Summer 2026

This is the tentative schedule for the Summer. Please check back for updates

GRAHAM | IN PERSON  | CRN: TBD  | 2H JUNE 29th - JULY 24th (SCHEDULE STILL BEING FINALIZED)

HIST 668: PALEOGRAPHY & CODICOLOGY

  This course will provide a comprehensive introduction to the culture of medieval manuscript production and the evolution of western European scripts. Before the invention of printing in the fifteenth century, historical and literary texts were transmitted in handwritten format, each manuscript being a unique artifact. The course will consider the entire process of manuscript production, which began with the preparation of parchment from animal skins and continued through the stages of writing, decorating, correcting, and glossing the text to end with the binding of the completed codex. The course will include a thorough survey of Latin scripts from the fifth to the fifteenth century, and students will receive training in how to read and transcribe those scripts accurately. Medieval conventions of abbreviation and punctuation will be the subject of special study, as will the decoration and illustration of selected major illuminated manuscripts. Students will be expected to complete regular transcription assignments; there will be a final examination. A basic reading knowledge of Latin (to 200 level or higher) is a desideratum and will help students to derive maximum benefit from the course.