Affiliated Faculty: Professors FAVORINI (Theatre Arts), McGUIRE (History and Philosophy of Science), MILLER (Classics), SWAN (Slavic Languages and Literatures); Associate Professors BREIGHT (English), LEWIS (Music), LOONEY (Chair, French and Italian Languages and Literatures)

Students of the medieval or Renaissance period of a discipline, whether literature, the fine arts, history, philosophy, music or other fields, have a particular need for a broad base in their training. Recognizing this need, the Medieval and Renaissance Studies Committee of the University of Pittsburgh instituted in 1968-69 a program that aims at stimulating interest in medieval and Renaissance studies generally, facilitating contact and exchange of information and ideas among faculty and students in various fields of study, and encouraging future medievalists and Renaissance scholars to develop greater breadth in their preparation. An interdisciplinary program with study in departments outside that of the student's major subject can significantly enrich his/her academic work.

The Medieval and Renaissance Studies Program comprises a course of studies leading to the doctorate in one of the conventional disciplines but with a broader and more varied preparation than marks the character of the present PhD in French, History, or other disciplines. Students who wish to specialize in the Middle Ages or Renaissance are permitted to take more courses outside their own department than is otherwise allowed. They might choose two ancillary fields for a minimum of four courses outside the department of their major. All departments participating in the program will permit the substitution of some interdisciplinary courses for regular departmental course requirements. The interdisciplinary nature of the student's work will be reflected in a consequent comprehensive examination and still later in the doctoral dissertation.

Certificate Requirements
Language Proficiency: Proficiency in Latin and at least two modern languages. Proficiency will ordinarily be interpreted as the ability to conduct research projects involving use of material in those languages. The language examinations will be administered by members of the committee from the appropriate language department and will usually consist of the translation of critical essays in the modern languages and, in the case of Latin, of a selection from an appropriate document in medieval or Renaissance Latin.

Course Work: Six approved courses or seminars, ordinarily in three departments. The courses will not be selected heterogeneously but will follow definite pattern of interrelated studies. For instance, a student majoring in French may wish to pursue an interest in the Norman dialect by taking a course in the Department of English on the effect of the Norman invasion on the development of the English language and literature; the same student may also take a course from the Department of History of Art and Architecture on Anglo-Norman architecture. Four of those courses will be taken in at least two departments other than the student's major.

Research Requirements: A research paper in medieval and Renaissance studies is required of all students working for the certificate. The paper will reflect the student's multidisciplinary interests. The director of the research project may either be the major advisor or a member of the committee who would be professionally qualified to advise the student; for example, a paper on Anglo-Norman architecture would certainly be directed by a member of the Department of History of Art and Architecture. The paper will be defended before an interdisciplinary colloquium and also may fulfill degree requirements.

Upon completion of requirements, the major advisor will place in the student's file a report on the special nature and interests of the student's work toward the certificate, for example, medieval Anglo- Norman culture or in the interrelationship of theology and literature in Renaissance Germany. The report can serve as a supplement to the student's professional job placement.

Special Features
Each year, the program organizes a series of lectures and symposia presented by both distinguished visitors and members of the University faculty. The Executive Committee of the program publishes, each term, a newsletter carrying announcements of coming events, fellowship possibilities, upcoming professional meetings of interest, courses to be offered in the following term, and scholarly activity of faculty and graduate students. This publication also provides a forum for the exchange of information among faculty and students at the University and at other colleges and universities in the area.

In addition to graduate work, the program offers upper-level undergraduate courses that graduate students from different disciplines sometimes find useful to audit or take for credit, with a view to broadening their interdisciplinary background.

For further information about the program, consult the Director; Medieval and Renaissance Studies Program; 1328 Cathedral of Learning; University of Pittsburgh; Pittsburgh, PA 15260. Access our Web site at http://www.pitt.edu/~medren.

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