HIST 4950: The Medieval World in Film is a survey of various film portrayals of medieval culture. Modern notions of the medieval world are largely a creation of the scholars whose works have formed our concept of medieval culture and the many film directors who have played an equally important role in creating the modern notion of the Middle Ages. We will approach the historiography of the Middle Ages through Norman Cantor's The Creation of the Middle Ages, and attempt to compare and contrast the interpretations of the various films we will study to those of the most well-known medievalists.

Our course will focus on four broad themes: The medieval discussion of the relationship between faith and reason, the ideal of the knight, portrayals of medieval monarchs, and the medieval martyr in film. Through our study of primary source texts and several films, we shall explore the many interpretations of medieval culture and the ways in which medieval ideas, figures and events have been used as commentaries on modern issues. Users may click on the links to the right for materials related to the course units or for general resources.

Maymester 2005 Midterm Exam II

Maymester 2005 Final Exam