Section Info: ENGL-214CT-01

Course Title: Topics in Medieval Studies: 'The Canterbury Tales'

Start Date: 01/27/2026 End Date: 05/12/2026

Term: Spring Semester 2026

Description: Amidst the social and political upheavals of the late fourteenth century, Geoffrey Chaucer wrote his well-known work, The Canterbury Tales. This advanced 200-level course will explore Chaucer's social satire, the innovative characterization of his motley pilgrims, and the array of contemporary interpretive approaches this work invites. Guided by literary analysis, our discussions will deepen our understanding of medieval society; its religious and political institutions; its attitudes toward class, gender, and race; its questions about ethical responsibility and individual will; and the functions and impacts of language. Readings will be in the original Middle English.

Distribution(s): I - Humanities , SI - Speaking-Intensive , WI - Writing-Intensive , TP - Topics Course

Academic Level Of Course: Undergraduate

Credits:4.00

Faculty	Phone	Email address
Wesley Yu	413-538-2825	wyu@mtholyoke.edu

Meeting Dates	Method	Meeting days	Meeting times	Building name	Room	Frequency
01/27/2026 - 05/12/2026	Seminar	Monday and Wednesday	10:00AM - 11:15AM	TBA	TBA	Weekly

REGISTRATION DETAILS

Requisite Courses
Prereq: ENGL-199 and 4 additional credits in the English department.	Take previously	Required

Comments

Additional Comments

Course Tags
ENGL0001	ENGL-HP: Literary History and Period	This course has been approved to count towards the English major's Literary History and Period Disciplinary Perspectives requirement.

Cross-listed Sections

None

Course Availability
Section status: Waitlisted	Capacity: 18	Enrollment: 18	Available: 0	Waitlist: 4

Please note: The "Available" count will equal 0 in a Waitlisted course where spaces in the course have recently opened and students have not yet been moved into them from the waitlist.

BOOK INFORMATION

Book List	Required	Publisher Full Price
Title: The Canterbury Tales Author: Chaucer, Geoffrey Copyright: 2008 Edition: Volume: ISBN: 9781551114842 Publisher: Broadview	Required	32.95

Additional Book Comments

This is NOT the complete book list for this class.