Many people have a concept of the centuries between 300 and 1500 CE as the Dark Ages, a time when the former Roman Empire collapsed into barbarism and superstition. Yet this period saw the genesis of nearly every social institution still current today, including universities, hospitals, modern legal systems and capitalist economies. Medieval and early modern studies majors examine the roots of these and other cultural phenomena; they trace the development of artistic and literary styles; they cross the borders of traditional academic disciplines to gain a more complete understanding of this fascinating era.