New Class on the Mediterranean World to be Offered in Fall 2012 by Visiting Professor Kira Robison

Visiting assistant professor Dr. Kira Robison, who holds a PhD in medieval history from the University of Minnesota, will be teaching a new class in Fall 2012. The course number is History 399-01 and the title is "Religion, Magic, and Medicine in the Mediterranean World." The class will be Tuesday/Thursday 9:35-10:55am.

To the Ancient Romans, the Mediterranean was considered “Our Sea” and the center of their vast empire. For medieval Europe, it was the ocean that separated Christians from the infidels. For many merchants, the Mediterranean meant their livelihood, and physicians considered it a major conduit for medical theory. This course will explore the world of the Mediterranean Sea between the end of the Classical Era to the sixteenth century, which saw the focus shift from “Our Sea” to other seas. The interactions within the Mediterranean World during this time encompassed peace and violence, destruction and profit, and health and disease. In order to cope with the breadth and depth of this topic, the class will be divided into separate units that will build on themes we will explore in each, but which will also function in many ways as individual case studies.

Please direct questions to Dr. Andy Dunar at dunara@uah.edu, and he can put you in touch with Dr. Robison.