UCLA Center for Medieval & Renaissance Studies

Prof. Rouse and student examine manuscripts in class.

Under the sponsorship of CMRS, “The Paleography of Latin Manuscripts: 800–1500” will be offered at UCLA during the Spring Quarter 2008. It is cross-listed under History, English, Classics, and French. Students can enroll in the class using URSA in the usual fashion. This graduate seminar will be taught by internationally renowned paleographer and manuscript scholar Professor Emeritus Richard Rouse (History, UCLA).

Stduents examine manuscripts in Paleography class taught by Profs. Rouse and Baswell.

This will be the third year that a course on paleography has been offered at UCLA. In Spring quarter 2006 and 2007, “The Paleography of Latin and Vernacular Manuscripts: 800-1500,” was team-taught by Professor Rouse and Professor Christopher Baswell (English). Professor Baswell is well known for his research in medieval manuscripts of English vernacular literature and classical Latin literature. That course offered students the opportunity to choose one of two possible areas of study: one section of the class, taught by Professor Rouse, focused on Latin hands and historical documents; the other, taught by Professor Baswell, focused on literary manuscripts in vernacular languages. The course drew students from a variety of disciplines.

In Spring 2008, only the Latin hands will be taught. In a first meeting each week, the entire class will study basic developments in handwriting and manuscript format, century by century. For a second weekly meeting, the class will divide into two sections, each a practicum in reading, dating, and transcribing early manuscripts.