PDF version - Saint Mary's University of Minnesota

Multidisciplinary Minors
Medieval and Renaissance Studies
John Kerr, Ph.D., Supervisor
The Medieval and Renaissance studies minor offers students interested in these periods the opportunity
to pursue a multidisciplinary course of study through the three core perspectives of history, literature,
and philosophy. Required courses may also be counted, with some important limitations, toward major
and general education requirements. Qualified students from all academic disciplines are welcome to
explore the minor program. Successful completion of the minor will enhance awareness of disciplinary
perspectives and the skills to integrate them in meaningful interdisciplinary ways.
General Goals
• The minor promotes multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary studies of the period from later Antiquity
to the middle of the seventeenth century.
• The minor seeks to advance the study of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance by offering an
environment for academic exchange.
• The minor organizes, sponsors, and co-sponsors seminars to assist students, faculty, and the
larger community in acquiring a deeper understanding of issues rooted in the past that continue
to resonate in our contemporary world. These seminars consist of presentations, colloquia, and
conferences open to all.
Medieval and Renaissance Studies Minor (21 credits):
A. Both of the following philosophy courses:
PH253 History of Ancient Philosophy: Thales-Aristotle
PH254 History of Medieval Philosophy: Augustine–Ockham
B. Two of the following literature courses:
E315 Early British Literature I: Christianity and its Others
E316 Early British Literature II: From Romance to Epic
E333 Shakespeare
SP443 Medieval/Renaissance Spanish Literature
C. Two of the following history courses:
H321 The Early Middle Ages
H322 The High Middle Ages
H332 The Renaissance
D. The following course:
MR400 Minor Integration
E. Seminars:
Required attendance at three Medieval and Renaissance faculty seminar presentations and completion
of a seminar essay.
Course
MR400 Minor Integration 1 credit
Students research and write an integrative paper based on some common feature(s) of Medieval and/or
Renaissance culture encountered in their coursework. Students make presentations to faculty and peers
based on their paper. Students must complete at least 13 credits of the minor and at least one course in
each of areas A, B, and C before taking this course.
Note: Students are allowed to count two courses toward both their major and the Medieval and
Renaissance studies minor regardless whether the course is specifically required for both, an exemption
from university policy.
143 143