Camp, Cynthia
TR 11:10 AM
Park Hall 139
ENGL 3892S: Literature in the Library: Medieval Manuscripts for Everyone
Medieval manuscripts -- books made entirely by hand in the era before the printing press -- are beautiful, awe-inspiring, and often daunting objects. Each one is unique; each one is old; each one is rare and fragile. They're written in a handwriting you can't quickly decipher, often in languages you can't read. They are, in short, giant book-shaped puzzles just waiting to be decoded. In this class, we'll not only get you personally comfortable with handling, understanding, and decoding these unique books -- you'll understand their construction, contents, and significance well enough to explain it to others.
The first half of the course will be a practical introduction to medieval manuscript study. You’ll learn how manuscripts were made, how to handle them, how to read their texts, and how to talk about their decoration. We will spend extra time learning how medieval inks and pigments were made, and making some ourselves. Most of our time will be spent in the Special Collections Library examining real-live medieval books, and you'll learn the intricacies of medieval books from studying them hands-on.
The second half of the course will focus on interpreting and explaining these books to a diverse audience. It will center on our service project, but we will also consider how to make these objects accessible and appealing to a wider public audience.
This is a service class, and the majority of our service project will fall in October, before Fall Break. We will be helping to plan and run a Medieval Family Day for the Special Collections Library on Saturday, 22 October. You need to keep that day free in your schedules; if immovable conflicts prevent you from being present on North Campus that day, please let Dr. Camp know at the beginning of the semester so we can arrange for you to meet the service expectations nevertheless.
If you're an old books person, this class is for you. If you're an Ed major/double major who wants some experience translating arcane knowledge for a K-8 audience, this class is for you. If you're an art major who wants to know how medieval book artists worked, this class is for you. If you just want to fulfil your Experiential Learning requirement while staying in the English department, this class is for you. Really, this class is for anyone who is willing to be pushed outside their comfort zone to do something Really Different.
This semester, we are fortunate to be working with medieval manuscripts borrowed from the Manuscripts in the Curriculum project, hosted by the booksellers Les Enluminures. You'll therefore get to work hands-on with many more manuscripts than we can usually offer at UGA. It's a once in a lifetime opportunity, so don't miss out!