Courses

When one hears the word “justice,” one may instantly think of the legal system.  Yet it is an infinitely more complex concept that encapsulates not only jurisprudence but also various other systems designed to right wrongs and arbitrate conflict.  Conflict indeed took many forms in the Middle Ages: blood feuds between families, theological debates, treason, marital discord, and property disputes are just a few examples of issues that required resolution.  This interdisciplinary course will thus employ both history and literature to examine legal, social, and religious formulations of justice in the Middle Ages. Our primary focus on Italian sources will be supplemented as appropriate by other medieval European perspectives. 

In English