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Academic Year 2005/2006


Escaping Purgatory: Music and Devotion in Medieval Europe
MUSC 123 SP

Crosslistings:
MDST 123

aThis 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.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.

MAJOR READINGS

To be announced.

EXAMINATIONS AND ASSIGNMENTS

There will be a midterm and final examinations (covering classroom discussions, readings, and the required listening assignments) and one 5-7 page essay.

COURSE FORMAT: Seminar

REGISTRATION INFORMATION

Level: UGRD    Credit: 1    Gen Ed Area Dept: NONE    Grading Mode: Graded   

Prerequisites: NONE Links to Web Resources For This Course.

Last Updated on MAR-30-2006


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