01:00P-2:15P TR (30) 3 cr.
This course will focus on the work of Geoffrey Chaucer to explore the culture of the Middle Ages, including its politics, religious conflicts, and its gender debates. Beginning with the Canterbury Tales, we will learn to pronounce and translate Chaucer's Middle English. Then we will read Chaucer's work in conjunction with an investigation of the cultural contexts for the individual tales. Topics included in our study will be medieval pilgrimage, political unrest in Chaucer's time, religious dissent, class and social structures, and competing gender ideals. We will undertake our own pilgrimage on the Web, using various medieval sites to supplement our knowledge of medieval culture and to travel to Canterbury ourselves. We will also visit the Lilly Library to learn about medieval manuscripts and printed books. Course requirements will include two exams (midterm and final), two papers, including one research paper, and some translation and reading quizzes.