The European Middle Ages are the origin of many important inventions, from representative government to universities to romantic love -- even the first robots date from this period! In this class, we’ll learn about the political, social, and religious world of the late Middle Ages, including the perils of the Black Death, journeys to purgatory, the Knights Templar, monsters, gothic cathedrals, troubadour music, and more. We will approach our topics in an interdisciplinary fashion, studying music, visual art, architecture, material culture, documents, and film. Students will become familiar with different kinds of primary sources (that is, sources created during the time period that we are studying) to develop skills in textual and visual analysis. Frequently, we will discuss our readings in class to develop skills in oral presentation and collaborative thinking. We will also participate in hands-on workshops on medieval manuscripts, siege warfare, and other activities.