific semester, please visit DukeHub and select “Class Search”.

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Number Title Codes Cross-Lists
MEDREN 89S First-Year Seminar
MEDREN 105 Old Worlds/New Histories, 500-1500 CE CCI, CZ, SS AAAS 134
HISTORY 105
MEDREN 125 Renaissance & Revolution: Religion, Science, and Politics in Europe, 1400-1800 CCI, STS, CZ, SS HISTORY 117
MEDREN 128 War and Society in the Middle Ages and Renaissance CCI, ALP, CZ HISTORY 128
MEDREN 135 Silk Roads and China, Ancient and Medieval Transformations CCI, CZ AMES 207
HISTORY 135
RELIGION 181
MEDREN 145S Gateway Seminar: Disease in the Premodern World CCI, CZ HISTORY 185S
MEDREN 160 Fantasy: The Borders of Genre, Medium, and Culture CCI, ALP ENGLISH 160
GERMAN 160
MEDREN 175 Scripture: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam CCI, EI, ALP, CZ AMES 138
JEWISHST 156
RELIGION 156
MEDREN 190FS Special Topics in Focus
MEDREN 190S Special Topics in Medieval Renaissance Studies
MEDREN 191FS Clash of Civilizations: In the Heart of Europe ALP, CZ AMES 206FS
ICS 116FS
JEWISHST 206FS
RELIGION 206FS
ROMST 204FS
MEDREN 201S Music History I: Antiquity Through Renaissance CCI, ALP, CZ MUSIC 255S
MEDREN 202S Music History II: 1600 through Mozart CCI, R, ALP, CZ MUSIC 256S
MEDREN 215 Gothic Cathedrals CCI, R, ALP, CZ ARTHIST 225
MEDREN 217 The Body in Art in Early Modern Europe: Power and Limits of Corporeal Representations CCI, ALP, CZ ARTHIST 317
DANCE 317
ROMST 317
THEATRST 245
MEDREN 224S Islam, Art, and Society CCI, ALP, CZ AMES 228S
ARTHIST 224S
HISTORY 193S
RELIGION 224S
MEDREN 225 Art in Renaissance Italy CCI, ALP, CZ ARTHIST 255
ITALIAN 386
MEDREN 225FS Art in Renaissance Italy CCI, ALP, CZ ARTHIST 255FS
ITALIAN 386FS
MEDREN 226 Medieval Castles of Europe STS, CZ ARTHIST 227
MEDREN 227 Renaissance Architecture in Italy: Brunelleschi to Michelangelo ALP, CZ ARTHIST 258
ARTHIST 349S
ITALIAN 258
ITALIAN 349S
MEDREN 228 Art & Architectural History of the Islamic World, 6th-13th c. CE
MEDREN 229A Renaissance and Baroque Art History CCI, ALP, CZ ARTHIST 255A
MEDREN 233 Michelangelo in Context CCI, ALP, CZ ARTHIST 259
ITALIAN 261
MEDREN 236 Pilgrimage and Tourism CCI, EI, W, ALP, CZ ARTHIST 336
RELIGION 260
VMS 336
MEDREN 240 Drawing Foundations in Early Modern Europe ALP ARTHIST 265
VMS 256
MEDREN 244 Renaissance Architecture: A European Perspective ALP, CZ ARTHIST 254
MEDREN 245S Women in Visual Arts, 1400-1800: Theory and History ALP, CZ ARTHIST 245S
GSF 245S
MEDREN 246 Italian Baroque Art CCI, ALP, CZ ARTHIST 256
ITALIAN 256
ROMST 256
MEDREN 247S Musical Shakespeare CCI, ALP ENGLISH 229S
MUSIC 245S
THEATRST 244S
MEDREN 248S Women and Power in the Renaissance EI, W, CZ GSF 258S
HISTORY 258S
ROMST 258S
MEDREN 250FS Gendering the Renaissance CCI, EI, CZ GSF 251FS
ITALIAN 208FS
ROMST 208FS
MEDREN 253S Cross-Cultural Encounters CCI, CZ AMES 235S
HISTORY 243S
ICS 297S
RELIGION 235S
MEDREN 254 The Expansion of Medieval Europe CCI, CZ HISTORY 254
MEDREN 255 The Caribbean, 1492-1700 CCI, CZ AAAS 218
HISTORY 318
MEDREN 268 Islamic Civilization I CCI, EI, CZ AMES 122
CULANTH 256
HISTORY 210
ICS 217
RELIGION 217
MEDREN 269 Islamic Civilization II CCI, EI, CZ AMES 185
CULANTH 257
HISTORY 211
RELIGION 376
MEDREN 270 Aztecs and Mayans CCI, EI, R, ALP, CZ HISTORY 370
MEDREN 275 Tudor/Stuart Britain R, W, CZ HISTORY 269
MEDREN 281 Religion, Reform, and Violence in Early Modern Europe CCI, CZ HISTORY 257
MEDREN 287 Magic, Religion, and Science since 1400 CCI, EI, STS, CZ HISTORY 260
SCISOC 260
MEDREN 287D Magic, Religion, and Science since 1400 CCI, EI, STS, CZ HISTORY 260D
MEDREN 290-1 Topics in Medieval Art and Architecture ARTHIST 290-1
MEDREN 290AS-1 Topics in Renaissance British Literature ENGLISH 290AS-1
MEDREN 290S-1 Special Topics in Medieval and Early Modern Literature ENGLISH 290S-1
MEDREN 291 Independent Study
MEDREN 292S The Atlantic Slave Trade CCI, R, CZ AAAS 217S
HISTORY 316S
ICS 209S
MEDREN 293 Research Independent Study R
MEDREN 303 Ancient and Medieval Epic CCI, ALP CLST 204
MEDREN 304 The Problem of Love in Western Literature CCI, R, ALP, CZ ITALIAN 225
LIT 205
ROMST 205
MEDREN 304S The Problem of Love in Western Literature CCI, R, ALP, CZ ITALIAN 225S
LIT 205S
ROMST 205S
MEDREN 305 The Viking Age CCI, EI, ALP GERMAN 261
HISTORY 256
MEDREN 305S The Viking Age CCI, EI, ALP GERMAN 261S
HISTORY 256S
MEDREN 314 Introduction to Spanish Literature I CCI, FL, ALP SPANISH 332
MEDREN 315 The Legend of King Arthur in Literature and Film CCI, ALP ENGLISH 286
GERMAN 275
MEDREN 320S Chaucer I CCI, R, ALP ENGLISH 332S
MEDREN 321 Chaucer II CCI, R, ALP ENGLISH 333
MEDREN 323S Muhammad: The Prophet of Islam CCI, W, ALP, CZ AMES 223S
RELIGION 223S
MEDREN 330 Shakespeare EI, W, ALP ENGLISH 235
THEATRST 222
MEDREN 331 Shakespeare through 1600 EI, R, ALP ENGLISH 336
THEATRST 336
MEDREN 332 Shakespeare After 1600 EI, R, ALP ENGLISH 337
THEATRST 337
MEDREN 334S Late Medieval Literature and Culture CCI, EI, ALP, CZ ENGLISH 331S
MEDREN 335S Don Quixote for Beginners EI, ALP, CZ HISTORY 337S
LIT 337S
ROMST 336S
MEDREN 336S Shakespeare's Nature EI, ALP ENGLISH 236S
THEATRST 237S
MEDREN 337S Milton EI, R, ALP ENGLISH 338S
MEDREN 338S Boccaccio's Decameron CCI, R, ALP, CZ ITALIAN 338S
MEDREN 341 Dante's Divine Comedy: Hell, Purgatory and Paradise CCI, EI, ALP, CZ HISTORY 253
ITALIAN 281
LIT 245
RELIGION 262
MEDREN 342A Dante and the Art of Hell R, ALP, CZ ARTHIST 342A
ITALIAN 342A
LIT 342A
MEDREN 343S The Acoustic Image in the Renaissance CCI, ALP, CZ ITALIAN 343S
ROMST 343S
THEATRST 343S
MEDREN 344S Shakespeare Studio ALP THEATRST 246S
MEDREN 346 The History of the Book R, ALP, CZ CLST 360
HISTORY 367
ISS 360
MEDREN 348S Medieval Latin FL, ALP, CZ LATIN 376S
MEDREN 351 Rumi: Mysticism and Poetry CCI, R, ALP, CZ AMES 321
RELIGION 381
MEDREN 352S Andalusia: Muslim, Jewish, Christian Spain CCI, ALP, CZ AMES 319S
JEWISHST 319S
RELIGION 214S
ROMST 319S
MEDREN 353 The Seven Deadly Sins: Representing Vice and Virtue in Christian Tradition CCI, EI, W, ALP, CZ ENGLISH 330
ETHICS 318
RELIGION 325
MEDREN 354 From History to Fantasy: Medieval Religions in Film & Fiction CCI, EI, ALP, CZ ENGLISH 254
GSF 261
HISTORY 244
RELIGION 261
MEDREN 355S Augustine's City of God CCI, EI, ALP, CZ CLST 230S
ETHICS 230S
POLSCI 396S
RELIGION 231S
MEDREN 359S Love, Spirit, and Mysticism: The Path of Love in Middle East and South Asia CCI, W, ALP, CZ AMES 209S
RELIGION 209S
MEDREN 370S Understanding the Qur'an CCI, EI, CZ AMES 126S
RELIGION 370S
MEDREN 374S Islam & the Meaning of Life EI, CZ AMES 324S
ETHICS 235S
RELIGION 374S
MEDREN 390 Topics in Medieval and Renaissance Studies
MEDREN 390-1 Topics in Renaissance Art ARTHIST 390-1
MEDREN 390S Seminar in Medieval and Renaissance Studies
MEDREN 401S Renaissance Architecture in Italy: Brunelleschi to Michelangelo
MEDREN 436 Colonial North America CCI, CZ, SS HISTORY 336
MEDREN 443S Capstone Seminar: History of Torture EI, R, W, CZ HISTORY 483S
MEDREN 458 Suspicious Truths and Alternative Realities: Spanish Literature of the Renaissance and the Baroque CCI, FL, ALP SPANISH 410
MEDREN 459 Golden Age Literature: Cervantes CCI, FL, ALP, CZ SPANISH 411
MEDREN 473 What Machiavelli Really Says EI, R, ALP, CZ HISTORY 405
ITALIAN 483
LIT 483
POLSCI 483
MEDREN 491 Independent Study: Thesis
MEDREN 493 Research Independent Study: Thesis R
MEDREN 507S Live Images: Ancient and Medieval Representations of the Divine CCI, W, ALP, CZ CLST 558S
RELIGION 552S
VMS 533S
MEDREN 524 Music in the Baroque Era R, ALP MUSIC 553
MEDREN 550 Early to Late Medieval Christianity CZ
MEDREN 551 Early Modern, Modern and American Christianity CZ
MEDREN 552S Jerusalem after Rome CCI, R, W, CZ HISTORY 522S
MEDREN 554S Columbus: A Global History CCI, R, W, CZ CULANTH 527S
HISTORY 526S
RELIGION 524S
ROMST 526S
MEDREN 576S Microhistory CCI, R, W, CZ, SS HISTORY 520S
MEDREN 590 Advanced Topics in Medieval and Renaissance Studies
MEDREN 590S Advanced Seminar in Medieval and Renaissance Studies
MEDREN 590S-3 Special Topics Seminar I ENGLISH 590S-1
MEDREN 603 Dante's Divine Comedy: Hell, Purgatory, and Paradise CCI, EI, ALP, CZ ITALIAN 582
LIT 582
MEDREN 608S Medieval and Renaissance Latin CCI, FL, ALP, CZ LATIN 508S
MEDREN 618S Boccaccio Studies CCI, R, ALP ITALIAN 584S
LIT 584S
MEDREN 620S Don Quixote in the Real World: From Escapism to Engagement CCI, FL, R, ALP ETHICS 520S
LIT 538S
SPANISH 520S
MEDREN 632S Special Topics in Renaissance Prose and Poetry: 1500 to 1660 R, ALP ENGLISH 538S
MEDREN 637S Shakespeare & Co.: English Renaissance Drama CCI, R, ALP, CZ ENGLISH 537S
MEDREN 642S Premodern Times: A User's Manual CCI, ALP ARTHIST 532S
FRENCH 530S
HISTORY 508S
LIT 541S
ROMST 531S
MEDREN 645S Epic as Translation: From Song to Text, and Back Again CCI, ALP ITALIAN 545S
LIT 585S
MUSIC 545S
ROMST 545S
MEDREN 647S Latin Palaeography FL, ALP, CZ LATIN 584S
MEDREN 665S Islamic Philosophy & Mysticism (Sufi's Approach to Philosophy)
MEDREN 690S-1 Special Topics in Middle English Literature: 1100 to 1500 ENGLISH 530S
MEDREN 690S-2 Topics in Renaissance Studies ITALIAN 590S-1
MEDREN 890S Topics in Medieval and Renaissance Studies