This course is a broad-based introduction to medieval studies at the graduate level. Working first to establish the conceptual category of the 'medieval' (as periodic intermediary between 'antique' and 'modern'; as various place- specific constellations of cultural practices; as various place-specific historical periods), we will go on to examine some key stages and texts of medieval intellectual history. Our focus will be on the European Middle Ages, but in the context of global intellectual and cultural exchange.