Codicology and Latin Paleography

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Instructor: Elizabeth Teviotdale
Fridays, 2 pm-5pm, January 11, 2008 - March 14, 2008

Course Description
This seminar provides students with a firm foundation in the discipline of codicology (the study of the manuscript book) and introduces them both to the forms of script used in writing Latin in the Middle Ages and to the cultural history of the medieval book. Students become familiar with the materials and techniques of medieval book production, develop their skills in transcribing Latin from original sources, and explore the role of the book in medieval society. Because so much of what we know about the Middle Ages is derived from the study of manuscripts, this seminar—intended for medievalists from across the disciplines—provides students with a fundamental skill for the study of literature (both Latin and vernacular), intellectual history, social history, ecclesiastical history, art history, and music history. It also serves to prepare students for the subsequent study of documentary hands. The course draws on the Newberry Library’s manuscript holdings in demonstrating the physical properties of the manuscript book, as sources for student transcription assignments, and as potential topics for term papers.

A typical class period comprises three components: (1) a practical workshop in transcription using examples of a given script prepared in advance by the students from supplied reproductions, (2) the discussion of a reading assignment focused on an aspect of the cultural history of the book, and (3) a mini-lecture, sometimes illustrated by manuscripts in the Newberry’s collections, that introduces the following week’s assignments.

Students write a term paper analyzing a single manuscript or manuscript fragment, preferably in the collection of the Newberry Library; present a seminar report on the topic of the term paper; are responsible for reading and transcription assignments; and are expected to contribute regularly to class discussion. It is an absolute prerequisite for the course that the student possess an elementary grasp of Latin (the equivalent of one semester of college Latin). Although knowledge of modern foreign languages is not strictly required, students may be working with secondary literature in foreign languages for their term papers.