HIST207

035308

Games and play are important aspects of all cultures. They provide entertainment and recreation, but they also reflect and influence many other aspects of life. We will investigate the importance of games and play in shaping medieval and early modern societies by exploring a wide variety of leisure activities, including board games (like chess), equestrian sports (like hunting), ball games (like skittles), and gambling (with dice, cards, and just about anything else imaginable!). We will also explore what role people at this time believed games and play had in maintaining health. Through our examination of games and play, we will explore the cultural, social, political, religious, economic, legal, military, environmental, and intellectual history of the medieval and early modern world. We will critically engage (and also play!) with a wide selection of medieval and early modern texts, images, and material objects from around the world; and you will use these sources (and ones you discover!) to do your own historical research on games and play.

OPT - Student Option

Undergraduate

GEED - EPHUM (Gen Ed: EP Humanist)