Italian Studies 397V - ST- Medieval Myths and Maps

Everyone knows Marco Polo went to China, but few realize that his travel stories made almost no impact at all on Italian literature, culture or geography before the High Renaissance. What did medieval Italians really know about the world around them before Columbus "discovered" America? Through the literature, travel narratives and maps that were available at the birth of Humanism, students will explore two overlapping imaginary worlds: the Christian landscapes of places mentioned in the Bible (often embellished with highlights from Crusader lore and Pilgrim Guides), and the Classical Mediterranean, ubiquitous in Pliny's geographical studies, the recently rediscovered Pomponius Mela and, of course, all the mythology of ancient Greece and Rome. Students will address urgent questions (Where did Odysseus sail? Are there really places where ants are as big as cows? What's a Sciapod?) and will learn to use simple GIS to create interactive maps. Course counts toward Italian major and minor, as well as the Medieval Studies Certificate. Course taught in English. Written assignments in Italian for Italian Majors.