HIST 204 Early Middle Ages: 300-1000 AD |
|
Instructor: Winston E Black Credits: 4 Attributes: N - Social Science Early Medieval Europe, 300-1000 AD COURSE DESCRIPTION: A survey which introduces students to the society and culture of Europe in late Antiquity and the early Middle Ages. Primary themes of the course will be the fate of the western half of the Roman Empire, the development of the Roman Christian Church and monasticism, ethnogenesis and the first medieval states, the interactions of Europe with Byzantine and Islamic civilizations, and the rise and fall of the Carolingian Empire. The format of the course will primarily be lectures, with some discussion, slides and film. Grades will be based on two papers (20% each), a midterm and a final exam (20% and 30%), and class participation (10%). |
ENG 227 British Literature I |
|
Instructor: Michael Sharp Credits: 4 Attributes: H - Humanities, W - Writing (Harpur Req) This course will focus on the relationship between individual and community in medieval and Renaissance English literature. The rise of English as a literary language, the advent of the printing press, the Reformation, all of these represent radical new possibilities for intellectual, national and religious community in England. But what is the place of the individual, the individual worker, believer, lover, writer, in the shifting communities of the pre-modern world? How do important changes in the structure of communities expand or endanger the liberties of a single man or woman? We will explore these and other related questions from a broad literary perspective. Format: Requirements: attendance, participation, midterm, final, various short writing assignments, poetry memorization (minimum 14 lines) and a creative final project (roughly 7-10 pages) |
ENG 245 Shakespeare |
|
Instructor: Gayle E Whittier Credits: 4 Attributes: H - Humanities, W - Writing (Harpur Req) A representative selection of Shakespeare's dramatic genres: comedy, history, tragedy and late romance. Emphasis on advancing the students' confident, competent reading of the plays and enlightened enjoyment of this playwright's work. Format: lecture/discussion; required attendance; two essay exams and one other assignment determined by discussion section instructors. |
MDVL 270J Eastern Asia: Land and People |
|
Instructor: Shin Yi Hsu Credits: 4 Attributes: G - Global Interdependencies, N - Social Science Broad introduction of geography of East Asia from a global interdependency perspective. Six topics examined in terms of interaction between East Asia and the West: U.S., the New World and the West place-name system; physical structure, climatic patterns, agricultural regions, Buddhism in China, formation of post-Columbian East Asia; religion, democracy, communism. Also being taught as GEOG 259; AAAS 259 T/R 11:40 am- 1:05 pm UU 108 |
MDVL 270U The Fairy Tale |
|
Instructor: Zoja Pavlovskispetit Credits: 4 Attributes: H - Humanities Structure and meaning of fairy tales. Oral vs. literary fairy tales. Different approaches to interpreting fairy tales: anthropological, psychological, socio-historical, structuralist. Lectures approximately once a week; discussion; take-home midterm and final exams; two 10-page papers T/R 10:05 am – 11:30 am LNG335 |
MDVL 270Y Pagans Christians Jews 60-622AD |
|
Instructor: Matthieu H Van Der Meer Credits: 4 Attributes: G - Global Interdependencies, H - Humanities This course studies interactions between Judaism, traditional “pagan” religions, and the new sects centered around Jesus, then on the development of those many Christianities into a socio-political power. We will also trace the growth of popular “mystery” religions, the transformation of Greco-Roman religious practices, and Diaspora Judaism. Different historical, literary, and artistic sources will be addressed in three time periods. |
AAAS 281S Pre-Modern Japanese Lit & Culture |
|
Instructor: Roberta Strippoli Credits: 4 Pre-modern Japanese Lit and Culture The course provides an overview of Japanese literature and cultural history from the 7th to the 12th century. We will explore early myth-histories, poetic anthologies, setsuwa tales, women's diaries, The Tale of Genji and the refined court society that inspired it, and glance at the different lifestyles and values of the emerging warrior class. We will study the representation of commoners such as itinerant monks and nuns, and understand the role played by nature, animals, and supernatural beings. Course materials include literature in translation, works of criticism, films, and documentaries. Contemporary reception (in Japan and abroad) of several works of pre-modern literature will also be explored. MWF 9:40 am – 10:40 am S2-143 |
MDVL 292C Renaissance and Baroque |
|
Instructor: Karen Edis Barzman Credits: A - Aesthetic Perspective This course is a survey of Renaissance and Baroque art in Europe and its impact on cultural production in the Americas. Emphasis will be placed on painting, sculpture, engraving, the “minor arts” (from elaborate furniture to ceramic-ware), and architecture. Discussion will include stylistic developments, workshop methods, iconography, patronage, and the social functions of art, from the mid-thirteenth through the eighteenth centuries. No prerequisites. No prior knowledge assumed. |
ENG 330M (Re)Building a Tradition: Medieval English Romance |
|
Instructor: Christian B Beck Credits: 4 Attributes: H - Humanities, W - Writing (Harpur Req) Medieval romance is the most popular genre of all medieval literature and many of the tales have been retold over the course of centuries. This course will look at the romances of Chretien de Troyes and Marie de France and the popularity of the roman courtois—we will also look at a couple romances not as popularly known. Through reading these texts we will attempt to construct an idea of the genre of Romance and use that construction when we read/analyze Middle English (ME) Romances. In some cases, the ME versions are “translations” of French romances and we will use the idea of translation to (re)construct the genre of Romance—or even do away with the generic description. Through a comparison between the French and English romances, we can attend to not only the differences between texts—revealing cultural difference—but also the similarities between the literatures. Through these lines of analysis, we gain a more complete view of the English Middle Ages and many of the tropes of Western culture still employed today in both literature and culture. |
ENG 340M Early Modern London |
|
Instructor: Andrew Walkling Credits: 4 Attributes: A - Aesthetic Perspective This course will explore the historical, physical, and spatial character and development of London in the sixteenth, seventeenth, and early eighteenth centuries. Following an introductory survey of the growth of London in antiquity and the middle ages, attention will be given to the development of architectural styles, such as domestic and public architecture, churches, and palaces; the spaces and circumstances of cultural production, bureaucratic administration, and commerce; and changing uses of space over time, including modes of transportation, gathering points, the configuration of public and private space, and the reemergence of the city after the Great Fire of 1666. We will also examine a variety of literary responses to architecture and space (including prose, poetry, and drama), and will explore the sonic contours of London spaces, with a particular emphasis on the performance of music in a variety of venues and circumstances, both public and private. Cross listed with ArtH386L |
MDVL 360 Hispanic Lit: Middle Ages-17c |
|
Instructor: Thomas Oconnor Credits: 4 Attributes: H - Humanities, W - Writing (Harpur Req) Hispanic literature from the Middle Ages to the 17th century, plus colonial Latin American literature to the 18th century. Required for the major. Ability to participate in and to contribute actively and comfortably to classroom, as well as small-group, discussions of sophisticated topics with minimal loss of communication due to inadequate control of grammatical structures. Building on the skills and knowledge developed in the study of literary themes and topics in SPAN 344, this course will emphasize the interrelationship of analytical skills and clarity of thinking as the means of developing a personal style of expression. FORMAT: Will write four 4-to-5 page essays (with peer editing and revision). Conducted in Spanish. |
LAT 380A Advanced Latin --Vergil |
|
Instructor: Zoja Pavlovskis-Petit Credits: 4 Attributes: H - Humanities |
CLAS 381A Persuasion in Ancient Greece |
|
Instructor: Andrew Scholtz Credits: 4 Attributes: H - Humanities, J - Joined Comp and Oral Comm "Peitho" is the Greek word for persuasion, the influencing of future action and thought. Yet "peitho," as object of cult, a figure of myth and an essential element in love, marriage and commerce, meant more to Greeks than simply words designed to change minds. Nor did "peitho" always operate through a verbal medium. "Peitho" was, in fact, a central, if ambiguously valorized, feature of ancient Greek culture, and the study of it in context opens a window into the cultural-ideological landscape within which ancient Greeks conceptualized politics, society and much else as well. For more information, go to http://bingweb.binghamton.edu/~clas381a/. |
HIST 381B Early Modern Britain: Religion, Politics & War |
|
Instructor: James Robert Lothian Credits: 4 Attributes: N - Social Science, W - Writing (Harpur Req) This course will treat Tudor and Stuart Britain. Students will come to understand how England during the sixteen and seventeenth centuries was able to transform itself from a minor European kingdom into the wealthiest and most powerful nation on earth. Topics dealt with will include the Reformation, the creation of the modern British nation-state, England¿s interventions on the Continent, and the foundations of the British Empire. |
MDVL 381E Machiavelli & The Renaissance |
|
Instructor: Richard S Mackenney Credits: 4 Attributes: N - Social Science, W - Writing (Harpur Req) This course examines texts in contexts. It explores Machiavelli’s writings in relation to the Renaissance in Florence, Italy and Europe. What made Machiavelli so reviled in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, and why does his name continue to carry opprobrium? Were his ideas atypical or did he merely push the implications of Renaissance thought further than his contemporaries? There will be special emphasis on the text of The Prince, but ample opportunity to read other works of Machiavelli and his contemporaries and write about them. Level three course for majors and non-majors. FORMAT: Two lectures per week and discussion. One mid-term examination and one final; one essay of 10-12 pages; marks for class participation and attendance. BOOKS: The Portable Machiavelli, ed. Bondanella and Musa; Curry and Zarate, Introducing Machiavelli; Mackenney, Renaissances; Skinner, Machiavelli; Viroli, Machiavelli. |
HIST 381S Medieval Religion & the Church |
|
Instructor: Winston E Black Credits: 4 Attributes: N - Social Science, W - Writing (Harpur Req) MEDIEVAL RELIGION AND THE CHURCH: Saints, Sinners, and Scholars: Religion and the Church in Medieval Europe: Traces the spread and development of Christianity in medieval Europe in its theological, social and institutional aspects. Examines the impact of Christianity on medieval secular institutions and the demands medieval people made of the Church. Through close readings of primary sources and scholarly literature students will confront debates over Christian self-identity, episcopal authority, monasticism, the distinctions between church and state, the role of women in religion, as well as the gradual definition of popular religion, heresy, and witchcraft. The format will be lectures with some discussion and grading will be based on participation, midterm, cumulative final, a book review and a research paper. T/R 4:25 pm – 5:50 pm FA 209 |
MDVL 382A Masterworks Of French Lit. |
|
Instructor: Sandro Sticca Credits: 4 Attributes: H - Humanities, W - Writing (Harpur Req) Overview of the development of French literature from the Middle Ages through the 17th century, within the context of French society, culture and institutions. Reading and analysis of short fiction, plays, essays and poems representative of each century. Conducted entirely in French. FORMAT: Lecture/discussion, readings and discussions in French; oral presentation; three short papers, two in-class examinations. Regular attendance mandatory. PREREQUISITE: ONE 300-level French course. Students from other disciplines welcome. |
ARTH 386L Early Modern London |
|
Instructor: Andrew Walkling Credits: 4 Attributes: A - Aesthetic Perspective This course will explore the historical, physical, and spatial character and development of London in the sixteenth, seventeenth, and early eighteenth centuries. Following an introductory survey of the growth of London in antiquity and the middle ages, attention will be given to the development of architectural styles, such as domestic and public architecture, churches, and palaces; the spaces and circumstances of cultural production, bureaucratic administration, and commerce; and changing uses of space over time, including modes of transportation, gathering points, the configuration of public and private space, and the reemergence of the city after the Great Fire of 1666. We will also examine a variety of literary responses to architecture and space (including prose, poetry, and drama), and will explore the sonic contours of London spaces, with a particular emphasis on the performance of music in a variety of venues and circumstances, both public and private. Cross listed with ENG 340M |
MDVL 440F The Sultan's Palace |
|
Instructor: Nancy A Um Credits: 4 This course will examine palaces and palatial cities of the Islamic world, including the desert palaces of the eastern Mediterranean, the royal city of Cairo, the Alhambra in Spain, the Topkapi Palace in Istanbul, Emperor Akbar’s palatial city of Fatehpur Sikri in India, and the Persian palaces of the royal city of Isfahan. The course will deal with archaeological and architectural studies, as well as an examination of some royal accessory arts, like wall paintings, sculptural programs and carpets. Furthermore, we will ask questions about the imperial use of administrative and residential space and the specifics of royal ceremonial, procession and viewing. Most of the class will be devoted to chosen historical case studies, paired with a careful consideration of the ways in which the space of the Sultan’s Palace has been constructed through Orientalist literature, art, and scholarship. |
MDVL 440G Inventing the Middle Ages |
|
Instructor: Barbara Abou-El-Haj Credits: 4 Attributes: A - Aesthetic Perspective, W - Writing (Harpur Req) |
MDVL 481L The Italian Renaissance |
|
Instructor: Dana E Stewart Credits: 4 Attributes: H - Humanities Explores the major cultural trends of the Italian Renaissance, as reflected in the plays, letters, diaries, poetry, and treatises of the time. Themes covered include politics, art, philosophy, and religion, as well as love and the roles of women in Renaissance culture. Authors studied include Petrarch, Boccaccio, the Humanists, Machiavelli, Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Renaissance courtesans such as Veronica Franco. Grade will be based on participation, oral reports, two tests, and short papers. Lectures in English. Students in the Italian program will read the texts in Italian and will have extra assignments in Italian. |
HIST 481P Renaissance & Reformation in 12C Europe |
|
Instructor: Winston E Black Credits: 4 Attributes: C - Composition, N - Social Science Renaissance and Reformation in Twelfth-Century Europe COURSE DESCRIPTION: The seminar will focus on the idea of a ‘Renaissance’ in twelfth-century western Europe, first popularized in the 1920s and still debated by medieval historians, as well as the concept of a religious ‘reformation’ in the same period. In this course students will examine the religious, literary, artistic, and scientific achievements of the ‘long twelfth century’ (roughly 1075-1215), and discuss the concepts of ‘renaissance’ and ‘reformation’ as they have been borrowed from the Early Modern period and applied to the High Middle Ages of western Europe. The format will be discussion and presentations, with occasional lectures on key topics. Assessment is based on oral reports (25%), a high level of preparation and participation (25%), and a 20-25 page research paper (50%) on a key aspect or historiographical issue of the twelfth-century renaissance. |
AAAS 481U Topics in Pre-Mod JPN Lit |
|
Instructor: Instructor: Roberta Strippoli Credits: 4 Topics in Premodern Japanese Literature. The samurai is one of the most appealing images of Japanese culture, both in and outside of Japan. It stirred the imagination of storytellers, philosophers, soldiers, and, more recently, filmmakers and manga and anime artists. Through the study of warrior-related literature and theater, ‘Fictions of the Samurai’ examines the process through which this image has been constructed, received, and changed over the centuries. The course provides a chance to get acquainted with Japanese culture and intellectual history, to read military tales and other narratives in translation, to explore works of visual and performing arts such as noh and kabuki theater. |
