The Medieval Academy Blog

40th Annual Conference of the Center for Medieval Studies, Fordham University

Posted on March 15, 2021 by Chris

“Medieval French without Borders”

40th Annual Conference of the Center for Medieval Studies, Fordham University

March 20-21, 2021

This digital conference addresses the multilingual contact zones and social, cultural and literary contexts of exchange in which French featured between the ninth and the sixteenth centuries. A second language of several empires, a tongue of invaders, and an idiom spread by merchants, sailors, artisans, and pilgrims, French was a medium of both border-construction and border-crossing. The program includes papers on the dynamic relations between French and other languages including Arabic, Castilian, Dutch, English, German, Greek, Hebrew, Irish, Italian, Latin, Norse, Occitan, and Welsh. Such relations often exceed traditional explanatory frameworks of cultural prestige and the nation. Talks are available as online videos, which can be watched at any time before the conference. The conference weekend will be dedicated to the plenary lectures and discussion of the pre-circulated videos.

Plenary Lecturers: Wolfgang Haubrichs (Universität des Saarlandes) and Teresa Shawcross (Princeton University)

Round Table Panelists: Thelma Fenster (Fordham University), Karla Mallette (University of Michigan), Anne-Hélène Miller (University of Tennessee, Knoxville), Sara Poor (Princeton University), Jocelyn Wogan-Browne (Fordham University)

Program and online registration can be found here:

https://mvstconference.ace.fordham.edu/medievalfrenchwithoutborders/conference-program/

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2021 Cornell Medieval Studies Student Colloquium

Posted on March 15, 2021 by Chris

We are pleased to announce the thirty-first annual Medieval Studies Student Colloquium which will be taking place virtually March 26th-27th, 2021 on the theme of “Movement”. We welcome all to attend. This year’s event has two distinguished keynote speakers as well as thirty presenters. You will receive the full conference program as a downloadable pdf file upon registration (the program contains the Zoom links to the conference sessions and the keynote lectures): https://cornell.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_dgtKnhdcHUvX5JQ

Our keynote addresses will be delivered by Sharon Kinoshita and Michael Gomez:

Friday, March 26th, 3:00-4:30pm EST

Sharon Kinoshita: On the Road with Marco Polo: Movement and Space in Le Devisement du monde

Saturday, March 27th, 3:00-4:30pm EST

Michael Gomez: The Concept of “Movement” in Early West Africa: A Fitting Framework

We look forward to welcoming you at MSSC 2021! Please contact Alice Wolff at acw262@cornell.edu if you have any questions or if you need assistance.

All the best,

The Medieval Studies Student Colloquium Board of Directors
located in the traditional homelands of the Gayogo̱hó꞉nǫʼ (Cayuga Nation)

Thari Zweers, President
Alice Wolff, Vice-President
Lisa Camp, Treasurer
Sarah LaVoy, Secretary

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Jobs for Medievalists

Posted on March 15, 2021 by Chris

POSITION OPENING: ASSISTANT EDITOR, HESPERIA (ASCSA PUBLICATIONS OFFICE)

The Publications Office of the American School of Classical Studies at Athens, in Princeton, NJ, has a full-time vacancy, beginning in July for a well-organized and highly motivated individual to support the Editor of Hesperia in all stages of production for the ASCSA’s award-winning journal on Greek archaeology and material culture.

The Assistant Editor will be part of a small, friendly department that works closely with authors to produce scholarly publications of the highest quality. The successful candidate will coordinate the peer-review process, review permissions, conduct bibliographic research, typeset, proofread, and take on any other production tasks as requested by the Editor.

Required:

Bachelor’s degree, preferably in Archaeology, Classics, or a related field
At least two years of experience as a production, manuscript, or project editor
Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
Ability to work under pressure of publication deadlines while retaining close attention to detail
Ability to prioritize, organize, and accomplish work while managing multiple projects in various stages simultaneously
Familiarity with applying author and style guidelines (e.g., the Chicago Manual of Style)
Proficiency in Ancient Greek (minimum three semesters)
Computer literacy and the ability to work in an electronic workflow

Preferred:

Proficiency with Adobe Creative Suite, particularly InDesign and Photoshop

Excellent benefits, pleasant working conditions, salary commensurate with experience. Prospective applicants should submit a cover letter, resume (in PDF format), and the names of two individuals willing to serve as references. Applications for the position should be submitted via the online form at: https://ascsa.submittable.com/submit/656006a2-2e28-45cd-b7bc-5dc62bb67715/assistant-editor-for-hesperia.

The closing date for applications is Friday, April 2, 2021. The position begins July 1, 2021.
ASCSA is an EO/AA employer.

The ASCSA is an EEO/AA employer. The American School of Classical Studies at Athens does not discriminate on the basis of race, age, sex, sexual orientation, color, religion, ethnic origin, or disability when considering admission to any form of membership or application for employment.

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Reminder: GSC Mentorship Program for the 2021 Annual Meeting: Deadline March 18

Posted on March 10, 2021 by Chris

REMINDER: DEADLINE TO REGISTER AS A MENTOR OR MENTEE:
March 18, 2021

*Please note that since the 96th Annual Meeting will be conducted virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we will be running the mentorship program digitally. Because of this, anybody can participate, regardless of their 2021 Annual Meeting attendance plans*

The Graduate Student Committee (GSC) of the Medieval Academy of America invites those attending the 96th Annual Meeting of the Medieval Academy of America, jointly hosted by the Medieval Academy of America and the Medieval Studies Institute of the Indiana University (15-18 April 2021) and any other interested medievalists to participate in the GSC Virtual Mentoring Program.

The GSC Mentoring Program facilitates networking between graduate students or early career scholars and established scholars by pairing student and scholar according to discipline.

Mentorship exchanges are intended to help students establish professional contacts with scholars who can offer them career advice. The primary objective of this exchange is that the relationship be active during the conference, although mentors and mentees sometimes decide to continue communication after a conference has ended.

We have recorded an increased interest in the GSC Mentorship Program since it has been held virtually due to COVID-19 restrictions. We will attempt to match all those who register as a mentee with mentors; however, if need be, preference will be granted to those in order of form submission and any surplus will be given priority for the next GSC Mentoring Program (Virtual Kalamazoo 10-15 May 2021).

To volunteer as a mentor (faculty, librarians, curators, independent scholars) or to sign up as a mentee, please submit the online form, linked here, by 18 March 2021.

On behalf of the committee, thank you and our best,

Julia King & Lauren Van Nest
2020-2021 Mentoring Program Coordinators

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Mary Jaharis Center Lecture: Ps-Ptolemy’s Ὁ Καρπός and Byzantine Astrological Practice

Posted on March 8, 2021 by Chris

The Mary Jaharis Center for Byzantine Art and Culture at Hellenic College Holy Cross in Brookline, MA, is pleased to announce its final lecture for 2020–2021: “Ps-Ptolemy’s Ὁ Καρπός and Byzantine Astrological Practice.” Dr. Darin Hayton, Haverford College, will explore ps-Ptolemy’s Ὁ Καρπός to elucidate the culture of astrology in the later Byzantine empire.

April 1, 2021 | Zoom | 4:00–5:00 pm (Eastern time)

This lecture will take place live on Zoom, followed by a question and answer period. Please register to receive the Zoom link. An email with the relevant Zoom information will be sent 1–2 hours ahead of the lecture. Registration closes at 11:00 AM on April 1, 2021.

Mary Jaharis Center lectures are co-sponsored by Harvard University Standing Committee on Medieval Studies.

Contact Brandie Ratliff (mjcbac@hchc.edu), Director, Mary Jaharis Center for Byzantine Art and Culture, with any questions.

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Rare Book School Summer Courses

Posted on March 5, 2021 by Chris

Expand your understanding of book history during a Rare Book School course this summer. We are now accepting applications for our intensive courses on the history of manuscript, print, and digital materials.

Among our diverse array of online courses, we are pleased to offer several pertinent to those involved in the study of medievalism, early modernism, rare books, and manuscripts:

-H-20a: The Book in the Manuscript Era, taught by Raymond Clemens (22 hours)
-M-70a: The Handwriting and Culture of Early Modern English Manuscripts, taught by Heather Wolfe (22 hours)
-M-100a: Fragmentology, taught by Lisa Fagin Davis (22 hours)

These offerings include both adaptations of in-person RBS classes and brand-new courses. For more details, including costs and course descriptions, please explore our full schedule: https://rarebookschool.org/schedule/. Even more courses will be announced on the schedule page soon!

To be considered in the first round of admissions decisions, course applications should be submitted no later than March 8.

Applications received after March 8 will be reviewed on a rolling basis, however, please note that some classes do reach capacity during the first round of admissions. Visit our website at www.rarebookschool.org for course details, instructions for applying, and evaluations by past students. Contact us at rbsprograms@virginia.edu with questions.

Please share this information with colleagues, students, and friends.

We hope to see you in an online Rare Book School course soon!

With best regards,
The RBS Programs Team

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Digital Symposium – Crusading Things and the Material Outremer: The Account-Inventory of Eudes de Nevers

Posted on March 5, 2021 by Chris

CRUSADING THINGS AND THE MATERIAL OUTREMER
THE ACCOUNT-INVENTORY OF EUDES DE NEVERS

A Digital Symposium & Round Table Discussion
Co-Sponsored by DALME (Harvard University) and
The Medieval World Seminar (Johns Hopkins University)
Friday, March 26, 11:30-1:00 EST
Via Zoom; Register for the Link

Led by
Anne E. Lester, Johns Hopkins University
Laura K. Morreale, Independent Scholar, Georgetown University

Moderated by
Daniel Lord Smail, Harvard University

Featuring:
Sharon Farmer, Andrew Jotischky, Richard Leson,
Maureen Miller, Johnathan Rubin, Caroline Smith

materialoutremer.lauramorreale.com;

http://bit.ly/MaterialOutremerInstitution

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IAS Ethiopian Studies Series

Posted on March 4, 2021 by Chris

The Turn to the Medieval in Ethiopian Studies – The Turn to Ethiopia in Medieval Studies II

This is the third event of a webinar series IAS Ethiopian Studies

Convenors: Suzanne Akbari (IAS), Aaron Butts (CUA / IAS), Samantha L. Kelly (Rutgers U / IAS), Sabine Schmidtke (IAS)

We are eager to think together about the rich and often challenging complexities that have arisen as a result of the intersection of Medieval Studies and Ethiopian Studies over the past several years. These fields developed along very different lines, but have begun to mutually enrich – and interrogate – one another. In terms of regional networks, the two fields overlap in their concern with political, commercial, and cultural connections in the eastern Mediterranean: while Ethiopia represents for Medieval Studies an outgrowth of Mediterranean Studies, extending investigation for such exchanges down the Red Sea, Europe similarly represents for Ethiopian Studies a secondary ring of this zone of contact. Additional information here. Register in advance for this meeting here.

Panelists:
Alessandro Bausi (Universität Hamburg)
Verena B. Krebs (Ruhr-Universität Bochum)
Eyob Derillo (The British Library)
Samantha L. Kelly (Rutgers and IAS)

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MAA News – MAA and NHC course, “Medieval Africa and Africans”

Posted on March 4, 2021 by Chris

The first offering of the Medieval Academy and National Humanities Center course “Medieval Africa and Africans” completed the last of its six weeks at the end of February. Approximately eighty participants contributed to two sections of the course facilitated by Dr. Kisha Tracy (Fitchburg State University) and Dr. Stephanie Caruso (Dumbarton Oaks). While the focus of the course is pedagogical development, participants represented a wide range of backgrounds, including K-16 instructors from public and private institutions, museum curators, and independent scholars.

The design of the course is built around the myths that are all too often associated with Medieval Africa, especially those that contribute to the narrative that Africa has no significant precolonial history and culture. From the first week, the discussion in the course centered on both identifying the reasons for these inaccurate and offensive beliefs as well as the ways in which we can contribute to changing them. The passion among participants in these discussions was more than heartening. There was dedication to increasing awareness and understanding of Medieval Africa in order to share this knowledge with students and other audiences, helping to correct misconceptions, both deliberate and unconscious.

Participants in the course experienced resources curated and, in some cases, created for them. The Medieval Academy was able to support the development of a series of videos by experts in the field. Participants found these to be invaluable resources in thinking about, for instance, transcontinental trade, literacy in Medieval Africa, especially the interactions between African and non-African languages, and the position of the Manden Charter in African (and global) history.

While the resources provided were a starting point and were praised for their helpfulness in designing or redesigning units and courses, one of the essential aspects of the course was the sharing of ideas between participants. Ultimately, the course was successful in increasing the comfort level to teach and share about this topic. Dr. Sharika Crawford, Associate Professor of History at the United States Naval Academy, commented, “While I am not a medievalist (I am a trained modern Latin Americanist who also teaches modern world history), I feel more comfortable thinking of ways to address this topic when asked to teach the premodern portion of our world history sequence.” Dr. Diliana Angelova, Associate Professor of History at UC Berkeley, summed up the experience: “I learned a ton, had fun in the process, dreamed up new classes to offer, and expanded existing ones.”

A second iteration of the course is scheduled for March 8 – April 30. Click here for more information and to enroll.