Through Art History, learn to understand the uses and meanings of Medieval and Early Modern architecture, painting, and sculpture.

The History Department at UNC, Chapel Hill, boasts a long tradition of excellence in the study of medieval and early modern Europe, at both the undergraduate and graduate levels.

The program in Medieval and Early Modern Studies is designed to encourage broad understanding of the history of one or more of the major Eurasian religious traditions from their formative periods (in the first millennium C.E.) through the nineteenth century and mastery of a specific area of specialization within that range.

E. Jane Burns' most recent book examines literary portraits of medieval heroines who deploy silk as a cultural currency across religious and political barriers and lines of gender and class. She is working on a book-length study of the woman-headed serpent Melusine. Barbara Harris, author of a book on English aristocratic women, 1450–1550, is now working on their neglected but significant role as patrons of art in churches.

Study the lives of Medieval and Early Modern civilizations throughout the world through their material cultures.