Medieval Studies (MDST)

MDST123 Escaping Purgatory: Music and Devotion in Medieval Europe This course will explore the creative expression of religious belief in the music, poetry, literature, art, and architecture of Medieval Europe. We will begin with the everyday experience of monks, nuns, poets, and street musicians. What role did music play in their lives? Was it limited to religious practice and secular festivals? We may sense that music and the other arts held a variety of possible meanings beyond functional purposes; practitioners used artworks not only as vehicles for devotion, but also to construct monuments of themselves and their beliefs. Comparisons will be drawn between rituals and social practices of this society relative to our own. Although the focus of the course will be located in Christian and Judaic practices, the implications of our inquiry will inform any comparative study of music and religious culture. Accordingly, students will be invited, throughout the seminar, to present materials drawn from other traditions. Offering: Crosslisting Grading: A-F Credits: 1.00 Gen Ed Area: HA-MUSC, HA-MUSC Identical With: MUSC123, MUSC123 Prereq: None