Medieval and Renaissance Studies

Department website: http://www.medren.columbia.edu

Office location: 653-A Ext. Schermerhorn Hall

Office contact: 212-853-4200, medren@columbia.edu

Program Director: Dr. Susan Boynton, Professor of Music, 621 Dodge Hall, slb184@columbia.edu 

Program Administrator: Lauren Palmer, 653-A Ext. Schermerhorn Hall, medren@columbia.edu

Medieval and Renaissance studies is an interdisciplinary program in which a student combines a minor in medieval or Renaissance civilization with a major or concentration in one of the following departments:

  • Art History and Archaeology
  • Classics
  • East Asian Languages and Cultures
  • English and Comparative Literature
  • French and Romance Philology
  • Germanic Languages
  • History
  • Italian
  • Latin American and Iberian Cultures
  • Middle Eastern, South Asian, and African Studies
  • Music
  • Philosophy
  • Religion
  • Slavic Languages

For more information about the special concentration in medieval and Renaissance studies, visit http://medren.columbia.edu/.

Executive Committee of the Interdepartmental Committee on Medieval and Renaissance Studies

  • Christopher Baswell (English and Comparative Literature)
  • Susan Boynton (Music; Program Director, Medieval and Renaissance Studies)
  • Emily Runde (Rare Book and Manuscript Library)
  • Gregory Bryda (Art History and Archaeology)
  • Seth Kimmel (Latin American and Iberian Cultures)
  • Alan Stewart (English and Comparative Literature)
  • Michael Waters (Art History and Archaeology)
  • Jeffrey Wayno (Columbia University Libraries)
  • Hannah Weaver (English and Comparative Literature)

Full Faculty List: https://medren.columbia.edu/content/faculty

Undergraduate Programs of Study

Minor in Medieval and Renaissance Studies

Students can earn a minor in Medieval and Renaissance Studies by taking five (5) courses (15-20 points) offered by any of the following departments:

Art History and Archaeology; Classics; East Asian Languages and Cultures; English and Comparative Literature; French and Romance Philology; Germanic Languages; History; Italian; Latin American and Iberian Cultures; Middle Eastern, South Asian, and African Studies; Music; Philosophy; Religion; Slavic Languages.

Courses are to be chosen in consultation with the Director of Medieval and Renaissance Studies, and courses choices must be approved in order to count for the minor.

Approved courses usually have a primary focus on the period between 500 and 1700 CE.

Language Requirement

Students must demonstrate an ability to work with original language sources (other than in Early Modern English) from the medieval and/or Early Modern periods, either through coursework focusing on the historical language (e.g., LATN UN3033 Medieval Latin; MDES GU4214 Fourth Year Classical Arabic I) or through research (e.g., a senior thesis or seminar paper with substantial use of original language sources).

Any courses used to demonstrate the language requirement may also count toward the course requirement for the minor. Students must gain approval of the Director of Medieval and Renaissance Studies before registering for courses to fulfill this language requirement. 

For Students who entered Columbia in or before the 2023-24 academic year

Special Concentration in Medieval and Renaissance Studies

Students considering the special concentration in medieval and Renaissance studies should consult with the director in advance of course registration to ensure that their selection of courses will count towards the special concentration.

Please note that requirements for the Special Concentration were revised November 2017.

In addition to fulfilling the requirements for a departmental major or concentration, students with this special concentration should plan on taking an additional four (4) courses in other departments of the program, to be chosen in consultation with an appropriate member of the committee.

Students must also demonstrate an ability to work with original language sources (other than in Early Modern English) from the medieval and/or Early Modern periods, either through language coursework focusing on the historical language (e.g., LATN UN3033 MEDIEVAL LANGUAGE ＆ LITERATURE, MDES GU4214 FOURTH YEAR CLASSICAL ARABIC I) or through research (e.g., a senior thesis or seminar paper with substantial use of original language sources). Any courses outside the major used to demonstrate the language requirement may also count toward the course requirement for the special concentration. Students should gain approval of the director of the program in advance for plans to fulfill this language requirement.