Pre-modern firearms are complex and complicated objects. While they were designed to be effective weapons, they were also aesthetic objects. Museums collect these weapons because they are exquisite examples of craftsmanship and artistry. What sort of ethical issues must be considered when a museum displays these objects of art and violence? Can understanding the deep history of guns and gun violence be useful to us in the present? Jonathan Tavares will share with us his perspective on curating historic arms and armor in 21st-century America.
A Vital Interdisciplinary Program
The program in Medieval and Renaissance Studies attempts to recreate the interlocking of many disciplines that characterized Medieval and Renaissance culture.
A certificate program that coordinates a student's training in the Medieval and Renaissance areas in such a way as to enrich the work in the major department while forming a coherent and integrated interdisciplinary experience.
Many of the medieval and Renaissance courses that I have taken have also reinforced my studies for courses of other disciplines.
- Margaret Liekar
Student Testimonials
Everything I studied in my completion of the Medieval and Renaissance Studies certificate complemented all the other fields, and led to a richer and more multi-layered interpretation of each.
- Caroline Nilsen
Student Testimonials
Through the Magna Carta I saw the early roots of democracy; through the battle between popes and kings I saw the eventual emergence of separation of Church and State.
- Katherine Cocklin
Student Testimonials
I have taken classes in Latin, history, linguistics, German, and the history of art and architecture; this variety contributes to a broader understanding of medieval and Renaissance culture than the courses in any single department would have done alone.