This seminar will introduce students to some of the major works of the Medieval and Renaissance periods and their cultural contexts. We will read excerpts from some narrative poems (Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, Spenser's Faerie Queene, Milton's Paradise Lost), some examples of lyric poetry (Wyatt, Sidney, Donne, Wroth), and some plays (Shakespeare, Jonson and Webster).

There will also be three 5-page papers due, short weekly responses posted to the class listserv, a final exam, and an expectation of enthusiastic class participation.