This course will examine medieval literature and culture through the
lense of the modern movie.  In conjunction with medieval literature
and historical documents, the movies we will be viewing will frame the
questions for this course, including the following:  How do we as
moderns view the Middle Ages and how did they view us?  What do
contemporary renderings of the medieval period have to do with the
historical and literary evidence of the times?  And finally, how did
the Middle Ages address such contemporary issues as gender, race, and
class?  Among the movies we will be seeing will be The Navigator, The
Passion of Joan of Arc, The Name of the Rose, The Sorceress, The
Anchoress, and others.  Each movie will be preceded by our
investigation of an historical document, such as the thirteenth
century report from a small French town that worships a "holy
greyhound" to Umberto Eco's modern novel, The Name of the Rose. Course
requirements will include two short papers (3-4), one long research
paper (6-8 pages), and a final exam.