The Renaissance gave us the “Uomo Universale,” the idealized “Renaissance Men or Women” who mastered many fields of human expression to serve the needs of their community and to lead a more fulfilled life.
Today, Assumption, with its roots in the Liberal Arts and Catholic intellectual tradition takes inspiration from that idea. The minor in Medieval and Early Modern Studies (MEMS) offers you the opportunity to explore the richness and diversity of the Medieval and Early Modern world by combining studies in history, literature, languages, the arts, music, philosophy, politics, and religion to deepen and broaden your understanding of Medieval and Early Modern civilizations.
Knowledge of our pre-Modern heritage is what makes a Liberal Arts education distinctive. By exploring the period from Constantine through Napoleon, or about 1500 years and the whole world of geographical diversity, MEMS deepens our appreciation of our cultural richness and complex inheritance from the distant past.
The MEMS minor should be taken in conjunction with the student’s primary discipline and is especially recommended to complement participation in a study abroad program in Europe or Latin America. Students studying in Rome gain the advantage of Rome itself as their classroom. Students considering pursuing Medieval or Early Modern Studies as a specialty in graduate school or as a career are also strongly encouraged to obtain proficiency in one or more foreign languages, especially Latin.
MEMS Lectures
Scholars from all over the world and across America come to Assumption University to deliver lectures every fall and spring semester as part of the MEMS Lecture Series. The disciplines represented include art and architectural history, literature, politics, music, theology, philosophy, archaeology, and history, representing the characteristic breadth of MEMS scholarship. In the fall of 2018, Assumption University hosted the New England Renaissance Conference with the theme of “Resistance and Refashioning in the Early Modern World,” joining institutions like Harvard, Yale, Brown, Boston University and others in sponsoring this oldest of scholarly conferences dedicated to the Renaissance. Because of Assumption’s ongoing collaboration with the Archaeological Institute of America, the MEMS lecture series is further enriched. Recent lecture titles include “Grave Bj 581: the Viking Warrior that was a Woman,” “Suffering, Art, and Meaning: Friedrich Schiller on Tragedy,” “The Castles of Ireland,” “Whim Rules the Child: The Archaeology of Childhood in Scandinavian Scotland,” and “Catholic Miracles in the Age of Reformations: a History of the Impossible?” given in Fall 2017 by Carlos Eire from Yale in Commemoration of the 500th Anniversary of the Protestant Reformation 1517-2017. Please click on the following links for more information about lectures hosted at Assumption:
Faculty
Experiential Learning
Assumption's Rome Campus
At Assumption's campus in Rome, Italy, the city and the country become your classroom through daily and weekend-long excursions throughout "the eternal city" and the Italian countryside. Taking courses in the MEMS Minor is among the best cultural preparations for gaining the most from Rome. This unique study abroad experience will enrich your academic and cultural pursuits as you walk in the footsteps of emperors, gladiators, popes, and artists then enjoy delectable Italian cuisine or perhaps a cappuccino after class in a local cafe. (Did you know that your financial aid follows you to Rome?)
Explore the Rome CampusFaculty/Student Research
The Assumption curriculum encourages scholarly exploration and independence. With hands-on research conducted alongside faculty mentors, students gain a depth of knowledge and skills that lead to professional success and personal fulfillment. MEMS students can pursue their independent research projects in the major discipline while gaining credit for a MEMS-related topic.Study Abroad
At Assumption University, the world is your classroom. Students can study and explore abroad in over 50 places from Vienna to England, South Africa, and even our own campus in historic, yet modern, Rome, Italy. The MEMS minor is a perfect complement to study abroad, both in preparing students for the grandeur of cultural sites they will visit, and many courses taken abroad can count for the MEMS Minor.Internships
Assumption starts planning for your future the day you arrive on campus. Our Career Development and Internship Center helps students secure exciting and fulfilling internships where you’ll apply knowledge obtained in the classroom in a professional setting, preparing for a future career or additional study. Past MEMS students have obtained internships at the Worcester Art Museum and the American Antiquarian Society, for instance.MEMS Resources
Websites and Organizations
McNeil Center for Early American Studies
First-rate Academics in a Catholic University Setting
Assumption University awakens in students a sense of wonder, discovery, and purpose, forming graduates known for their intellectual seriousness, thoughtful citizenship, and devotion to the common good. Students are provided an education that shapes their souls, forms them intellectually, and prepares them for meaningful careers. Enlivened by the harmony of faith and reason, here, students’ minds and hearts are transformed.
Assumption is dedicated to providing a clear understanding of what your education will cost
Student Opportunities
American Studies Seminar at the American Antiquarian Society
Assumption University Honors Convocation
Assumption University Undergraduate Research Symposium
Undergraduate Medieval and Early Modern Studies Conference
Worcester Art Museum Internships
Annual Medieval and Early Modern Studies Lecture
- "Grave Bj 581: the Viking Warrior that was a Woman"
- "Catholic Miracles in the Age of Reformations: a History of the Impossible?” in Commemoration of the 500th Anniversary of the Protestant Reformation 1517-2017
- “Bloodletting for the Soul: Medieval Pastors, Preachers, and Learned Medicine”
- Whim Rules the Child: The Archaeology of Childhood in Scandinavian Scotland