Cornell University Registrar

Program Description

Medieval Studies students can choose among a wide array of subjects spanning more than a thousand years of languages and cultures—from Old and Middle English literature to Byzantine monuments; from Icelandic sagas to Aztec architecture; from Chinese intellectual history to Islamic legal history. The global medieval period saw many of the foundational choices that have, for good and ill, made the world what it is today.  In classes, students explore how many of our current challenges in, for instance, human rights, religion, attitudes toward power, law, and authority, and gender and sexuality have been shaped by more than a millennium of discussion and debate.

Minor Requirements

• Complete five MEDVL courses at the 2000 level or above in at least two different areas of study (e.g., literature, art history, philosophy, archaeology, etc.). Up to two of these courses may also count toward the student's major. Relevant courses not listed or cross-listed as MEDVL, or courses taken while studying abroad may be allowed by petition.
• All courses must be completed with a grade of C- or higher.
• Before the end of the final semester of the degree, submit a brief 300-word exit statement that articulates the intellectual interests developed in work done for the minor.