MEDVL 2150

Last Updated

  • Schedule of Classes - September 9, 2021 7:14PM EDT
  • Course Catalog - September 9, 2021 7:15PM EDT

MEDVL 2150
Popular Medievalisms

Course information provided by the Courses of Study 2020-2021.

Why is popular culture so obsessed with the Middle Ages? Why are new fantasy worlds so often "medievalesque"? Why are we compelled to imitate, reinvent, and even relive aspects of the medieval past? What do these continuities and repetitions reveal about contemporary narratives of progress and identity formation (race, gender)? Examples of popular medieval forms we will examine include: premodern fandom (relics, saints' lives, heroic culture); fantasy series and movies (Game of Thrones; Harry Potter); "histories" of medieval epochs (e.g. The Saxon Stories; The Vikings); Tolkien and C.S. Lewis; gaming culture (Dungeons and Dragons to Assassin's Creed); medieval-inspired satire (Monty Python, The Knight's Tale); Arthuriana; and children's films (Shrek, Frozen). Assignments will include medieval texts and translations as well as theoretical, analytical, and creative writing. This course may be used as one of the three pre-1800 courses required of English majors.

When Offered Spring.

Breadth Requirement (HB)
Distribution Category (LA-AS, ALC-AS)

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Syllabi: none

  •   Regular Academic Session.  Combined with: ENGL 2130

  • 4 Credits Stdnt Opt

  • 18911 MEDVL 2150   LEC 001

  •  
    • TR Online Meeting
    • Feb 8 - May 14, 2021

    • Zacher, S

  • Instruction Mode: Online