MedRen 2666 - Magic & Witchcraft

This course will investigate the history of magic and witchcraft from late antiquity up through the eighteenth century, when the Enlightenment supposedly disenchanted the world. We’ll be particularly attentive to three questions: how people thought about magic and what it could (and couldn’t) do, how people who could supposedly cast magic were regarded and treated by those who could not, and how magic relates to the other major ways of understanding the world: religion and science. Most of us probably don’t believe (or at least completely believe) in magic, yet millions of people in the past who were every bit as smart as us did. We’ll try to understand why and how that belief might have made enough sense in their world that some of them turned to magic to improve their lives or harm their enemies and others felt so compelled to oppose magic that they were willing to hunt down and execute those they regarded as witches. Course requirements will include regular short informal writing exercises, some of which will require you to consider the beliefs and practices we’re studying as if they were your own.

Class: 29502
Time: WF 11:10AM-12:30PM
Room: 360 Journalism Building
Instructor: Nick Spitulski (Humanities Institute)

GE (New) Foundation: Historical and Cultural Studies course
GE (Legacy) Culture and Ideas and Diversity: Global Studies course

MedRen 4504 - Arthurian Legends

Welcome to Arthurian Legends!  In this asynchronous online course, we will explore together the wondrously rich and complex Arthurian tradition that flourished during the Middle Ages, from the first references to Arthur in early medieval chronicles and elusive Celtic poems through Malory’s epic Morte Darthur.  We will encounter the wild and crazy heroes of Welsh romance and the earliest incarnations of characters who remain a part of our popular culture, such as Merlin, Lancelot, Gawain, Guinevere, the Lady of the Lake, and Morgan le Fay. We will look at how medieval authors used Arthurian stories, characters, and tropes to explore a host of issues that remain relevant today, including the qualities of leadership, the desiderata of healthy relationships, the nature of heroism, and our responsibilities to each other, to ourselves, and to the environment.  Though our focus is the Middle Ages, we will also consider the ongoing modernization of Arthurian characters, stories, and themes in literature, games, and film, and we will explore the use of Arthurian materials in contemporary conversations about race, gender, sexuality, and a host of other issues. 

Class: 35002
Time: Asynchronous
Room: Online
Instructor: Karen Winstead (English)

MedRen 5610 - Manuscript Studies

This course introduces students to the pre-print culture of the European Middle Ages and trains them in the fundamental skills required to read and understand handwritten books, fragments, and  documents from ca. 500-1500 CE. Students will work with manuscripts held in the OSU library’s Special Collections and will benefit from numerous guest lectures. Knowledge of Latin and other medieval languages is NOT a prerequisite for enrollment.

Class: 34998 (Undergraduate) & 34999 (Graduate)
Time: TR 12:45-2:05PM
Room: 150A Thompson Library
Instructor: Leslie Lockett (English) & Eric Johnson (Thompson Special Collections)

Required Texts:

Clemens, Raymond and Timothy Graham. Introduction to Manuscript Studies. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 2008. ISBN-13: 978-0801487088.

MedRen 7899 - Medieval and Renaissance Colloquia

Description: MEDREN 7899 will consist of 1 credit hour per semester for attending CMRS lectures, faculty colloquia and subsequent discussions. This will amount to: 4 1-hour+ lectures by visiting professors and at least 1 internal lecture and subsequent discussion (total 3 hours per event); at least one lunch with visiting faculty member (2 hours); active involvement with the Medieval and Renaissance Graduate Student Association and its activities; and meetings with the Center director (one hour once per term). With permission of the Director other professional activities (such as attendance at appropriate conferences, on- or off-campus) may be substituted. Please be sure to consult with the Director to confirm plans for the semester before enrolling in the course.

Prereq: Grad standing. Repeatable to a maximum of 3 cr hrs. This course is graded S/U.

Class: 25699
Time: generally F 4:00-6:00 (in line with scheduled lectures and faculty/student colloquia)
Room: Varies - please consult the CMRS Events page for additional info
Instructor: Christopher Highley (English)