ARTH 314 - The Medieval Book

CR: 3
Prerequisite: ARTH 115 . This course will examine the “medieval book” (i.e. manuscripts) produced around the globe–from South and East Asia, to the Islamic world, Sub-Saharan Africa, the Mediterranean, and Europe–from c. 600-1400. Unlike almost all the other art forms of the Middle Ages, both religious and secular manuscripts have survived in greater number and with less alteration. Thus, through their combination of visual and written texts they can enrich our understanding of that period in numerous ways. Each week we will also dedicate time to studying the physical makeup of manuscript pages we hold in the Sweet Briar collection and in the collections of neighboring cities.