Course Descriptions | Upcoming Language Exams | Past Language Exams
CMS Course Information
You can view the CMS 2026-2027 timetable, check the preliminary CMS Course List below, and browse current course descriptions.
Check the School of Graduate Studies (SGS) website for the current sessional dates.
To enrol in a course on ROSI, provide the course code in a format without spaces, and with an additional Y (for full courses) or H (for half courses), following the examples below:
- MST1000Y
- MST1101H
In addition to those courses offered by the Centre for Medieval Studies, students may enroll in courses offered by other departments relating to the Middle Ages. Approved courses from other departments will be cross-listed below (but the list is not yet complete); other relevant courses not listed here may be taken in consultation with the Associate Director or the PhD Coordinator. NB: Course offerings are subject to change. All details concerning course offerings cross-listed from other departments should be checked with the relevant academic department, as changes can occur which may not be reflected in our listing.
- Y indicates full courses.
- F and S indicate half courses taught, respectively, in the fall and spring terms.
- H indicates half courses.
Please refer to the calendar of the School of Graduate Studies for information about regulations.
| Course | Instructor | Time / Day | Location | Term |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MST 1000Y. Medieval Latin I | R. Macchioro / W. Robins | M-F | Full Year | |
| MST 1001Y. Medieval Latin II | S. Ghosh | M-F | Full Year | |
| MST 1003H. Professional Development for Medieval Studies PhDs | PhD Coordinator | F 11 am-1 pm | Full Year | |
| MST 1105H. Latin Paleography II | R. Macchioro | W 11 am-1 pm | PIMS | Winter |
| MST 1115H. English Paleography | S. Sobecki | T 11am-1 pm | Fall | |
| MST 1384H. The Exeter Book of Old English Verse | R. Trilling | M 11 am-1 pm | Winter | |
| MST 2001H. Old Saxon | S. Ghosh | W 2-4 pm | Winter | |
| MST 2029H. Old Irish I | B. Miles | T 11 am-1 pm | Winter | |
| MST 2031H. Topics in Medieval Celtic Literature | B. Miles | T 9-11 am | Fall | |
| MST 2040H. Beginnings of Medieval Rhetoric and Poetics | J. Ross | M 4-6 pm | Winter | |
| MST 3035H. Medieval Representations of Death, Sickness, and Crime (1100-1500) | Y. Iglesias | T 2-4 pm | Winter | |
| MST 3123H. Introduction to Medieval Medicine | N. Everett | R 2-4 pm | Fall | |
| MST 3124H. Medieval Studies in the Digital Age | A. Bolintineanu | W 4-6 pm | Winter | |
| MST 3164H. Medieval French Romance: The Grail and Salvation Stories | D. Kullmann | W 11 am-1 pm | Fall | |
| MST 3226H. Medieval Mediterranean History | M. Meyerson | W 9-11 am | Fall | |
| MST 3231H. Cleo's Workshop: Introduction to Historical Methods | S. Ghosh | W 2-4 pm | Fall | |
| MST 3261H. Cluny in the Central Middle Ages | I. Cochelin | R 2-4 pm | Winter | |
| MST 3322H. William of Ockham | M. Pickavé | M 2-4 pm | Fall | |
| MST 3346H. Medieval Islamic Philosophy | J. McGinnis | T 9-11 am | Winter | |
| MST 3501H. Introduction to the Medieval Christian Liturgy | J. Haines | R 11 am-1 pm | Fall | |
| MST 5002H. Topics in Medieval History: Medieval Italy and its Invaders | N. Everett | R 4-6 pm | Winter | |
| MST 5003H. Topics in Medieval Languages and Literatures: Monsters in the Medieval Imagination | A. Walton | T 4-6 pm | Winter | |
| MST 5005H. Topics in Medieval Musicology: Researching Music of the Global Middle Ages | J. Haines | R 11 am-1 pm | Winter |
If you are not a CMS student and wish to enroll in CMS courses, please complete an SGS add/drop form and submit it to gradadm.medieval@utoronto.ca.
Other Courses and Training Opportunities
In view of the Centre’s interdisciplinary nature, some courses on the Middle Ages can be taken in other departments with the approval of the PhD Coordinator before enrollment.
Art History
(Students who would like to register for an Art History course must contact the instructors directly to request permission, and to send a completed add / drop form to graduate.arthistory@utoronto.ca.)
| Course | Instructor | Details |
|---|---|---|
| FAH 1125HF Medieval Pilgrimage Art and Architecture |
J. Caskey | Fall 2026, Thursday, 3-6 pm This seminar critiques current theories of pilgrimage and investigates selected early Christian, Western medieval, Byzantine, and Islamic destinations. Readings (both primary and secondary sources) and discussions address such features as urbanism, architectural plans, sculptural programs, tombs and shrines, relics and reliquaries, badges and souvenirs. Student presentations/papers will attempt to reconstruct the realia of a specific pilgrimage site. Reading knowledge of at least one foreign language is recommended. |
| FAH 1127HS Early Medieval Art |
A. Cohen | Winter 2027, Wednesday, 10 am-1 pm Early medieval art has long been viewed in the shadow of Romanesque and Gothic art and architecture, although the seven hundred years between c. 400 and 1100 produced a wealth of material culture that provides critical insights for understanding the formation of Europe. The seminar will focus in any given semester on one of the following four subdivisions with this period: Merovingian and Migratory, Carolingian, Ottonian, or Insular and Anglo-Saxon. The art and architecture in these periods can be understood in light of their relationship to the classical past, the development of political and ecclesiastical structures, the importance of the cult of saints, and the rise of monasticism. |
Book History and Print Culture (Collaborative Program)
Classical Studies
Comparative Literature
East Asian Studies
English
| Course | Instructor | Details |
|---|---|---|
| ENG 1001F Old English I |
A. Walton |
Fall 2026, Friday, 3 pm-5pm, Rm. JHB 718 Old English is the language spoken and written in England between roughly 500 and 1100 AD, and it offers a window to the past through a wide range of beautiful and evocative texts. In this course, you will encounter the very oldest English literature in its original form—the tales of kings, battles, heroes, monsters, and saints that have inspired writers from John Milton to J.R.R. Tolkien. Because Old English is almost like a foreign language to Modern English speakers, the course will begin with intensive work on the basics of Old English grammar and translation practice before we move on to more in-depth study of the literature and culture of early medieval England. NB: Students must attend both classes each week. |
| ENG5100HF Topics in Medieval Literature: London Drama to 1530 |
M. Sergi |
Fall 2026, Monday 10-12pm, Rm. JHB 614 |
| ENG 5103HF Topics in Medieval Literature: Piers Plowman |
K. Gaston |
Fall 2026, Thursday, 10-12 pm, Rm. JHB 718 A close reading of Piers Plowman, the fourteenth-century visionary poem famously described as “a commentary on an unknown text.” Piers Plowman represents a literary effort to come to terms with spiritual and social crises of the late fourteenth century, interrogating what it means to “do well” while living in a flawed world. The poem, which stitches together Latin with alliterative English verse, was the subject of ongoing revision by its enigmatic author, Willian Langland. It survives in at least three distinct versions. This course will focus on the B-text of the poem with excursions into the A and C texts, giving special attention to issues including: poverty and economics, legal and literary representation, learning and study, material |
| ENG5103HS Topics in Medieval Literature: Medieval Manuscript Culture |
S. Sobecki |
Winter 2027, Thursday, 10-12 pm, Rm. JHB 718 The premodern textual condition is messy: writers were not celebrities; some didn’t want to be named, and those who wished to be remembered failed to do so for the most part; we do not have editors but patrons, scribes, censors, copyists, compilers, borrowers, continuators, and interpolators. This course will focus on the production and consumption of medieval manuscripts in late-medieval England. We will examine medieval manuscripts, both in the Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library and in digitised form, encountering many of the most important Middle English manuscripts, including celebrated copies of Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, Malory’s Morte Darthur, and Langland’s Piers Plowman. We will cover all aspects of manuscripts studies and learn about the production of books and documents in medieval England. |
French Language and Literature
Germanic Languages and Literature
| Course | Instructor | Details |
|---|---|---|
| GER 6000S Reading German for Graduate Students |
V. Melnyk | Friday, 2-4 pm In this course, German reading knowledge is taught following the grammar-translation method designed for graduate students from the Humanities. It is an intensive course that covers German grammar with focus on acquiring essential structures of the German language to develop translation skills. The course is conducted in English, and consequently participants do not learn how to speak or write in German, but rather the course focuses exclusively on reading and translating German. Prior knowledge of German not mandatory. By the end of the course, students should be able to handle a broad variety of texts in single modern Standard German. |
History
Institute for Christian Studies
Institute for the History and Philosophy of Science
Italian Studies
| Course | Instructor | Details |
|---|---|---|
|
ITA 1200HS |
G. Gaimari |
Winter 2027, Thursday 3-5 pm An examination of Dante’s works and criticism of them. |
| ITA 1560HS Fakes, Forgeries, Authenticity, and the Making of Modernity |
L. Ingallinella |
Winter 2027, Thursday, 1-3 pm |
Musicology (Faculty of Music)
Near and Middle Eastern Civilization
| Course | Instructor | Details |
|---|---|---|
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Philosophy
Religious Studies (Department for the Study of Religion)
Slavic Languages and Literatures
Spanish and Portuguese
St. Michael's College
Toronto School of Theology
Collaborative Program in Ancient and Medieval Philosophy
Book History and Print Culture (Program)
Sexual Diversity Studies (Specialization) at the Mark S. Bonham Centre for Sexual Diversity Studies
Reminder: Level One Latin/MST 1000Y is the only language requirement for the MA program (see the MA requirements); and Medieval Latin (level I and II), modern French and German are the language requirements for the PhD program (see the PhD requirements).
Beyond program requirements, advanced training in a variety of languages relevant to the field of Medieval Studies, broadly conceived, is available to CMS students. Please find below a non-exhaustive list of such languages and the Department & CMS faculty member contacts for each.
Reminder: The School of Graduate Studies provides helpful resources, courses, boot camps, and workshops in various fields. While these activities do not count toward satisfying course requirements, they might prove crucial to a successful and comprehensive educational path. Please find below a non-exhaustive list of areas of interest and the Graduate Centres responsible for each.
| Training | Centre |
|---|---|
| Advanced training in academic writing and speaking | Graduate Centre for Academic Communication (GCAC) |
| Professional development, including developing research and communication skills, and refining professional goals | Centre for Graduate Professional Development (CGPD) |
| Support to supervisory relationships | Centre for Graduate Mentorship and Supervision (CGMS) |
For additional info about SGS services, please consult the SGS website.
Location Key
View the University of Toronto interactive map.
| Building Code | Location |
|---|---|
| AH | Alumni Hall, 121 St Joseph Street |
| BC | Birge–Carnegie Library, 75a Queen’s Park |
| BF | Bancroft Building, 4 Bancroft Avenue |
| BT | Isabel Bader Theatre, 93 Charles Street West (3rd floor - Comparative Literature Seminar Room) |
| CR | Carr Hall, 100 St Joseph Street |
| EJ | Music Library, Edward Johnson Building, 80 Queen’s Park |
| IN | Innis College, 2 Sussex Avenue |
| JH | Jackman Humanities Building, 170 St George Street |
| KL | PIMS Library, J.M. Kelly Library, 113 St Joseph Street, 4th floor |
| LA | Gerald Larkin Building, 15 Devonshire Place |
| LI | Lillian Massey Building, 125 Queen’s Park, 3rd floor (SE corner of Bloor Street & Queen’s Park) |
| MA | Colin Friesen Room, Massey College, 4 Devonshire Place |
| NF | Northrop Frye Hall, 73 Queen’s Park Crescent East |
| OH | Odette Hall, 50 St Joseph Street |
| PI | Pontifical Institute of Mediæval Studies (PIMS), 59 Queen’s Park Crescent East |
| PR | E.J. Pratt Library, 71 Queen’s Park Crescent East |
| RB | Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library, 120 St George Street |
| RL | Robarts Library, Dictionary of Old English, Room 14284, 14th floor, 130 St George Street |
| SS | Sidney Smith Hall, 100 St George Street |
| TC | Trinity College, 6 Hoskin Avenue |
| TF | Teefy Hall, 57 Queen’s Park Crescent East |
| UC | University College, 12 King’s College Circle |
| VC | Victoria College, 73 Queen’s Park Crescent East |
| WI | Wilson Hall, New College, 40 Willcocks Street |