[ Wesleyan Home Page ] [ WesMaps Home Page ] [ Course Search ] [ Course Search by CID ]

The Cultural History of Reading and Writing
COL278 FA

Does reading have a history? Is the act of writing the same at all times and in all places? In this seminar we explore these questions about the cultural history of reading and writing over the period from late antiquity to the 18th century. As we follow the change from script to print, we will have direct experience of handling surviving written artifacts during visits to Wesleyan's own collection of rare manuscripts and books. In a series of case studies we will also investigate what writing and books meant to some ordinary people--an illiterate English mystic of the 15th century, a stubborn Italian peasant of the 16th century, and a Jewish woman merchant of the 16th century.

COURSE FORMAT: Lecture

REGISTRATION INFORMATION

Level: UGRD    Credit: 1    Gen Ed Area Dept: HA COL    Grading Mode: Student Option   

Prerequisites: NONE

Last Updated on MAR-24-2000

Copyright Wesleyan University, Middletown, Connecticut, 06459