This course looks at popular religious beliefs and practices in medieval Europe, including martyrdom and asceticism, saints and relics, shrines, miracles, and pilgrimage.  It seeks to understand popular religion both on its own terms, as well as in relationship to the church hierarchy. It also examines the varied and changing roles of women in Christianity, Christian ideas regarding gender and asexuality, passionate same sex relations in monastic culture, and saints associated with LGBTQ communities.  It ends by examining the growth of religious dissent in the 11th and 12th centuries, which led to religious repression and the emergence of what some historians refer to as a persecuting society in 13th-century Europe.

Units: 1

Max Enrollment: 25

Prerequisites: None. Not open to students who have taken HIST 379.

Instructor: Ramseyer

Distribution Requirements: HS - Historical Studies

Semesters Offered this Academic Year: Spring

Notes: This course is also offered at the 300-level as HIST 379 with additional assignments.