Course Offerings

The University of New Mexico offers undergraduate and graduate courses focused on the medieval period in History, English, Art History, the Honors College, Anthropology, Music, Philosophy, Religious Studies, and more! Like the Institute itself, the courses offered range by theme, geography, and time period, and are often taught through an interdisciplinary lens. To enroll, search for the courses listed below within My UNM and the registration portal.

Course Offerings for Fall 2024:

History Department

History 1150-001: Western Civ to 1648

Dr. Charlie Steen, Virtual, CRN 75633

This course will follow a traditional pattern of exploring the development of political, religious, and social institutions from the time of the Greeks to seventeenth-century Europe, but will also emphasize cultural life as a unifying force in human affairs. Consequently, the art, architecture, literature, and customs of each period will receive considerable attention, and students will be encouraged to explore the music as well. The enormous range of time and different peoples involved make a comprehensive treatment impossible, but the course will highlight major figures and developments trying to provide students with glimpses of the past.

History 1190-001: The Medieval World

Dr. Timothy Graham, Face-to-face, CRN 69615

This course offers a broad orientation to Western culture during the Middle Ages by surveying the history, literature, art, and spirituality of the West during the thousand-year period from the fall of the Roman Empire to the eve of the Renaissance. This was an especially fertile epoch during which there evolved ideas, institutions, and forms of cultural expression of enduring importance, many of them still influential today. Far from being a long interlude of darkness and stagnation separating Antiquity from the Renaissance, the Middle Ages were a time of vibrant transformation, of innovative developments in many areas of human endeavor. Yet, while medieval men and women sowed the seeds for changes whose impact can still be detected today, medieval habits of thought and action differed in fundamental ways from those of our contemporary world. This course will highlight, investigate, and seek to explain what is most typical and most significant in the culture of the Middle Ages through a multi-faceted approach focusing on a broad range of texts and artifacts. The course will introduce students to several of the great vernacular works of the Middle Ages, including Beowulf, The Song of Roland, and Dante’s Divine Comedy; will cover such key topics as the evolution of rulership and the beginnings of parliamentary democracy; and will provide an orientation to major cultural breakthroughs, including the evolution of the manuscript book, the origins of the university system of education, and the development of the architecture of Gothic cathedrals. The overall aim of the course is to provide a well-rounded assessment and evaluation of the most significant developments during this rich historical period.

History 401-001: Anglo-Saxon England 460-1066 [undergraduate]

History 601-001: Anglo-Saxon England 460-1066 [graduate]

Dr. Timothy Graham, Face-to-face, CRN 77349

This course will offer an overview of the history and culture of England from the arrival of the Angles and Saxons in the fifth century until the Battle of Hastings of 1066. These six centuries form one of the most vibrant and innovative periods of English history, when the foundations of England’s greatness were first established. We will cover such diverse topics as the pagan culture of the early Anglo-Saxons, the Sutton Hoo Ship Burial, the Irish and Roman missions to England, the Viking invasions, the military and educational campaigns of King Alfred the Great, Anglo-Saxon manuscript culture, and the Bayeux Tapestry. The course will center upon the interpretive study of such primary source materials as the Beowulf poem, Bede’s Ecclesiastical History of the English People, and the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. There will be two papers, in-class quizzes, and a final examination.

History 406-001: Medieval and Modern Apocalypse [undergraduate]

History 606-001: Medieval and Modern Apocalypse [graduate]

Dr. Michael Ryan, Face-to-face, CRN 77351

Apocalyptic expectations and apprehensions underpin much of what constitutes “Western Civilization.” But what is the changing definition of “apocalypse”? Originally from the Greek term meaning “revelation,” the Apocalypse attributed to John the Evangelist was dependent upon longer, more historic apocalyptic traditions as well as the political and cultural contexts in which it was composed in the first century C.E. In the twenty-first century, however, apocalyptic understandings have manifested themselves in contexts surrounding notions of plague and contagion, the fear of the alien “other,” and in ecological and environmental catastrophe, among other themes. In this class, we will analyze the changing nature of the apocalypse as a genre of historical literature. We will read traditional apocalypses within the Abrahamic faiths, trace the understanding of apocalyptic expectations and apprehensions throughout the Middle Ages and early modern eras, and investigate what constitutes an apocalyptic scenario within the modern era.

History 668: Graduate Seminar: Women in the Global Middle Ages

Dr. Sarah Davis-Secord, Face-to-face

This course will examine the history of women’s lives, along with concepts of how people expressed and experienced gender and sexuality, in societies around the world during the period 500-1500 CE. Readings will focus on women’s experiences of political power and authority, religious life, family and community networks, economic systems, and enslavement and sexual exploitation, among other concepts. We will take a comparative global perspective in course readings and discussions. Student research papers may focus on any area of time period within this broad chronological range.

English Department

English 2120-006: Intermediate Composition: Early Medieval Histories: The Rhetoric of War

Cody West, Face-to-face

This course offers students a basic introduction to the rhetorical histories of the early medieval ages. Students can expect to learn about the historical contexts of Bede, Gildas, and other medieval authors, their versions of history, and the nuances and complicated rhetoric that each employ. Students can expect to read original medieval rhetorical histories, interpret and discuss them with their peers, and submit weekly small writing assignments; further, students can expect to write three formal essays, one of which is a research report. This course will develop students’ knowledge of early medieval history, rhetorical analysis, critical analysis, and the writing process.

English 2630-001: British Literature I

Dr. Lisa Myers, Face-to-face

This course is a survey of literary works produced in Britain from the early Middle Ages to the close of the 18^th century. Readings include the epic Beowulf, the romance Sir Orfeo, medieval and Renaissance drama, the poetry of John Donne, Eliza Haywood’s novel Fantomina and the memoir of Olaudah Equiano. The goal of the course is both to gain an understanding of the development of literary forms and traditions as well as to put texts into conversation with each other in order to gain a sense of both the history and the variety of human experience.

English 2650-001: World Literature I

Averie Basch, Face-to-face

A general overview of early world literature and culture with a focus on the themes of hate and restorative justice. Readings will include all or parts of such works as the Epic of Gilgamesh; Medieval Romance poetry from the British Isles and the Continent; selections from the Hebrew and Christian Scriptures and the Qur’an; a play by Euripides; poetry by Sappho, Li Bai, Ono no Komachi, and Farid ud-dun Attar, among others. Our ambitious goal is to investigate texts from China, Mesopotamia, Greece, Rome, Japan, Persia, Arabia, India, and the Americas by exploring how we can read texts through a restorative justice model. Through this mode of study, we will gain a sense of the differences and similarities that shape the varieties of human experience across time and cultures. We will also explore how the globalization of colonization affects our understanding of early world literature and how to decenter a Western gaze in the study of the past.

In this course, students will read representative world masterpieces from ancient, medieval, and renaissance literature. Students will broaden their understanding of literature and their knowledge of other cultures through exploration of how literature represents individuals, ideas, and customs of world cultures. The course focuses strongly on examining the ways literature and culture intersect and define each other. Meets New Mexico Lower-Division General Education Common Core Curriculum Area V: Humanities and Fine Arts.

English 300-05: Mythology

Dr. Nicholas Schwartz, Face-to-face

There are no more important texts for understanding the world of the past and of today than cultures’ earliest: myths. The texts covered in this course—some thousands and others hundreds of years old—provide a lens through which one can glimpse the development of ideas, cultural mores, and traditions which continue to exert great influence in the Western world today. While these stories are often remembered and retold because they include accounts of perseverance, the miraculous, superhuman accomplishment, love, devotion, success, justice, and other fodder for inspiration, many of those same texts betray darker motifs like heteropatriarchal dominance, cultural chauvinism, misogyny, intolerance, and the victimization of the young, the powerless, the poor, and the other, amongst other themes. This course invites students to grapple with this duality present in so much of mythology. It encourages critical examination of these texts that have been so fundamental, for better and for worse, to the development of what has traditionally been called “Western Civilization.” No previous knowledge of mythology is required, and all are welcome to sign up for this course.

English 351-001: Chaucer

Dr. Anita Obermeier, Face-to-face

In this course, we will explore Geoffrey Chaucer’s most famous work, The Canterbury Tales. Chaucer’s collection of competitive pilgrimage tales is one of the greatest, most imaginative, and varied pieces of all English literature: poetry and prose, romances, sermons, and bawdy stories. Chaucer is credited with writing the first viable women characters in the English language. Consider also the fascinating historical backdrop in late fourteenth-century England: a generation prior, the plague had swept through Europe decimating the population; a child king had taken the throne; peasants rose up in rebellion; and the Bible was translated into English—a world of both decay and dazzling possibility. Through the voices of colorful storytellers, Chaucer’s last great poem tests the boundaries of social possibility in his age, weighing the competing claims of allegory and realism, chivalry and commerce, men and women, traditional authority and individual experience. And it does so in our ancestor language of Middle English, simultaneously a colorful, earthy, funny, and lofty idiom. We will, in essence, ride along with the pilgrims on our own journey to Canterbury and through the Middle Ages.

English 448-001: Intermediate Old English [undergraduate]

English 548-001: Intermediate Old English [graduate]

Dr. Jonathan Davis-Secord, Face-to-face

In this class, we will return to the earliest recorded form of English and read some of the oldest literature ever written in the language. This semester will cover Old English poetry, including canonical short works, neglected gems, and selections from Beowulf. All readings will be done in the original Old English, and the course will focus on mastering Old English grammar and style while also learning the historical contexts of the readings. Prerequisite: basic knowledge of Old English.

Art History Department

Art History 2110: History of Art I

Dr. Justine Andrews, Face-to-face, CRN 74862

This survey course explores the art and architecture of ancient pre-historic cultures through the end of the fourteenth century. While focused primarily on the art of the Western and non Western civilizations, this course will also provide insights into the works of other major cultures in order to provide alter-nate views of art and history. Emphasis will be placed on the relationship of artworks to political, social, spiritual, intellectual, and cultural movements that affect and are affected by their creation and development.

Art History 389: 14th Century Art of Europe and the Mediterranean [undergraduate]

Art History 529: 14th Century Art of Europe and the Mediterranean [graduate]

Dr. Justine Andrews, Face-to-face, CRN 77281

We will explore the notion that the fourteenth century was a pivotal period for the Middle Ages through the art of wars, plagues, and everyday life. By the end of the semester, you will have a more nuanced understanding of this century which brought innovation and change to the Middle Ages. You will have analyzed both primary and secondary text sources, as well as works of art and architecture from this period.

Anthropology Department

Anthropology 420: Bronze and Iron Age Europe [undergraduate]

Anthropology 570: Bronze and Iron Age Europe [graduate]

Dr. James Boone, Face-to-face

This course is a lecture based survey of European prehistory from about 3000 BC to the beginning of the current era. Topics will include: the cultural influence horse-riding steppe nomad cultures on Neolithic Europe, the beginnings of bronze and iron metallurgy, the bronze age background of Iliad and the Odyssey, the urnfield. Background of witches, Halloween, and Christmas, the Celtic Hallstatt and La Tène cultures of central Europe, Iron age urbanism and the rise of Rome, and the iron age by bodies of northwestern Europe. Grading will be based on three exams and a final. Prerequisites: Upper division standing.

Music Department

Music 361-001: Music History I

Colleen Sheinberg, Face-to-face, CRN 16339

This class is the first semester of the two-semester survey of music history (a requirement for all music majors). The course covers the medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque eras of music history, from Green and Roman roots in antiquity up to circa 1750 (music of J. S. Bach).

The prerequisite for the course is MUSC 1265 Music Theory II, however, if there are medieval studies students who believe they have appropriate musical background and want to take the course, they will need to contact Dr. Sheinberg to see if an override is possible.

Religious Studies Department

Religion 1110: Introduction to World Religions

Various Faculty, Virual and Face-to-face

To see specific times, dates, and professors, click here for more information!

Religion 2110-001: Eastern Religions

Dr. Katherine Ulrich, Face-to-face

Eastern Religions is a thematic introduction to the religious life of peoples of Asia (mainly in India, Southeast Asia, China, Tibet, and Japan, with cameo appearances by Korea, Nepal, Mongolia, and/or Siberia). We examine the deities, practices, discourses, religious 3 specialists, and subdivisions of the adherents of Asia’s major indigenous religious traditions while examining two broad themes. The first is death: we consider practices and beliefs involving bodies, (no) soul(s), and various options for the afterlife (or immortality, in the case of Daoism). The second broad theme for the course is that of pilgrimage, the environment, and sacred space. How do religious beliefs and practices shape people’s understandings of, movement to and through, and interactions with the environment around them? The religious traditions covered are Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism, Confucianism, Daoism, Shinto, Shamanism, and the folk, popular, or new religions of India, China, and Japan

Religion 2110-001: Western Religions

Dr. Charles Becknell, Virtual

This course introduces students to the teachings, historical developments, and way of life (practices and modes of experience) of three major Western religious traditions: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Along with describing the essential features of these religions, we will explore how these traditions have answered some of the most fundamental human questions— Why are we here? What is the nature of the universe? How should we live? In a world that has become increasingly aware of its cultural diversity and richness, one way to gain access to that diversity and value is by exploring these Western religions' religious consciousness and practice.

Religion 312-001: Introduction to Islam

Dr. Mozafar Banihashemi, Face-to-face

This course examines the life and role of the Prophet Muhammad, the message of the Qur'an, and the history of the theological, philosophical, legal, and mystical dimensions of Islam to the present.

Religion 347-003: Topics: Mysticism: East & West

Dr. Daniel Wolne, Virtual

This course is designed to give an introductory look at mystical texts from a variety of religious 5 traditions, and to expose students to the contemporary philosophical and psychological questions that arise in the study of those types of texts. The course will start with an examination of some definitions of mysticism, then moves on to look at specific themes that can be found in these texts. The second part of the class will involve asking critical questions about the nature of mystical experience (are all mystics saying basically the same thing?; can mysticism be reduced to brain states?; can psychedelic drugs bring about mystical experiences?), with an eye towards careful academic reflection on these matters.

Course Offerings