HS 419 - Medieval Bodies

(3.00 cr.)

While "the body" may be one of the most fundamental facts of human existence, even a moment's reflection would indicate that we experience our own bodies and the bodies of others in a dizzying variety of socially and culturally constructed ways. This course helps students engage with some of the many ways that the medieval world understood "the body." How did ideas about the body have an impact on medieval notions of sex and sexuality? What were the social and cultural ramifications of disability? How could the body function as a powerful point of contact between this world and the hereafter? Why did medieval political theorists describe society through bodily metaphors? In order to answer these and other questions, a multi-disciplinary approach to medieval history is used. Students examine works of philosophy, theology, law, and medicine in addition to literature, hagiography (the lives of saints), and material culture.

Prerequisite: One HS 100-level course, one HS 300-level course.
Sessions Typically Offered: Varies
Years Typically Offered: Varies

Interdisciplinary Studies: GT/IG/IHE/IM

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