Court, Castle, and Cathedral: The Gothic World This survey course will consider closely the major architectural monuments of the Gothic period in Western Europe, using them as a point of departure in a larger consideration of the artistic culture of this time.  In looking at Gothic art and architecture, the class will ask some of the following questions: How were buildings embedded in the promotion of distinct political programs?  How do liturgical considerations determine the shapes of buildings and sites?  How can we track the emergence of a non-Christian "other" in art of all media?  How can we characterize the visual and intellectual culture of "courtly love"?

Materiality and Meaning in Medieval Manuscripts Before the invention of the printing press in the middle of the fifteenth century, all books were written by hand, a manual process that informed the term “manuscript.” The most luxurious of medieval manuscripts were illuminated with all manner of images, and these, along with the books themselves, were often understood as embodiments of divine wisdom. In this seminar we will consider medieval manuscripts as artworks and study the history of medieval manuscript illumination. Along the way, we will analyze the functions of various types of texts, learn about the rich relationships between text and image, consider the emergence of silent reading, and study the diverse audiences for medieval books. Over the course of the roughly one thousand years that we will cover in this course, we will see the book change from a mysterious receptacle of sacred wisdom to a commodity created for a mass market.

Understanding Early Medieval and Romanesque Art: Seeing Ste. Foy This course is an introduction to key artworks and architectural monuments made and built in Europe during the eighth through twelfth centuries.  We will study such structures as Charlemagne's Palace Chapel and the reliquary statue of Ste. Foy at Conques to explore how these monuments were products of independent cultures that valued the creation of a visual fusion between the Judeo-Christian God and humankind.  Likely lines of inquiry include: the persistence of a Classical ideal and its myriad adaptations; the coordination of art objects to specific locations; and, not least, the self-conscious staging of political and ecclesiastical power. 3 hrs lect.

Senior Thesis Research Seminar In this course students will conceive, undertake research, and plan the organization of their senior thesis in art history or senior museum studies projects.  Seminar discussions and workshops will focus on research strategies, conventions in art historical writing, project design, and public presentation skills. (HARC 0301; Approval Required) 3 hr. sem.

An Introduction to Global Visual Culture This course is an introduction to the visual cultures of the world, with an emphasis on how images, objects, and monuments are made, experienced, exchanged, and used by groups of people with diverse religious, socio-economic, and cultural backgrounds. We will focus on themes that have been taken up by different cultures and adapted over time, such as monumentality, the sacred, embodiment, science, and technology. Through a close study of these themes, we will consider how materials, cultures, and histories are transformed and negotiated through making and viewing works of art. In the process, we will challenge the art historical canon by shedding light on marginalized periods, regions, and artworks.

Northern Renaissance Art: The Rhetoric of the Real This course will provide students with an overview of art objects created in a variety of media in Northern Europe between the 15th and 16th centuries.  We will analyze the changing uses of art in cultures where people defined themselves and the depths of their piety in relation to their material wealth and social standing.  During the last few weeks of the semester, the class will look at the emergence of genre painting and the representation of peasant life.  We will consider how these phenomena were tied to the histories and careers of individual artists and their workshops.  General questions will include: How does the convincing representation of "reality" make for a persuasive image?  What are the benefits of fusing secular and religious subject matter?  Is it valid to speak of a new artistic self-awareness?

Medieval Bodies In this seminar we will examine how medieval European thinkers and artists theorized and visualized the body in ways that are vastly different from the ways in which the body is conceptualized today. Indeed, the “medieval body” was not a monolithic entity, but rather a shifting constellation of ideas and practices that waxed, waned, and coexisted throughout the Middle Ages. A body could be understood as an earthly body — sexed, fleshly, corruptible — as well as a heavenly and divine body, including Christ’s own. Our considerations will further contextualize representations of gendered, racialized, clerical, monstrous, animal, virginal, non-Christian, heretical, resurrected, and uncircumscribable bodies. Readings of the secondary literature will broaden readings of primary source materials, and our discussions will remain cognizant of gender-, sexuality-, race-, and performance-critical methods. There are no prerequisites for this course, but students will find it helpful to have some familiarity with either the history of art or with medieval history. 3hrs sem.

Medieval Bodies In this seminar we will examine how medieval European thinkers and artists theorized and visualized the body in ways that are vastly different from the ways in which the body is conceptualized today. Indeed, the “medieval body” was not a monolithic entity, but rather a shifting constellation of ideas and practices that waxed, waned, and coexisted throughout the Middle Ages. A body could be understood as an earthly body — sexed, fleshly, corruptible — as well as a heavenly and divine body, including Christ’s own. Our considerations will further contextualize representations of gendered, racialized, clerical, monstrous, animal, virginal, non-Christian, heretical, resurrected, and uncircumscribable bodies. Readings of the secondary literature will broaden readings of primary source materials, and our discussions will remain cognizant of gender-, sexuality-, race-, and performance-critical methods. There are no prerequisites for this course, but students will find it helpful to have some familiarity with either the history of art or with medieval history.  3hrs sem.

Models, Contexts, and Afterlives of the Bayeux Tapestry In this course we will look closely at the late eleventh-century Bayeux Tapestry (also known as the Bayeux Embroidery), examining its historical and literary sources, the details of its creation, and its reverberations throughout the arts of the medieval and modern eras. We will also consider how this embroidered textile entangled its medieval and modern viewers in the stories it tells and those it avoids. We will discover that it can tell us much about attitudes toward gender and masculinity, the taming of the natural world, and the terrors of war. Hands-on assignments will familiarize us with some of the techniques and materials used to create this monument of medieval European Art History. This course is part of the Public Humanities Labs Initiative administered by the Axinn Center for the Humanities.*

The Bayeux Tapestry: Models, Contexts, and Afterlives In this course we will take a close look at the late eleventh-century Bayeux Tapestry (also known as the Bayeux Embroidery), examining its historical and literary models, the details of its creation, and its varied reverberations throughout the arts of the medieval and modern eras. Along the way, we will consider how this 230-foot long embroidered textile entangled its medieval and modern viewers in the stories it tells and those it avoids. We will discover that it offers much food for thought in relation to issues of gender and masculinity in the European Middle Ages, the representation of the Other, the visualization of disability, the taming of the natural world, and the terrors and banalities of war. Hands-on assignments will familiarize us with some of the techniques and materials used to create this monument of medieval European Art History. No prerequisites. Some familiarity with art history and/or medieval history helpful but not required. (Not open to students who have taken FYSE 1032) 3 hours lct/disc.

Eliza Garrison

Reviews and ratings for Eliza Garrison at Middlebury College.Eliza Garrison teaches Court, Castle, & Cathedral, Medieval Manuscripts, Early Medieval &Romanesque Art and more.  Explore top rated instructors and find the best for you.Is Eliza Garrison good ? Find out on MiddCourses.

Professor Garrison was very passionate about the content of the course. As long as you did the reading, you would be successful in the class, as every class is essentially one large discussion. There were also a few fairly intense writing pieces that put together what you learned in the course.



Very cool and insightful class into the makings and iconography of medieval manuscripts. I wouldn't say this class is recommended for those simply seeking to fulfill distribution requirements, it is VERY reading heavy, but the professor does a great job leading discussions and helping us understand the concepts/ideas.

Professor Garrison is a great teacher and clearly enjoys the subject matter. The main issue I had with this class is the description: the courts and castles implied by the title are entirely absent from the curriculum. This is a class about cathedrals and nothing else. That being said, Prof. Garrison does a great job making a semester spent staring at the same 10 cathedrals as bearable as possible. I would take this class again, but don't expect anything but religious art and architecture. 