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  • American Religions
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  • Medieval Christianity
  • Religion, Ethic, and Public Life
  • Theology and Religious Reflection
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• NU Graduate School

Medieval Christianity

The program is especially strong on the religious culture of Western Europe from the 12th to the 15th century.  Richard Kieckhefer works on the devotional and mystical culture of that period, on church architecture and its connections with communal life, and on the history of witchcraft and magic.  Barbara Newman focuses on twelfth-century writers, women's spirituality, and imaginative theology.

Each student in medieval Christianity is expected to work in Religion and in an affiliated department, usually History (with Dyan Elliott as mentor), English (with Katharine Breen and Susan Phillips, along with Barbara Newman), or Art History (with Cecily Hilsdale).  To enhance placement prospects, students are expected to complete qualifying exams as well as classes and research projects in the affiliated department.

Resources at Northwestern are complemented by those at other institutions in the Chicago area.  Students have taken seminars at the Newberry Library and classes on Latin and paleography at other universities in the region.

To ensure breadth of knowledge in medieval Christian culture, students take one class on the primary sources for medieval theology and one on the historiography of medieval Christianity; these courses serve as starting points for further reading and for qualifying exams in these areas.

Normally applicants should have good reading knowledge of Latin before entering the program.  Before receiving the degree, a student must pass the University of Toronto doctoral-level Latin exam and comprehension exams in two modern languages, usually German and French.  Students are also expected to take coursework or tutorials in paleography.