Description
[Medieval] In this course we will investigate the rich potential of things. Through readings and discussion on medieval and early modern material culture, we will study artifacts that might have been considered "everyday objects" (like ceramics, glass and metal vessels, textiles, jewelry, armor, manuscripts, etc.) and discover the meanings that these cultural products held for their creators as well as their consumers. The first half of the course will focus on the roles of the makers and their materials and techniques of production. Our investigatory lens will then shift to discover more about the circulation, reception, and historic and geographic contexts in which we find these objects—exploring what a study of material culture can reveal about the religious, political, economic, cultural, and intellectual history of the medieval and early-modern world.