The Program

The Medieval Studies Certificate Program offers undergraduate students the opportunity to receive recognition for exploring the rich diversity of medieval culture. Multidisciplinary by its very nature, it aims to familiarize students with a range of topics associated with the centuries that followed the fall of the Roman Empire and preceded the Renaissance, including history, art, music, philosophy, architecture and so on. Far from being the 'dark ages' as later historians would call it, this was actually a time of great cultural advancement, from the bound book and the compass to eyeglasses and international banking. Although the Middle Ages were a major formative period of Western civilization, the Program also encourages students to study non-European cultures during the same centuries. The Program draws on course offerings in Anthropology, Art History and Architecture, Catalan, Chinese, Classics, Comparative Literature, English, French, German, History, Italian, Japanese, Judaic and Near Eastern Studies, Music, Philosophy, Portuguese and Spanish.

All undergraduates are eligible, regardless of major. Upon the successful completion of the Program, students receive the Medieval Studies Certificate, which is recorded on their permanent transcript.

Requirements

A minimum of 18 credits with a grade of B- or better in each course. None may be taken pass/fail. Courses already taken to fulfill major or minor requirements may be counted again for the Certificate. Please note, though, that the five or six courses taken for the Certificate must be taught in at least three departments. (The acquisition of a working knowledge of one medieval language and/or Latin is strongly recommended but not required.)

Upcoming pre-approved courses are announced on the Medieval Studies web site just before pre-registration, but other courses may also be accepted upon approval of the Director of Medieval Studies. Some of the required credits may be recognized from courses taken before transfer to UMass or from courses taken in any of the other Five Colleges. Special highly focused interdisciplinary courses will be offered periodically in accordance with student demand.

UMass Medieval Studies Core Faculty: Dir. Michael Papio, LLC (Italian); Jenny Adams, English; Jessica Barr, LLC (Comparative Literature); Sonja Drimmer, History of Art and Architecture; Albert Lloret, LLC (Spanish and Catalan); Robert Sullivan, LLC (German).