Department of English

This course aims at introducing students to the variety of scripts found in medieval manuscripts, with concentration on the later medieval period (ca. 1100-1450). It will focus on reading and transcribing texts from facsimiles and some actual manuscripts. Most of the texts will be in Latin, but documents in other languages may be used according to the students' area of study. In addition to the practical training, the course will also provide a survey of the history of handwriting from the late classical period to the Renaissance and discuss some major aspects of codicology and textual criticism.

Text: Michelle P. Brown, A Guide to Western Historical Scripts from Antiquity to 1600 (London, 1990).