Department of Art History

During the Middle Ages, the city was a constantly evolving construct. This course will examine the physical and artistic embodiment of the medieval city in both East and West from the Late Antique period through the late Middle Ages. Walls and castles, churches and monasteries, hospitals and cemeteries, homes and public buildings, and artworks will all be surveyed, along with the city plans that provided the framework for experiencing life in an urban setting. Issues such as disease, the growth of the university, and the position of women and persecuted minorities will also be investigated.