HIST 436

Brett Whalen

Would men and women be resurrected complete with their sexual identities? Did martyrs feel pain? Could women act as legitimate sources of divine revelation? Between Flesh and Spirit: Gender, the Body and the Holy in Medieval Christianity will explore questions such as these from late Antiquity to the Late Middle Ages. Students will investigate the gendered language and logic of theological tracts, hagiographies, exegesis, illuminated manuscripts and other materials as they relate to problems of the body and sanctity, including the creation of humankind and the resurrection of the flesh at the end of time, the act of martyrdom and the cult of relics, and the mystical claims of men and women to spiritual revelation. This course is intended for advanced sophomores, juniors, and seniors. Although the class will incorporate some formal lecture, the burden will be on the students to participate actively in the discussion of the shared readings and to carry out other class-related assignments.