Bachelor [Medieval Studies] From Rutgers University - New Jersey

As a Medieval Studies major, the students will have the opportunity to learn Middle English as they study. The Canterbury Tales, while also studying Italy from the Roman Empire through the Renaissance; explore medieval texts, including biographies and memoirs, to learn about medieval lives while honing their close reading and analytical skills. The B.A. in Medieval Studies offers students a wide-reaching historical perspective, which is vital when considering the challenges of the 21st century.

In the Medieval Studies program students will be able to demonstrate comprehensive knowledge of the European Middle Ages, including its major cultural and intellectual trends, its demography, its social formations and institutions in addition to the influence of medieval culture on modernity. This includes knowledge of the scholarly developments, areas of uncertainty and controversy from the era - from its beginning with the collapse of the Roman Empire in the West to the end of the 14th century on the Continent and the end of the 15th century in the British isles. Students will be familiar with at least two of the constituent disciplines of medieval studies and gain understanding of the benefits and challenges of interdisciplinary study; they will acquire knowledge of relations between medieval society in Europe and contemporaneous non-European cultures receiving exposure to the variety and character of the sources for the modern interdisciplinary study of the Middle Ages. Students will develop skills in primary and secondary research by writing an original essay through a seminar, independent study, or yearlong thesis, acquiring basic competence in one or more of the languages central to the study of the Middle Ages, such as Latin, Old English, and other European vernacular languages.