Course Details

In pop culture, especially TV shows and movies, the Middle Ages are often whitewashed and portrayed as the ‘Dark Ages’ (with Game of Thrones being the perfect example). Yet, a closer look reveals that medieval society tackled issues of diversity not just negatively but also in positive ways. We can learn from the Middle Ages that religious and cultural diversity was and is an essential feature of societies and that it is up to the people of each epoch to embrace or reject societal plurality. This seminar will provide you with a new understanding of the “not-so-dark” Middle Ages through the topic of diversity, specifically diversity aspects concerning race and racism, religion (specifically Islam, Judaism, and Christianity), disability, and gender. The class introduces discourses from this period through primary and secondary literature. However, you won’t just learn about medieval times; rather, this class also offers them an opportunity to critically review our own understanding and perception of diversity through learning about medieval ways of engaging with heterogeneous societies. You will gain direct knowledge about the Middle Ages and use it to examine our modern understanding of diversity and our modern realities. Critically engaging with ideas about the medieval times, you are guided in and encouraged to rethinking the value as well as the challenges diversity poses while learning to embrace our own contribution to the campus community and beyond as well.