Medieval Art in the Modern World

ARTH 4425
Fall 2017
MW 3:30-4:45
Lucas Hall 203

Dr. Maureen Quigley Office Hours: M: 5:00; T: 1:00

quigleymau@umsl.edu Office: Lucas Hall 507; FAB 201
314-516-5670 (no text)

Course Objectives:
The main goals of this course are to:

1. Provide the student with fundamental training in the history of medieval aesthetics,
thought and appropriation in modern and post-modern contexts.

2. Broaden student knowledge of the ways in which medieval artists responded to

cultural trends and aesthetic ideals through the visual arts. Students will then be asked to
analyze how and why medieval design choices are still used by artists, cultural groups and
designers today in a variety of popular mediums, including performance, film, t.v., game
design and other forms of fine arts and crafts.

3. Encourage the student to relate the works and ideas from different times and cultures
to their own experiences and to understand the value of liberal arts learning as a tool to
enrich their personal and professional lives.

4. Provide learning experiences and assessment opportunities that help the student
develop the process skills of reading comprehension, visual analysis, written and oral
communication, group working, curation, vocabulary building, critical analysis,
comparative and contextual study.
 Assessment
This course will find the majority of its assessment in short writing assignments,
classroom discussion, and a longer research project/presentation/curated exhibition.
There will be 200 points possible in the class, which you can add up as the semester
proceeds.

A 186-200
A- 180-185
B+ 176-179
B 166-175
B- 160-165
C+ 156-159
C 146-155
C- 140-145
D+ 136-139
D 126-135
D- 120-125
F under 120

These grades can then be translated into the 4.0 scale recognized by the University as
posted in your student planner and online at:
http://www.umsl.edu/~studentplanner/index.html

Grading and Assignments

Active Participation 20 points
Reading Responses 40 points (EIGHT readings due the day assigned)
Research Project Proposal 30 points (one page abstract + bibliography)
Contribution to Exhibition 70 points
Includes:
Written research paper of ~7-10 pages; curation of exhibit
Presentation of Research 40 points

See MyGateway for the explanations/expectations/rubrics for all of these assignments.

Attendance and Participation Attendance will be taken on a regular basis throughout the
semester. Since your academic career is part of your current job (even if youre already working
40+ hours in the real world), you need to treat it professionally. Students who expect to receive
a successful grade in class should expect to maintain regular, prompt attendance and engage in the
classroom experience by a) coming to class prepared with the readings and/or having reviewed
the study guide for that chapter and b) actively participating in any classroom dialogue. Even your
professor can get really bored when a lecture is just one person talking so take control of your
learning experience! Failure to actively attend and participate in this class will result in two
things. The first is that you will lack sufficient understanding of the materials to achieve a
successful result in the course. For this reason, I will send the name of students with consistently
poor attendance to the Student Retention Services through the Academic Alert system this is not
a punishment, but rather a way to identify any problems a student may be having within or outside
of the class. The second result is that you will be unable to receive any extra credit points.
Advice If you find yourself falling behind or in need of acquiring more effective study skills, feel
free to contact me or the Student Retention Services at 225 Millennium Student Center (314-516-
5300) for further advice.

Academic Honesty
The University of Missouri-St. Louis encourages students to pursue excellence within a respectful
and collegial environment and to assume responsibility for the consequences of personal actions.
For that reason, the University requires students to reject any type of dishonest behavior. Honesty
precludes seeking, providing, or receiving any form of unauthorized assistance on tests or any
other type of assignment. In this course, this means that you may not use anything other than your
brain and a pen on a test no notes, no notebooks, no cell phones or tablet computers, or anything
of the like. It also requires giving credit through appropriate citation to the author of materials in
written or oral assignments. By registering for this class, you have agreed to follow the Student
Code of Conduct (see pp. 22-23 of the Student Bulletin and online at
http://www.umsl.edu/bulletin/student-conduct.html). Please familiarize yourself with the terms
cheating, plagiarism, and sabotage as defined in this Code. Your professor will pursue all
abuses of the Student Code of Conduct through the proper University channels.

Accommodations Notice
This University abides by Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with
Disabilities Act (ADA), which stipulates that no student shall be denied the benefits of an education
solely by reason of a disability. If you have a documented or documentable physical or learning
disability and believe that you may need accommodation for the successful completion of this
courses requirements, please contact the Disability Access Services Office in 144 Millennium
Student Center at 314-516-6554.

Students, with or without special accommodation needs, who find themselves falling behind or
needing to develop certain skills (writing, study skills, etc.) should take advantage of the Student
Retention Services in 225 Millennium Student Center, 314-516-5300. They will be more than
happy to direct you to the numerous campus opportunities for improvement.

Classroom Civility
Students often seem unaware of how distracting their quiet, private behaviors can be in a
classroom. These behaviors often revolve around personal devices such as laptop or tablet
computers (browsing, email, facebook), cell phones (texting, phone calls), non-classroom related
conversations, etc. For the most part, students have come to the classroom to learn. Please be
respectful not only of those other students, but also of the professor, who has spent a significant
amount of time preparing for lecture and discussion. Remember, again, that your classroom
experience should be viewed in a professional manner behave not how you would in your living
room, but how you would in paid employment.

Regarding use of cell phones, adherence to the Student Conduct Code is expected.
Use laptop and tablet computers exclusively for a learning experience.
My commitment is to create a climate for learning characterized by intellectual diversity
and a respect for each other and the contributions each person makes to class. I ask that
you make a similar commitment.
 I am committed to insuring a positive learning environment by respecting that University
policy:
http://www.umsl.edu/studentlife/dsa/student_planner/policies/positive.html

Students expecting to use computers or tablets for note-taking in this course MUST
sit in the front of the room and ask my permission before doing so. I reserve the right
to refuse the use of electronic devices by any student at any time if inappropriate use
proves distracting to either myself or other students.

**My primary mode of communication with students will be through Blackboard postings
and emails. It is your responsibility to check for postings and emails on a regular basis. You may
link this to your personal email, but I will have access ONLY to your umsl.edu account. The phone
number listed on page one cannot receive texts so dont text.

COURSE SCHEDULE AND READINGS

WEEK ONE
Aug 21 Introduction: syllabus, expectations, research project
Aug 23 A VERY brief history of the Middle Ages
Skim/watch: https://da.khanacademy.org/humanities/world-
history/medieval-times/european-middle-ages-and-serfdom/v/overview-
of-the-middle-ages

WEEK TWO
Aug 28 Medieval Aesthetics and Symbolism I. Christian themes
Reading: Skim the Umberto Eco aesthetics readings on Blackboard.
Assignment: Google search medieval symbolism and be prepared to share
in class one website that you find interesting and/or helpful

Aug 30 Introduction to Medieval Styles

Skim: https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/medieval-world

WEEK THREE
Sept 4 No Class. Labor Day. Visit the SLAM or binge GoT, because why not?

Sept 6 Medievalism I: Dreaming of the Middle Ages

Reading: Umberto Eco, Dreaming of the Middle Ages in Travels in
Hyperreality, 1986, p. 61-85.

WEEK FOUR
Sept 11 Medievalism II: In Search of the Holy Grail, Veronica Ortenberg.
Reading: On Blackboard

Sept 13 Medievalism III: in film, t.v., video games

Reading: Nickolas Haydock, The Medieval Imaginary, in Movie
Medievalism: The Imaginary Middle Ages, p. 5-35.
How to critique a film
http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/MRC/filmstudies/filmreviewsintro.html

WEEK FIVE
Sept 18 Medievalism as an Academic Construct
Skim Reading: Norman Cantor, Inventing the Middle Ages on Blackboard
Skim Reading: Judith Bennett, Medievalism and Feminism, in Speculum 68
(1993), 309-331 (JSTOR)

Sept 20 Professor at Conference

Watch: Monty Python and the Search for the Holy Grail. (in-class
worksheet)

WEEK SIX
Sept 25 Medievalism and the State: Mythmaking
Reading: Patrick Geary, The Myth of Nations, blackboard excerpts

Sept 27 St. Louis (the actual saint) and France

Reading: TBA

WEEK SEVEN
Oct 2 Medievalism and the State: The post-9/11 Crusades
Reading: Umberto Eco, Turning back the Clock: Hot Wars and Media
Populism, blackboard

Oct 4 Medievalism and the State: Nazi/Neo-Nazi symbolism

Reading: https://newrepublic.com/article/144320/racism-medievalism-
white-supremacists-charlottesville

WEEK EIGHT
Oct 9 Romantic Medievalism
Reading: Marc Baer, The Memory of the Middle Ages: From History of
Culture to Cultural History, in Studies in Medievalism IV (1992) 290-309,
blackboard

Oct 11 Romantic Medievalism II. The 19th Century

WEEK NINE
Oct 16 Medieval fantasy in literature
Reading: Helen Young, Approaches to medievalism: a consideration of
taxonomy and methodology through fantasy fiction, in Parergon 27/1
(2010), 163-179

Oct 18 Medievalism as Performance - the SCA

Reading: Michael A. Cramer, Medieval Fantasy as Performance, excertps on
blackboard

WEEK TEN
Oct 23 Medieval Aesthetics and Symbolism II. Secular themes
Oct 25 Medievalism and Popular Culture
Reading: David W. Marshall, Mass Market Medieval, excerpts on blackboard

WEEK ELEVEN
Oct 30 Immersive Medievalism I. Fashion - GoT, etc
Nov 1 Immersive Medievalism II. Fantasy Maps and LotR

WEEK TWELVE
Nov 6 Historical gaming & art decisions. World Building
Nov 8 Medieval/Modern and other historicisms

WEEK THIRTEEN
Nov 13 How to curate an art exhibition I
Nov 15 How to curate an art exhibition II. Visit to SLAM or SLU?

WEEK FOURTEEN
Nov 20 Thanksgiving Break
Nov 22 Thanksgiving Break

WEEK FIFTEEN
Nov 27 Research and Curatorial Decisions
Nov 29 Research and Curatorial Decisions

WEEK SIXTEEN
Dec 4 Exhibition at Gallery Visio
Dec 6 Exhibition at Gallery Visio

FINALS WEEK
Presentations of Research