09:30A-10:45A TR (30) 3 cr.
OPEN TO MAJORS ONLY. DECLARED MINORS OBTAIN AUTHORIZATION FROM BH442.
What did it mean to be premodern? This course will examine works from the Old English period to the Renaissance, including Beowulf, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight , Chaucer, Spenser and Shakespeare with a focus on ideas of the self or subject. We will consider the argument that the self emerged in the Renaissance by looking backward to the Middle Ages for evidence of interiority, identity, and the interaction of self and community. In addition to reading literary texts, we will be consulting the Web for the sounds, sights, and cultural contexts. We will visit the Lilly Library to see real medieval manuscripts and printed books. Course requirements will include two papers, a midterm and final exam, and various short assignments using the Web.