[HIST BC3062] Medieval Intellectual Life 1050-1400

Kaye loves the people he talks about and to be fair he makes it interesting. He does not seem to be really interested in students. He claims he has pictures of us all and that he knows our names, but I doubt that. He a bit pompous and wants to be seen as 'cool.' He directs those in his class to use writing fellows and I did with limited success. I got a "B" in this class, but to be fair, I felt that Kaye's reviews of my papers were at best cursory. If your first love is medieval history take this course. If it isn't this course is best ignored.

I love this man! This was my first history class at Columbia and I absolutely loved it. Prof. Kaye has the most wonderful voice, and his lectures are clear and informative. The readings are really interesting and as long as you go to class you really don't need to do all of them. There are three papers which are graded fairly, you get a chance to re-write them which is really helpful. The TA Lee was extremely helpful, go to him to talk about your paper... he's super nice and always willing to meet with students if you make the effort. This class was one of the best I've taken... highly recommended.

One of best classes I have taken. 3 essays that you get a chance to rewrite, which really helps you to improve your grade, if you make the effort. The essays seem difficult and impossible at first, but once you get into it you can really go anywhere with it. I came to some off the wall interpretations and he never penalized me, unlike some professors. He is one of those genuine teachers who really mean what he says, he wants you to think, not just regurgitate the lecture or teacher’s views. He is kind, never gets frazzeled, and is easy to talk to. He really makes you examine your preconceived ideas. There was no midterm, and the open book final was stress-free. No ID's, and only one essay, but pay attention to the readings as they all tie in for the final.

The title of this class is a bit misleading. Perhaps a more appropriate one would be "Medieval Intellectual Life and how it Marginalizes Women" since more than half the course is devoted to just this issue (silly me for thinking that Barnard could actually put feminism on the back burner and teach real history). I must say, however, that Professor Kaye is indeed a very adept lecturer who blends (and often bends) insights, literature, and factual historical information to his own interpretation of how great and underappreciated the middle ages really were. Yet while this is undoubtedly a great skill, he tried too much to compare the medieval period to the 21st century with an all too pessimistic tone that I did not feel was necessary or too relevant. Again, his delivery as a lecturer is admirable; but if you want an objective, nonbiased treatment of the medieval period that does not overly focus on the mistreatment of women or draw too many comparisons to show how little we have come along today in modern times, then I suggest you look elsewhere (perhaps a real Columbia class).

This is a great class even if you don't have any background in the medieval period. Professor Kaye is a very clear lecturer and a lot of class time is devoted to useful discussion. The readings are really interesting and for a history class it isn't very heavy. Don't blow off the papers though -- he's a harder grader than he seems.