Medieval Studies as a field (especially Early Medieval Studies) has long been a niche offering at Australian universities, though in the past there was a far greater availability of undergraduate courses and degree programmes at a larger number of universities. In recent years, departments across the country have been faced with restructures, course closures, retrenchments, and other indignities – along with many other humanities fields. Medieval languages are especially under threat given the naturally low enrollment numbers and (perceived) difficulty of the subject.
Currently in Australia, only Flinders University offers an actual undergraduate Medieval Studies major, with other universities that once offered similar majors having their subjects available only through majors such as Ancient History/Classics, History, English, Art History, Religious Studies, Archaeology, and other subject areas. The University of Sydney currently offers Medieval Studies as a postgraduate specialisation. We of course hope and advocate that more universities will either reinstate or introduce a Medieval Studies major.
However, this does not mean that there are no avenues for studying the period. On the contrary. The following curated list is a summary of current undergraduate courses available (subject to enrollments) at Australian universities in 2024–2025.
- Units in BOLD focus on the early medieval or late antiquity.
- Units marked with an asterisk (*) have a primary focus on the medieval period.
- Others listed offer some subject matter related to the medieval period.
Australian Catholic University (ACT, NSW, VIC, online)
- HIST118 – The Medieval World, 400–1500 *
- HIST216 – Europe in the Middle Ages and Beyond *
- HIST350 – Women in the Later Roman Empire
- HUMA319 – Rome Field School: Landscapes Past and Present
- PHIL214 – Medieval Philosophy *
- THBS212 – Jewish Society and Literature (516 BCE to 200 CE)
- THBS220 – Critical Approaches to the Bible: Interpretation and Exegesis
- THCT215 – Defining Moments in Church History
- THCT313 – Patristics: the Early Church Fathers
- THEL101 – New Testament Greek A
- THEL103 – Christianity Established: From Sect to Society
- THEL110 – Introductory Biblical Hebrew A
- THEL208 – New Testament Greek B
- THEL210 – Introductory Biblical Hebrew B
Australian National University (ACT)
- ARCH2037: From Empire to Invasions: The Archaeology of Europe from Romans to the Vikings
- ASIA2016 – The Mongol Empire in World History *
- ASIA2044 – Foundations of Chinese History: The Imperial Period (221 BC – 1800)
- ASIA2270 – India in the Age of Asian Empires: South Asian History to 1757
- ASIA3002 – The Chinese Southern Diaspora
- ASIA3011 – Samurai Society and Social Control in Japan *
- ASIA3025 – Tibet and China: Histories and Myths
- CLAS3001 – Rome: The Eternal City from Antiquity to the Early Middle Ages
- CLAS3003 – Faith and Belief in Ancient Greece and Rome *
- HIST2070 – Emperors, Pilgrims, and Crusaders: The World of Byzantium
- MEAS2000 – Iranian History and Culture
- MEAS1002 – Islam: History and Institutions
Deakin University (VIC)
Flinders University (SA)
Offers a major in Medieval and Early Modern Studies, which ranges from the fifth to the eighteenth centuries.
- ARCH1006 – Sex, Death and Ritual in the Ancient World
- ARCH2110 – Lands Beneath the Winds: Archaeology of Southeast Asia
- ARCH2214 – Europe before Europe: From Mesolithic to Medieval
- ARCH2216 – Seafaring in the Ancient World
- ENGL2140 – English Literature: Evolutions and Revolutions
- ENGL2147 – Medieval Myths: The Origins of Modern Fantasy *
- ENGL2148 – Vampires: Beast, Human, Posthuman
- ENGL2150 – Why is English So Weird: A History of the English Language
- ENGL3113 – Heroes, Monsters, and Vikings: Early Medieval Language and Literature
- ENGL3115 – Medieval and Renaissance Women’s Literature and Lives *
- HIST1704 – History’s Killing Fields: From Ancient to Modern
- HIST2075 – The Real Games of Thrones: The Early Modern World, 1300–1789
- HIST2078 – Crusade and Jihad in the Middle Ages *
- HIST3006 – Empires: Ancient, Medieval, and Modern
- HIST3011 – Heresy and Inquisition in the Middle Ages *
Macquarie University (NSW)
Hosts the Centre for Ancient Cultural Heritage and Environment, which, while it is interdisciplinary, does host a large number of Late Antiquity scholars.
Offers a Bachelor of Ancient History as well as a Major in Ancient History
- AHIS2130 – Byzantium in the Age of the Emperors
- AHIS3201 – Women and Gender in the Ancient World
- AHIS3202 – A History of Magic: From the Magi to Merlin *
- AHIS3241 – Dialogue of Cultures in the Ancient World
- AHIS3251 – State Formation in the Ancient World
- ENGL1001 – Literature: Medieval to Modern
- ENGL2010 – The Human Story: Heart, Mind and Body in Early Literature *
- MHIS1001 – Forging the West: A World History of Europe, 1215–1788
- MHIS2004 – Capitalism in World History: From the Silk Roads to Amazon *
- MHIS2007 – From Charlemagne to Game of Thrones: The Middle Ages Then and Now
Monash University (VIC)
Hosts the Centre for Medieval and Renaissance Studies, which holds a number of medieval language reading groups and seminar series, as well as offering a number of International Study Tours that deal with medieval and Renaissance Italy.
- ATS1611 – A world of exchange and encounter, 1050–1750
- ATS2110 – The history of slavery: From antiquity to the present
- ATS2189 – Conflict and coexistence 1: Jews, Christians and Muslims from antiquity through the middle ages
- ATS2579 – Witches and depravity in the medieval and early modern world *
- ATS2829 – People and plagues: Diseases that changed history
- ATS2873 – English across time
- ATS2957 – Medieval Italy: Sites of encounter *
- ATS3171 – Medieval philosophy: Jews, Christians and Muslims on Plato and Aristotle
- ATS3475 – Secrets and lies: espionage and diplomacy in the medieval world *
- ATS3611 – A history of God
- ATS3957 – Medieval Italy: Sites of encounter *
- ATS4289 – Medieval dialogues: Reason, mysticism and society *
- ATS4311 – Text and community in Medieval and Renaissance Italy
University of Adelaide (SA)
- CLAS 2039EX – Rome’s Twilight Study Tour
- CLAS 3027 – Pagans, Saints and Magic in Late Antiquity
- CLAS 3031EX – Rome’s Twilight Study Tour
- HIST 1108 – Empires in World History
- HIST 2053 – Medieval Europe: Crusades to the Black Death *
- HIST 2069 – Heresy and Witchcraft in Medieval Europe *
- HIST 3071 – History of Warfare
University of Melbourne (VIC)
Has a coordinated approach to Medieval Studies via the interdisciplinary and interdepartmental Ancient, Medieval and Early Modern Studies programme, which hosts a number of medieval language reading groups and seminar series.
- AHIS10001 – Art History: Theory and Controversy
- AHIS10003 – The World in Twenty Art Works
- AHIS20021 – Arts of East Asia
- ANCW30017 – Interpreting the Ancient World
- ANCW40015 – Gender and Sexuality in Greece and Rome *
- ENGL20032 – Poetry, Love, and Death
- ENGL30046 – Romancing the Medieval *
- ENGL40003 – Medieval Passions *
- HIST10016 – Europe: From Black Death to New Worlds
- HIST20080 – Witch-Hunting in European Societies
- ISLM20003 – The Qur’an: An Introduction
- ISLM20016 – Spirituality: Muslim Mystics to Rappers
- ITAL30007 – To Hell with Dante *
- MUSI10207 – Medieval and Renaissance Ensemble 1 *
- MUSI10206 – Medieval and Renaissance Ensemble 2 *
- MUSI20215 – Medieval and Renaissance Ensemble 1 *
- MUSI20216 – Medieval and Renaissance Ensemble 2 *
- MUSI30260 – Medieval and Renaissance Ensemble 1 *
- MUSI30261 – Medieval and Renaissance Ensemble 2 *
University of New England (NSW)
- HIST111 – Medieval Europe *
- HIST300 – Sex, Sin, and Heresy in Early Medieval Europe
- RELS387 – Earliest Christianity: Social Context and Sacred Text
University of New South Wales (NSW)
University of Newcastle (NSW)
- AHIS1080 – The Byzantine Empire: From Constantine to Iconoclasm (306-726)
- AHIS2370 – Magic and Witchcraft in Greece and Rome
- AHIS2560 – Gender and Sexuality in Antiquity
- AHIS2700 – Pandemics and Pandemonium: Crisis Management in the Premodern World
- AHIS3663 – Folklore and Fairy Tale in Antiquity
- AHIS3750 – Law and Legitimacy in the Ancient World: From Hammurabi to Charlemagne *
- HIST2021 – The History of Slavery
- HIST2150 – Medieval and Renaissance Europe *
- HIST3006 – The History of Violence
- HIST3600 – Global Women’s History: From Boadicea to Barbie
University of Notre Dame Australia (NSW/WA)
- ENGL1020 – Text and Tradition: Medieval to Modernism (Fremantle) (Sydney)
- ENGL2003 – Poetic Imagination: Reading Poetry Across Time (Fremantle) (Sydney)
- HIST2000 – Writing Lives: Personalities in History from Antiquity to the Present (Sydney)
- HIST2002 – Ancient Worlds (Fremantle) (Sydney)
- HIST2015 – Rome: The History of a Civilisation (Sydney)
- HIST2026 – The European Middle Ages, c.450-c.1250 (Fremantle) (Sydney)
- HIST2027 – Renaissance to Enlightenment, 1250 – 1789 (Sydney)
- HIST2028 – Visual Evidence: Art and Artefacts in the Western Tradition (Fremantle) (Sydney)
- HIST3000 – Writing Lives: Personalities in History from Antiquity to the Present (Sydney)
- HIST3028 – Visual Evidence: Art and Artefacts in the Western Tradition (Fremantle) (Sydney)
- PHIL2100/PHIL6100 – History of Philosophy: Ancient (Fremantle) (Sydney)
- PHIL2110/PHIl6110 – History of Philosophy: Medieval (Fremantle) (Sydney)
- THEO2310 Early Church History (Sydney)
- THEO2330 Medieval Christian Experience (Sydney)
University of Queensland (QLD)
- HIST1400 – The Medieval and Early Modern World
- HIST2220 – The Medieval Mediterranean
- ENGL1800 – Literary Classics: Texts and Traditions
- ENGL2060 – Shakespeare and His Contemporaries
- RELN1510 – The History of the Supernatural
University of Sydney (NSW)
Offers a postgraduate specialisation – MA (Res), MPhil, PhD – in Medieval Studies.
- ANHS2618 – The Later Roman Empire
- ARCO2109 – Asia: Ice Age to Empire
- ASNS2626 – Religious Traditions of South Asia
- BBCL2609 – Historical Jesus to Written Gospels
- CLST2614 – The Celtic Otherworld *
- CLST3614 – Middle Welsh
- CLST3615 – Old Irish
- ENGL1018 – The Medieval Imaginary *
- ENGL3633 – Introduction to Old English
- ENGL3635 – Old Norse
- ENGL3642 – Medieval Literature: Dreams and Visions *
- ENGL3695 – Medieval Tales of Wonder *
- HSTY2664 – Medieval Cultures *
- HSTY3802 – Medieval and Early Modern History *
- JCTC2100 – Expulsion and Renewal: Medieval Jews *
- JCTC1003 – Jewish History from Rome to New Diaspora
- KRNS2641 – Traditional Korea
- RLST2624 – The Birth of Christianity
- RLST3609 – Religion and the Medieval World *
University of Tasmania (TAS)
- HTA277 – The Dark Ages? Medieval Europe AD 300-1000
- HTA334 – Medieval Europe AD 1000-1450 *
- HTC323 – Greek and Roman Mythology
- HTC341 – Religions of Ancient Greece and Rome
University of Western Australia (WA)
Hosts of The Centre for Medieval and Early Modern Studies, ARC Centre of Excellence for the History of Emotions, as well as being the headquarters of ANZAMEMS, their journal Parergon, and the Perth Medieval and Renaissance Group.
- CLAN3008 – Roman Britain
- CLAN3009 – Religion, Society and the Divine from Augustus to Muhammad
- CLAN3011 – Sex, Gender, and the Body in the Greco-Roman World
- CLAN3012 – Classical Receptions: Greco-Roman Culture after Antiquity *
- ENGL3001 – Poetry and Poetics
- HIST1003 – Love, Belief, and Death in Europe: 800–1800
- HIST2013 – Medieval and Early Modern Women *
- HIST2014 – The City in History
- HIST3012 – Rights, Rule and Power: From Magna Carta to the French Revolution
- HIST3017 – Mysticism, Melancholy and Madness *
- HIST3456 – History of Christianity
University of Wollongong (NSW)
- ENGL276 – Dreams and Visions in Literature and Film
- HIST110 – The Medieval World and Beyond *
- HIST262 – Ancient History: Rome
- HIST386 – Ancient Texts *
- WCIV105 – Classics of the Roman Republic and Empire
- WCIV201 – Classics of the Middle Ages and Early Renaissance *
- WCIV203 – Philosophy of Religion: Reason, Faith and Revelation
- WCIV304 – The Self in Western Thought and Art *
Western Sydney University (NSW)
- HUMN 3080 – The History of Southeast Asia
- HUMN 3109 – Catastrophe: The Environmental History of the Ancient World *
- HUMN 3115 – Medieval Europe from the Fall of the Roman Empire to the Reformation *
- LANG 2050 – Medieval and Early Modern Literature *
- PHIL 3005 – Aesthetics
- PHIL 3010 – Philosophies of Love and Death *
- PHIL 7006 – Philosophy and Literature
We endeavour to keep the information on this page as up-to-date as possible. However, it is always best to contact the university/representative for confirmation that individual courses are available in any given year/semester/term. We also appreciate all corrections to this data – contact the communications team to provide updates or new information.