UNL Medieval and Renaissance major provides flexibility

The words “medieval” and “Renaissance” often bring to mind thoughts of knights and famous painters.

The Medieval and Renaissance Studies program at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln covers the study of different countries and eras from the years 500 to 1660 to give students an area of individualized studies, said Peter Lefferts, chief adviser and former director of the program.

“One of our strengths is that every student has to come up with a location and time period they want to focus on,” he said.

For instance, he said, a student might want to study the Elizabethan period in England in the time of Shakespeare.

Carole Levin, the director of the department and a history professor, said students can study a whole range of countries and get a global perspective.

It is because of this individualized style that there are no unique courses in the program, which means there is no obvious vocational path to follow after receiving the degree, Lefferts said.

“It comes from a whole group of departments,” Levin said.

These departments include English, history and art history.

Students might use the degree to go into the teaching profession, seminary or art history.

“You have to ask what vocational outcome is available to all of those degrees,” Lefferts said.

The students might be pre-law or pre-med and want to have a degree in another subject they are interested in, he added.

Lefferts said the program is one of the less credit-heavy degrees available in the university.

“What we find, usually, is that it is used as a double or triple major,” he said.

Many of the courses required for a student’s first or second major overlap with the ones found in the Medieval and Renaissance program.

While there are not many students majoring in Medieval and Renaissance Studies, and it is a small program, Lefferts said, “We have a very active Medieval and Renaissance study that brings speakers on a regular basis to campus in the fall and spring.”

Past speakers have included Hannibal Hamlin, who spoke about “King Lear,” which was the play the drama department performed.

Next semester an art historian and a women’s historian will be speaking, Levin said.

“Any way the lecture can mix with different departments at UNL is wonderful,” she said.

kimbuckley@dailynebraskan.com

1 comments

Wil Hass

Tue Oct 27 2009 08:24

What about courses in Old and Middle English? These would seem to be basic to understanding England during the period mentioned.

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