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01-02  LS&A Bulletin

Medieval and Renaissance Collegium (MARC)

will be replaced by Medieval and Early Modern Studies F'00

May be elected as an interdepartmental concentration program

The History department administers the Medieval and Renaissance Collegium (MARC) , an interdisciplinary undergraduate program in the study of European civilization from late antiquity to the early modern period. Prerequisite courses and language requirements are designed to ensure that students are prepared to exploit the extraordinary richness of courses in this period at the University of Michigan. Courses that count for concentration are given in history, philosophy, religion, history of art and architecture, classical studies, archaeology, all of the European language and literature departments (English, Germanic, Romance, and Slavic), law, music, Near Eastern Studies, and theater. By focusing on a defined historical period, but requiring interdisciplinary study in advanced courses, a MARC concentration has both the coherency and breadth that distinguish a rewarding and useful education in the Humanities and Social Sciences.

Prerequisites to Concentration

  1. Successful completion of two (2) courses from among: the following
  2. Anthropology 222; Classical Archaeology 221, 222; Classical Civilization 101, 102; Great Books 191, 192, 201, 202; History 110, 111, 200, 201, 210, 211, 212, 213, 220, 286, 380, 381; History of Art 101, 102; Religion 308, 309.
  3. Fourth-term college-level proficiency in one of the Classical or Western European Languages

The Concentration Program

I. MARC Course Requirements:

Eight (8) three- or four-credit courses in the five areas listed below. At least five of these eight courses must be 300 level or above. One of these eight courses may be MARC 490, the MARC Independent Study course (three or four credits) which may be used for writing the MARC thesis.

  1. Five-Area Distribution Requirement: one three- or four-credit course in each of the following five fields:
    1. Late Antiquity and Early Medieval
    2. Later Medieval
    3. Mediterranean Renaissance
    4. Northern Renaissance
    5. Non-Western, Pre-Modern
  2. Three (3) additional three- or four-credit courses in the 5 areas listed above.
  3. Interdisciplinary Requirement: The eight (8) courses used to satisfy the concentration requirement must include courses in at least three (3) different departments or programs.

II. Language Requirements:

  1. At least one year of high school Latin or one semester of college Latin. This requirement must be completed by the beginning of the senior year.
  2. One upper-level course (300 or over) of three or four credits in the literature of one of the following languages: French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, Old/Middle English, Old French or Latin.
  3. OR
  4. Two (2) terms of a language (other than the one used to satisfy the prerequisite) taken from the above list.

III. The MARC Thesis:

A substantial research paper (30 to 50 pages), written under the direction of an appropriate faculty member, is due at the end of the student's final term and must be completed for certification for graduation in MARC. The Director of MARC serves as second reader. If the MARC Director is the thesis director, another faculty member will be asked to serve as second reader.

Honors Concentration. Concentrators who maintain a 3.0 GPA overall, and a 3.5 in MARC, are eligible to be considered for graduation with Honors. The grades of Highest, High, and Low Honors are determined by the Director (and faculty advisors when appropriate) on the basis of grade-point average in the college, grade-point average in MARC, and the grade on the thesis.

Advising. Beyond ensuring that concentration requirements are satisfied, the concentration advisor's most important role is helping to plan an individualized and coherent program of study to ensure that concentrators acquire the analytical and communication skills that are the principal virtue of a liberal arts education. A well designed program should also prepare students to write the MARC thesis. Appointments are scheduled at the History Department, 1029 Tisch Hall.

Study Abroad. Students are encouraged to study abroad, and one of the program's goals is to provide an education that will make this experience especially rewarding. The concentration advisor works with each student to determine what courses can be counted for concentration. Because of MARC's historical and interdisciplinary identity, most study-abroad programs offer a wide variety of courses that can be counted for a MARC concentration.

Double Concentration. Students often combine concentration in MARC with concentration in another department or program - in the natural sciences as well as in the social sciences and humanities. Students who plan a double concentrate should see the concentration advisor early to work out a plan for completion of requirements.

Student Association. The MARC Society is student run and cooperates with the Program in planning academic and social events. There is a social gathering of all MARC concentrators and friends near the beginning of each term in which general policy questions are discussed.


Courses in Medieval and Renaissance Collegium


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