The Medieval and Renaissance Studies program invites students to look into the past and learn for the future.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Med-Ren program<\/a> began around 1968 with a 15-credit certificate<\/a>. The certificate is offered to both undergraduate and graduate students with departments<\/a> including classics, east Asian languages and literatures, history, religious studies and theater arts.\u00a0<\/p>\n Caro Pirri, an assistant professor of English, highlighted the importance of studying the medieval and renaissance periods centuries later.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIt helps us to think beyond our own knowledge horizons while remaining attentive to the ways that modern systems and institutions have both changed and stayed the same over time,\u201d Pirri said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Pirri said the term \u201cearly modern<\/a>\u201d is especially useful when describing aspects of the 14th-17th centuries<\/a> because the phrase demonstrates the transitional nature of the period.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cOne of the terms we use in the field for the Renaissance in particular is \u2018early modern,\u2019 and I like that term because it really emphasizes that some features of this period will be unfamiliar \u2018early,\u2019 while others anticipate and feed into modern ideas.\u201d<\/p>\n Chlo\u00e9 Hogg, newest director of the Med-Ren program and associate professor of French, was appointed in fall 2025.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI think it\u2019s actually like the best kept secret[. It\u2019s] small but mighty,\u201d Hogg said. \u201cWe\u2019ll be figuring out how to [make] the certificate a little bit more streamlined.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Hogg plans to make the program more collaborative<\/a> with guest speakers, workshops and an end of the year mixer<\/a> to highlight the undergraduate research.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThere are a lot of really interesting undergraduate research projects that undergrads will be doing in one of their classes for the Med-Ren certificate,\u201d Hogg said. \u201cI\u2019d love to bring us together and just have a way for undergraduates to share their research projects in a way that feels informal and supportive.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n The certificate is split between the Medieval times<\/a> \u2014 beginning in the 5th century CE \u2014 and the Renaissance<\/a> time period, which was believed to begin in the 14th century.\u00a0<\/p>\n Ingrid Lewis, a first-year history major, first heard about the certificate in her HAA0302 \u201cRenaissance Art\u201d class last semester. She\u2019s now hoping to add a Med-Ren certificate with a concentration in the late medieval era.<\/p>\n \u201cI believe the certificate was mentioned in [my art] class and the fact that it would count for one of the credits in the certificate,\u201d Lewis said. \u201cI am already planning to take as many medieval-focused history courses as I can, and so it started to seem like a good idea to look into.\u201d<\/p>\n Zixiao Huang, a PhD student in early modern Italian arts, has thrived in the Med-Ren program with its many resources.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI have truly benefited from our Med-Ren community,\u201d Huang said. \u201cChlo\u00e9 set up weekly writing hours for us starting last semester, and I could not have found a better way to meet and bond with other med-ren students and faculty.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Huang highlighted how important the Med-Ren community is because of its interdisciplinary collaboration.<\/p>\n \u201cOver the course of the semester, we learned a great deal about and from one another through writing together,\u201d Huang said. \u201cIt also makes me very happy to see how different departmental disciplines and backgrounds shape our research and ideas.\u201d<\/p>\n Hogg emphasized that the program is meant to be manageable. She believes it can enhance anyone\u2019s degree, regardless of their main academic focus.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIt is meant to be doable,\u201d Hogg said. \u201cIt adds this kind of legible distinctive credential that if you\u2019re applying to a professional program or a graduate program or a job, it gives people something to ask about \u2014 \u2018Oh you have a certificate of Medieval Renaissance studies? What\u2019s that about?\u2019\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Jennifer Waldron, associate professor in the department of English, said the study of Med-Ren has immense professional gain because it can be useful in careers such as medicine, academics, law, the arts and business.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe humanist approaches to problem-solving that our students learn about and practice have lasted hundreds of years for a reason \u2014 they transcend a single profession, problem, or environment, and prepare students for future jobs that may not even exist now,\u201d Waldron said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Waldron also highlighted how Med-Ren students develop adaptability, by studying different structured societies and further cultivating their imaginations.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIn real-world situations, whether forging personal relationships, seeing a new patient or tackling a fresh case study in business or law school, we often have to dive into a complex environment without complete knowledge and learn as we go along,\u201d Waldron said. \u201cWhen MRST students hone their capacity to imagine and analyze the complexity of unfamiliar social, aesthetic, economic and political systems from the past, they improve their ability to develop creative solutions for the future.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n