undergraduate certification

Introduction

The Program in Medieval Studies offers undergraduates the opportunity to pursue concentrated interdisciplinary study of the European Middle Ages. Participating faculty come from many of the University's humanities departments and programs, including art and archaeology, classics, comparative literature, English, Germanic languages and literatures, Hellenic studies, history, music, Near Eastern studies, philosophy, politics, Romance languages and literatures, and religion. Students pursuing medieval studies at Princeton can obtain a major in that field as independent concentrators or major in any academic department while at the same time earning a certificate in medieval studies. It is this second option that will be explained here; prospective independent concentrators should consult the director of the program for further information.

The program itself sponsors three courses: 227, an introduction to medieval European studies; 412, a special topics seminar that varies in its specific content from year to year; and a noncredit senior thesis colloquium. In addition, it draws on a roster of approximately 40 courses in other programs and other departments (see the program description in the Undergraduate Announcement for a listing of approved courses). Informally the director of the program works individually with students to construct from this offering a custom-made course of study that links the chosen or prospective major with course work in other fields and injects the medievalist perspective into junior and senior independent work: participants devote at least one junior paper as well as the senior thesis to topics connected with the European Middle Ages, defined quite loosely to include Byzantine and Islamic connections. The biweekly senior colloquium brings all seniors in the program together for comparative discussion of their thesis work as it progresses.

There is at present no centralized formal procedure for enrollment in interdepartmental programs. If you are thinking about obtaining this particular certificate upon graduation (or just thinking about how to develop your interest in the Middle Ages further), come and see the director, even in your freshman year and even if your general plan of study tends more toward the sciences than the humanities. He or she will be able to suggest a course of action from a central perspective, keep you informed, and put you in touch with others who consider themselves medievalists, irrespective of their department affiliation. Increasingly, the program will sponsor special events for this group of interested students, beyond the visits to the Index of Christian Art, the Art Museum, or the Manuscript Room of Firestone Library that are open to all members of the University community.

The sole prerequisite for entering the program officially is Medieval Studies 227, a course designed specifically to expose students to a large variety of perspectives and topics. If you have gained such exposure in other ways already, this requirement can be waived. When you select your departmental major, you should make or reaffirm your commitment as an official participant in the program, willing to accept the conditions under which the certificate is granted as an extension of your major. “Lateral” entry into the program at a later date is possible but needs special approval by the director. The language requirement is highly flexible, but Latin is recommended as the most useful language—or Greek, if your main interest is in Byzantine history and literature. Other medieval languages currently available for study include old and middle English, old and middle French, old and middle German, old Norse, Gothic, medieval Italian, medieval Spanish, Hebrew, and Arabic. Certificate students will have to demonstrate competency in at least one of these medieval languages or in one of the major modern European languages to the 207 level.

The Program in Medieval Studies aims for maximal flexibility in designing these specific schedules for individual students. In addition to stimulating an interest in medieval subjects throughout the undergraduate curriculum, it offers highly motivated students the opportunity for close scholarly contact with Princeton's diverse medievalists as they pursue their studies among such extraordinary resources as the rich collections of medieval manuscripts and early printed books in the Firestone Library, the holdings in the William Scheide Library, the University Art Museum, and the Index of Christian Art, the world's largest database for iconographic studies.