Minor

The minor in Medieval and Renaissance Studies encourages students to take courses focusing on the period between roughly 500 and 1700 CE. By pursuing this minor, students can acquire a deeper knowledge of the historical period and of relevant scholarly methodologies than is provided by the premodern component of a departmental major. Students who are not majoring in a related field can explore areas of interest not addressed by their majors. The language requirement ensures that students with a minor in Medieval and Renaissance Studies gain experience using original-language sources. The design of the program gives it the flexibility to serve students in several different majors and with varied interests.

Students enrolled at Barnard please see the Barnard Medieval & Renaissance Studies Page 

Requirements

This minor is available to students majoring or minoring in one of the following departments:

Art History and Archaeology; Classics; East Asian Languages and Cultures; English and Comparative Literature; French and Romance Philology; Germanic Languages; History; Italian; Latin American and Iberian Cultures; Middle Eastern, South Asian, and African Studies; Music; Philosophy; Religion; Slavic Languages.

At Columbia College, students can earn a minor in Medieval and Renaissance Studies by taking five (5) courses (15-20 points) offered by any of the following departments:

Art History and Archaeology; Classics; East Asian Languages and Cultures; English and Comparative Literature; French and Romance Philology; Germanic Languages; History; Italian; Latin American and Iberian Cultures; Middle Eastern, South Asian, and African Studies; Music; Philosophy; Religion; Slavic Languages.

Courses are to be chosen in consultation with the Director of Medieval and Renaissance Studies, and courses choices must be approved in order to count for the minor. Approved courses usually have a primary focus on the period between 500 and 1700 CE.

Students must demonstrate an ability to work with original language sources (other than in Early Modern English) from the medieval and/or Early Modern periods, either through coursework focusing on the historical language (e.g., LATN UN3033 Medieval Latin; MDES GU4214 Fourth Year Classical Arabic I) or through research (e.g., a senior thesis or seminar paper with substantial use of original language sources). Any courses used to demonstrate the language requirement may also count toward the course requirement for the minor. Students must gain approval of the Director of Medieval and Renaissance Studies before registering for courses to fulfill this language requirement.

The program is administered by a Director of Medieval and Renaissance Studies who works with the Interdepartmental Committee on Medieval and Renaissance Studies, composed of faculty from several different departments. The Director must approve all course choices for the minor. (If the number of minors grows significantly, the advising will be shared equally by the members of the committee.) Each year, eligible courses are gathered from faculty and listed on the Medieval and Renaissance Studies website before each semester. Courses that are not on the list can also be considered for the minor.

Students should consult with the Director before course registration, to ensure that courses will count towards the minor. Advanced placement credit and transfer coursework may not be counted toward the minor. Students can apply to the Director for courses taken abroad to be counted for the minor. Courses taken Pass/Fail may not be counted toward the minor.