This course introduces students to the beauty, humor, and intellectual
sophistication of texts written in Europe between the sixth and
fifteenth centuries.  We will study representative works from a
variety of medieval genres and modes (including epic, romance, lyric,
drama, allegory, and satire); and we will explore such issues as the
emergence of vernacular literature in the Middle Ages, construction of
gender in medieval texts, the influence of classical and Christian
traditions on medieval texts, the relationship of medieval literature
to the visual arts, and the social forces that shaped literature
during this time.  Readings for the course will be available in modern
English translation and will include the Song of Roland, the Song of
the Cid, Chretien de Troyes' Yvain, Marie de France's Lais, a
selection of Latin and vernacular lyric poems, Wolfram von
Eschenbach's Parzival, Guillaume de Lorris and Jean de Meun's Romance
of the Rose, Dante's Divine Comedy, the Second Shepherd's Play, and
Everyman.

	Requirements: Graduate students will take a midterm exam and
complete one response paper (2 pages) and a research paper (20-25
pages, including notes).