MAJOR

Medieval and Renaissance Studies

Major

Overview

“Go and catch a falling star,” sang Renaissance poet John Donne, but countless numbers think Perry Como invented the phrase.

Medieval and Renaissance studies majors are constantly finding the roots of the present in the past. Much of our legal system and ideas on human rights come from medieval and Renaissance times. And so do some of the world’s most moving art and literature, from Dante’s Divine Comedy to Leonardo da Vinci’s rendering of Mona Lisa’s mysterious smile.