"Chaucer" (Peggy Knapp, English): Geoffrey Chaucer is sometimes thought of as the author of universal, timeless fictions containing "God's Plenty" (in Dryden's famous phrase). This course, however, will stress the ways in which Chaucer's fictions are situated within the specific, but complex and fluid 14th century political, social and religious controversies. We will read The Canterbury Tales and Troilus and Criseyde in Middle English (which is not hard to learn, but fun to know), and look at other representations of medieval English culture as it saw itself and as we see it from a 20th-century vantage point. Regular attendance, participation in classroom discussion and brief oral presentations from time to time are required. Each student will be asked to take a special interest in one of the Canterbury pilgrims and try to see the unfolding saga from that character's point of view. (Undergraduate-Graduate Seminar) [top]

"History of Books and Printing" (Mary Catharine Johnson, Special collections): This seminar examines rare books in the Library's collection to illustrate book design, type styles, printing and publishing practices and bindings from 1360 to 1960, featuring a Gutenberg Bible page (ca. 1455), Ratdolt's Euclid (1482), the Hypnerotomachia Poliphili (1499), Aldine press books, an Erasmus book printed by Froben in Basel (1530), Copernicus, Fuchs and Vesalius (1543), first folio of Shakespeare (1623), Robert Hooke's Micrographia (1665) and a book by Locke (1690). (Undergraduate/graduate seminar) [top]

"Renaissance Drama" (Peggy Knapp, English): The London Stage during the reigns of Queen Elizabeth and King James is well known fir its burst of creativity and public culture--and not just because of Shpakespeare. This course will examine the early history of English theater, both the social conditions that enable the theaters to be built and the plays written for it. Reformation doctrine and politics, power struggles between the royal court and the town, the rise of shareholding companies, increasing rates of literacy and periodic visits of the Black Plague all figure in this story. The emphasis, though, will fall on the plays themselves and how contemporary literary theory can reanimate them for us. The playwrights will include Christopher Marlowe, Ben Johnson, John Webster, Thomas Middleton, and others. (Undergraduate-Graduate Seminar) [top]

"Literary and Cultural Studies II: On the Uses and Abuses of History for Criticism" (Michael Witmore, English): The title of this class is adopted from Nietzsche's famous early essay, "On the Uses and Abuses of History for Life," which describes the ways in which descriptions of the past are put to use in the present. Using several Shakespeare plays as case studies, we will be examining how recent interpretations of these plays have turned into 'history' and 'historical materials' (ie- non-literary texts) as a way of making sense of their meaning and significance. The emphasis, then, will be on the ways in which readings of these plays have been produced, rather than on the plays themselves. Major topics of interest include: the historical origins of the 'deep subject' in early modernity (The Tragedy of Othello, The Moor of Venice); the consumption of print and the history of the new world (The Tempest); the transition from feudalism to early capitalism (The History of King Lear); the use of chronicle history in the creation of English national identity (The Life of Henry the Fifth). (Graduate Seminar) [top]

"Early Modern Philosophy" (Daniel Selcer, Philosophy): This course is a survey of early modern philosophy, from the late Renaissance to the early Enlightenment. We will deal with issues such as: emergence of the concept of the human; methods for defining the powers and limits of the self; dynamic shifts in experimental approaches to theoretical and practical knowledge; the formation of new literary styles in philosophical writing; the emergence of new theories of the body and matter; theories of the state in relation to individuals; the debate between thinkers focused on rational certainty and those insisting on the primacy of experience; competing accounts of the philosophical significance of human emotions; etc. We will approach these philosophers not only as isolated investigators asking particular questions, taking positions and articulating theories, but also as thinkers who strategically (or sometimes not so strategically) respond to one another's texts, methods, and concepts. Readings will include Francis Bacon, Pierre Bayle, Margaret Cavendish, Anne Conway, René Descartes, Galileo Galilei, Thomas Hobbes, David Hume, G. W. Leibniz, John Locke, Pico della Mirandola, Michel de Montaigne, Isaac Newton, Blaise Pascal, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Baruch Spinoza, and Voltaire. (Undergraduate seminar) [top]

"Introduction to Old English Language and Literature" (Bernard Beranek, Department of English): course description forthcoming.[top]

"Paleography and Colicology" (Anne Brannen, Department of English): course description forthcoming. [top]

"Shakespeare and Alienation" (Stuart Kurland, Department of English): course description forthcoming. [top]

"Shakespeare: Text & Film" (Al Labriola, Department of English): This course comparatively studies six plays by Shakespeare (two comedies, two histories, two tragedies) and cinematic adaptations by major directors, such as Franco Zeffirelli, Kenneth Branagh, Laurence Olivier, Oliver Parker, Akira Kurosawa, and the like. The goal of the course is to highlight the role of the director as an interpreter of Shakespeare's works and to recognize that cinematic adaptations and film criticism comprise a third major tradition (after literary criticism and stage productions) of understanding the plays. (Undergraduate) [top]

"Postmodern Readings/Early Modern Texts" (Daniel Selcer, Department of Philosophy): This course will examine examples of the roles that confrontations with texts from the history of early modern philosophy and literature have played in the formulation of key theoretical orientations in postmodern thought and its foundations in 20th century continental philosophy. To that end, we will examine a series of conjunctions between texts by theorists who can be located in or ground the philosophical discourse of poststructuralism together with the early modern texts they read. Pairings may include: Heidegger's Metaphysical Foundations of Logic with Leibniz's "Monadology"; Benjamin's Origin of German Tragic Drama with Grimmelshausen's Simplicius Simplicissimus; Althusser's "The Only Materialist Tradition" with Spinoza's Theological-Political Treatise; Foucault's The Order of Things with Arnauld's Port-Royal Logic (with Nicole) and Grammar (with Lancelot), as well as Wilkins' Essay Toward a Real Character; Derrida's "Cogito and the History of Madness" (and the relevant Foucault texts) with Descartes' Meditations; De Man's "Pascal's Allegory of Persuasion" with Pascal's "Reflections on Geometry in General" and "On the Spirit of Geometry and the Art of Persuasion"; Deleuze's Empiricism and Subjectivity with Hume's Treatise on Human Nature; etc. (Graduate seminar) [top]

"Advanced Honors Shakespeare" (Michael West, English): This seminar seeks to extend students’ knowledge of Shakespeare by focusing on works less commonly taught at the introductory level.  Our first meeting will be devoted to finding out what works class members are already familiar with, so that our syllabus can minimize repeated exposure to works already studied.  Whatever our readings, we will  integrate them to some extent with available film resources and representative critical commentary on Shakespeare.  We will probably survey about fifteen plays together with most of the poems, so students should leave this course with a working knowledge of more than half of Shakespeare’s canon of nearly forty plays.  No prerequisites beyond familiarity with most staples of high school and introductory college courses–i.e., Hamlet, Macbeth, Othello, King Lear, Romeo and Juliet, Midsummer Night’s Dream, Much Ado About Nothing, and Merchant of Venice--which advanced students of Shakespeare probably ought to know but which are unlikely to figure on our syllabus. (Undergraduate seminar) [top]

"The Arthurian Legend and Cultural Change" (Michelle Butler, English): This course is a literary and historical study of the origin and development of the Arthurian legend, one of the most influential and long-lasting myths of western civilization. We will begin in sixth-century Britain and go forward, tracing the ways in which the Arthurian legend emerges, manifests, and changes as it is retold over the centuries. We will follow its path through Europe, back into England, and finally to the United States, where the legend continues to retold in both popular literature and film. The emphasis of this course is upon exploring the origins of the Arthurian legend and its development, observing how the cultures in which it was retold have affected it, and beginning to consider through this exploration the process of cultural myth-making itself. (Undergraduate elective) [top]

"Abelard and Heloise in Medieval History and Modern Memory" (Bruce Venarde, History): This undergraduate seminar explores medieval records and modern interpretations of the lives and writings of the twelfth-century French lovers and intellectuals Peter Abelard and Heloise. We will read and write about the sexual, intellectual, and spiritual relationship of these two extraordinary people, whose lives and opinions have been controversial for centuries. What, we will ask, was the relationship between bodies and minds in medieval European culture, and how might that differ from our own perspective on the subject? How did people understand identity, individuality, or even personality in the twelfth century? How were the categories of "private" and "public" different in the past? Is there, or can there be, a history of emotions? Readings will include the correspondence of Abelard and Heloise, their philosophical writings, and modern interpretations on them and their world by academic scholars, novelists, and filmmakers. (Undergraduate seminar) [top]

"Ancient Greek and Roman Philosophy" (James Allen, Philosophy):course description forthcoming. [top]

"Baroque Passion and Oratorio" (Don Franklin, Music): course description forthcoming. [top]

"The Bible as Literature" (David Brumble, English): course description forthcoming. [top]

"Early Modern Philosophy" (Peter Machamer, History and Philosophy of Science): course descritpion forthcoming. [top]

"Enlightenment to Revolution" (Kimberly Latta, English): course description forthcoming. [top]

"Hermeneutics and Historicism" (Tony Edwards, Religious Studies): course description forthcoming. [top]

"Italian Renaissance Painting and Sculpture" (Ann Harris, History of Art and Architecture):course description forthcoming. [top]

"Intermediate Latin Prose" (Andrew Miller, Classics): course descritpion forthcoming. [top]

"Introduction to Architecture" (Fil Hearn, History of Art and Architecture):course description forthcoming. [top]

"Jewish-Christian Relations" (Adam Shear, Religious Studies): This course surveys the relationships between Jews and Christians from the time of Jesus through the early modern era, as viewed by both Jews and Christians. Topics include the position of Jews in the Roman Empire, before and after the rise of the early Church; Rabbinic views of Christianity and Church Fathers' views of Judaism; Jews and Jewish communities in early medieval Europe; the Crusades; accusations of ritual murder and host desecration; Papal-Jewish relations; moneylending and usury debates; Jewish-Christian scholarly interchange; late medieval disputations and polemics; expulsions; the impact of the Reformation; early modern Christian Hebraism; and the beginnings of toleration and early Enlightenment views. (Undergraduate elective) [top]

"Latin Reading: Orators" (D. Mark Possanza, Department of Classics): course description forthcoming. [top]

"Literature of Medieval Russia" (David Birnbaum, Slavic Languages and Literatures): course description forthcoming. [top]

"Man and the Cosmos in the European Renaissance" (Paolo Palmieri, History and Philosophy of Science): course description forthcoming. [top]

"Manuscript Illumination" (John Williams, History of Art and Architecture): course description forthcoming. [top]

"Medieval Iconography: What is the Grail?" (Alison Stones, History of Art and Architecture): course description forthicoming. [top]

"The Medieval Imagination" (Mary Briscoe, English): course description forthcoming. [top]

"The Medieval Imagination" (James Knapp, English): course descirption forthcoming. [top]

"The Medieval Imagination" (Kellie Robertson, English): This course surveys medieval literary culture from the Anglo-Saxons to the
beginning of the sixteenth century. It is intended not only to give a sense
of chronology but also to stimulate discussion about texts as social acts
situated in history. It is also designed to get us to think about how the
ideas and institutions that structure our everday lives (memory, time,
gender, love, marriage, the body) are not transhistorical imperatives but
rather cultual constructs and therefore will vary not only from the medieval
to the modern but across the span of the Middle Ages as well. From time to time we will look at how the modern imagination has represented the medieval one (in film and other media) in order to think about how such
representations function simultaneously as commentary on our contemporary desires and anxieties as well as those of the period they claim to represent. [top]

"Medieval Law and Government" (Janelle Greenberg, History): course description forthcoming. [top]

"Medieval Philosophy " (Gerald J. Massey, Philosophy): course descritpion forthcoming. [top]

"Music in Medieval Institutions" (Mary Lewis, Music): course description forthcoming. [top]

"Northern Renaissance Art" (Derek Churchill, History of Art and Architecture): course description forthcoming. [top]

"The Philosophy of Biology" (James Lennox , History and the Philosophy of Science): course description forthcoming. [top]

"Renaissance Discourses of Gender" (Marianne Novy, English): course descritpion forthcoming. [top]

"Renaissance Humanism" (Dennis Looney, Italian and Classics): course description forthcoming. [top]

"Renaissance and Reformation Europe" (Neal Galpern, History): course description forthcoming. [top]

"Shakespeare on Film" (Curt Breight, English): course description forthcoming. [top]

"Shakespeare and Playwriting" (Kathleen George, Theater Arts):coursedescription forthcoming. [top]

"The Social and Literary History of London" (John Twyining, English): course description forthcoming. [top]

"Stuart England " (Jonathan Scott, History): course description forthcoming. [top]

"Theater and Memory" (Attilio (Buck) Favorini, Theater Arts): course description forthcoming. [top]

"Urban History" (Franklin Toker, History of Art and Architecture):course description forthcoming. [top]

"Seminar in Medieval Europe" (John Nichols, History): This course in the Seminar in Medieval Europe at Slippery Rock University will introduce the student to some of the great books of the Middle Ages. In addition a survey textbook will be read to establish the chronological setting in which the author wrote his book. Except for the textbook, the books are listed above are more or less in chronological order which allows for an evolution of ideas. Because the books present different subjects, the student will become familiar with such topics as monasticism, theology, chivalry, politics, society, and warfare to mention but a few areas found in these works. My idea of a student reading the great books of the past rather than a modern author's summary is a practice which has a long tradition in higher education and is appropriate for students in a graduate seminar program. (Graduate seminar) [top]

"Medieval English Literture" (Pat Conner, Department of English): course description forthcoming. [top]

"Textual Communities: Reading and Reception Before Modernity" (Lara Farina, English): While not primarily a course on the history of criticism, this seminar traces the development of emergent subject of literary study: the "textual community," or social group united by the ownership or circulation of particular texts. This course explores the theorization, uses, and limits of "textual community" as a focus for literary analysis and historiography, using pre-modern England as an example. It showcases materialist, interdisciplinary research methods by situating medieval works in relation to their circumstances of production, manuscript context, circulation, and ideological use. In the process, it pays special attention to gendered communities, particularly to issues facing female audiences and patrons, and to relations between literacy and social deviance. Readings include 1) medieval texts such as devotional aids, romances, letter collections, preaching manuals, and plays, 2) theoretical essays relating to anthropology, discourse studies, textual reception, and cultural materialism, and 3) histories of reading, gender, and patronage. (Graduate seminar)  [top] 

"Title" (Instructor, Department): Description. (Level) [top]