Sean Murphy, PhD

Professor, Major Advisor, Humanities: History of Culture

About

Education

Ph.D. Medieval Studies, Cornell University

 

Trained in history, philosophy, and literature, Seán Murphy is the Department’s specialist in the humanities of medieval Europe. His introductory courses explore the cultural history of the ancient world (HUMA 121) and medieval and early modern Europe (HUMA 122). At the advanced level, he teaches courses on the cultural history of Ireland (HUMA 327) and the epic and ancient Roman culture (the future HUMA 329, current HUMA 397A), as well as seminars on Dante (HUMA 302) and on the mutual influence of Jewish and Christian cultures in Europe, c. 1100-c. 1650 (HUMA 423). His research expertise is in twelfth- and thirteenth-century cultural conflict and its place in the formation of religious identity; he has a special interest in university intellectuals and their ideas about Judaism. He has published articles in Speculum:  A Journal of Medieval Studies, the American Catholic Philosophical Quarterly (Special Issue on Peter Abelard), the Journal of Medieval History, and the Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy.