Welcome

Welcome!  Rice University's Medieval and Early Modern Studies major offers students the opportunity to study a variety of often interrelated medieval civilizations: European, Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, and Asian, from the 4th to the 16th centuries. Our global and interdisciplinary program draws on a broad range of critical approaches and eleven departments - Anthropology, Art History, Classics, English, French Studies, History, Jewish Studies, Music, Philosophy, and Religious Studies. 

Students have the opportunity to experience medieval materials firsthand by examining the illuminated manuscripts and medieval art at Rice University and in the libraries and museums in Houston.  Eligible students can sing or play early instruments in the Collegium Musicum--an early music ensemble organized by faculty at the Shepherd School of Music. 

An ongoing reading group in medieval Latin with Professor Claire Fanger is available for students interested in joining.  Medieval Studies also regularly holds an undergraduate conference, which always features a world-renowned speaker.  

The skills typically acquired by Medieval Studies students --knowledge of history, languages, religions, and literatures, ability to analyze texts and images, and an understanding of other cultures -- provide a solid preparation for advanced degrees, whether in the humanities, law, medicine, or other professional schools. 

We welcome all students, whether your major is in the humanities, social sciences,  or sciences.  Let us come together, as Chaucer's Clerk did, to "gladly lerne and gladly teche."

If you have any questions about Medieval and Early Modern Studies, feel free to contact me.

Diane Wolfthal, Director of Medieval and Early Modern Studies

Undergraduate MDEM Club: Mappa Mundi

For more information on the undergraduate club associated with the MDEM major, please contact Kami Watkins.

15th Annual Vagantes Conference on Medieval Studies

2016 Paper and Parchment Conference