The Medieval Academy Blog

MAA News – MAA@Kalamazoo

Posted on April 11, 2017 by Chris

As always, the Medieval Academy of America will have a strong presence at the 2017 International Congress on Medieval Studies (May 11-14).

1) The Friday morning plenary, sponsored by the Academy, will be delivered by Leor Halevi (Vanderbilt Univ.). His topic will be “Artifacts of the Infidel: Medieval and Modern Interpretations of the Sacred Law of Islam” (Friday, 8:30 AM, Bernhard, East Ballroom). Two related sessions organized by Prof. Halevi will take place on Friday at 1:30 PM (Session 276) and 3:30 PM (Session 335). Both sessions will take place in the Bernhard Brown & Gold Room.

2) On Thursday at 3:30 PM, the Graduate Student Committee is sponsoring a roundtable titled “To ‘Gladly Teche’: Becoming Great Teachers in Graduate School” (Session 113, Schneider 1280). The GSC reception will take place immediately afterwards, in Fetzer 1055.

3) The Committee on Centers and Regional Associations (CARA) is sponsoring two panels this year. The first, “Teaching a Diverse and Inclusive Middle Ages,” will take place on Friday at 10 AM (Session 182, Schneider 1120). The second, “Career Diversity for Medievalists: Insights from Outside the Academy,” will take place on Saturday at 1:30 PM (Session 404, Fetzer 1045).

4) The annual CARA Luncheon will take place on Friday at noon (Bernhard, President’s Dining Room). If you would like to attend as a representative of your program or institution, please register online. There is no fee to attend, but pre-registration is required. All are welcome!

5) Finally, we invite you to stop by our staffed table in the exhibit hall to introduce yourself, transact any Medieval Academy business you may have, or pick up some chocolate to keep you going during those long afternoon sessions.

See you at the ‘Zoo!

Posted in MAA Newsletter | Leave a comment

MAA News – Good News From Our Members

Posted on April 11, 2017 by Chris

Wendy Pfeffer (University of Louisville) has been awarded a Fulbright Research Fellowship which will allow her to spend January-June 2018 in Tours, France continuing her research on culinary history.

Three members have been named 2017 Guggenheim Fellows: Rita Copeland (University of Pennsylvania), “Emotion and the History of Rhetoric in the Middle Ages”; Bissera V. Pentcheva (Stanford University), “Animation in Medieval Art”; and Paolo Squatriti (University of Michigan), “Pleasing Plants and Worrisome Weeds: Botanical Change in Early Medieval Europe.”

MAA Councillor Sara Poor (Princeton University) has been named a Fellow of the National Humanities Center, receiving the Josephus Daniels Fellowship of the Research Triangle Foundation to support her project, “Telling Tales of Clever Women: Authorship and the Devotional Book in Late Medieval Germany.”

The St. Louis Mercantile Library Prize Committee awarded first place in American Bibliography to The Mythical Indies and Columbus’s Apocalyptic Letter: Imaging the Americas in the Late Middle Ages by Elizabeth Moore Willingham (Baylor Univ.).

In September 2016, the Faculty of Letters and Arts of the Univ. Nacional Autónoma de Mexico awarded Joseph T. Snow (Emeritus, Michigan State University) with its highest honor, the Reconocimiento Escuela Nacional de Altos Estudios for “distinction in teaching, scholarship and promotion of the humanities.”

Congratulations to all! If you have good news to share, please send it to Executive Director Lisa Fagin Davis (LFD@TheMedievalAcademy.org)

Posted in MAA Newsletter | Leave a comment

Byzantine Studies Postdoctoral Fellowship

Posted on April 10, 2017 by Chris

Application Deadline: April 30, 2017

Following substantial investment in the area of Byzantine Studies at the University of Notre Dame, including the acquisition of the Milton V. Anastos Library of Byzantine Civilization and generous support from the Stavros Niarchos Foundation, the Mellon Foundation, and the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Medieval Institute at the University of Notre Dame is delighted to invite applicants for a nine-month Postdoctoral Fellowship in Byzantine Studies. This fellowship is designed for junior scholars with a completed doctorate whose research deals with some aspect of the Byzantine world. The fellow is expected to pursue promising research towards scholarly publication and/or the development of new subject areas. This Fellowship is open to qualified applicants in all fields and sub-disciplines of Byzantine Studies, such as history (including its auxiliary disciplines), archaeology, art history, literature, theology, and liturgical studies, as well as the study of Byzantium’s interactions with neighboring cultures. The fellowship holder will pursue research in residence at the University of Notre Dame’s famed Medieval Institute during the 2017-18 academic year.

The intent of this Fellowship is to enable its holder to do innovative research drawing on the rich resources held in the Milton V. Anastos Collection, the Medieval Institute, and the Hesburgh Library more broadly. This may include the completion of book manuscripts and articles, work on text editions, or the development of new trajectories of research in one of the aforementioned fields. The Fellowship carries no teaching responsibilities, but the fellow will have the opportunity to participate in the multidisciplinary activities of Notre Dame faculty related to Byzantium, Eastern Christianity, and the history of the Levant. The Fellow will be provided with a private workspace in the Medieval Institute, enjoy full library and computer privileges, and have access to all the Institute’s research tools.

In addition, towards the conclusion of the fellowship period the fellow’s work will be at the center of a workshop organized within the framework of the Byzantine Studies Seminar. Senior scholars, chosen in cooperation with the Medieval Institute, will be invited for this event treating the fellow’s subject matter. The senior scholars will discuss draft versions of the fellow’s book manuscript or articles or discuss the further development of ongoing research projects.

Eligibility: Byzantine Studies fellows must hold a Ph.D. from an internationally recognized institution. The Ph.D. must be in hand by the beginning of the fellowship term.

Salary: $36,000 plus benefits

Start date: August 16, 2017

Application procedure: Please see the fellowship listing on our web site at http://tinyurl.com/ByzantineMI for all details of the application procedure.

Posted in Fellowships | Leave a comment

The Medieval Academy of America stands with our colleagues at Central European University in Budapest

Posted on April 3, 2017 by Chris

In solidarity with our colleagues at Central European University, threatened by action by the Hungarian government, the governance of the Medieval Academy sent the letter below to the Hungarian Minister of Human Capacities this morning. We urge our members to sign the petition or write a letter. You will find more information about this urgent situation here: https://www.ceu.edu/node/17842
2 April 2017

Mr. Zoltán Balog
Minister of Human Capacities
1054 Budapest, Akadémia utca 3.
Hungary

Dear Minister Balog,

As the governing body of the Medieval Academy of America, the largest organization in the world devoted to supporting the study of the European Middle Ages, we are writing to express solidarity with Central European University and express concern at proposed legislative changes to CEU’s status in Hungary. These changes would endanger the academic freedom vital for CEU’s continued operation in Budapest and would strike a blow against the academic freedom that enables all universities, including those in Hungary, to flourish.

In twenty-five years, Central European University has established itself as a private international university with a global reputation for teaching and research in the social sciences and humanities. It attracts students from 117 countries and faculty from forty. The University as a whole is accredited by the US Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE), and its masters and doctoral programs are registered by the New York State Education Department (NYSED). Its programs are also certified by appropriate Hungarian authorities and it has complied in full with all Hungarian laws.

In international rankings, some of CEU’s departments are rated among the top 50 in the world. CEU also makes Hungary a regional leader in winning highly competitive European Research Council grants. Several of its faculty, in fields as various as medieval studies, network and cognitive science, have won the most prestigious awards in their disciplines.

CEU is a valued member of the international academic community and its presence in Hungary has added to the reputation of Hungarian academic life on the international stage. The government’s proposed legislation to alter its statute of operation in Hungary would compromise its academic freedom and set a dangerous precedent for academic life in other countries.

We support and value our CEU colleagues and respectfully urge the government to withdraw the proposed legislation and enter into negotiations with CEU, bearing in mind the damage such legislation might do to Hungary’s well-founded international academic reputation, to its relationships with its European partners, and to its collaborations with institutions of higher learning in the United States.

Yours sincerely,

Carmela Franklin (Columbia University), President
Margot Fassler (University of Notre Dame), 1st Vice-President
David Wallace (University of Pennsylvania), 2nd Vice-President
Lisa Fagin Davis, Executive Director

Posted in MAA | Leave a comment

Rare Book School Summer Program

Posted on March 31, 2017 by Chris

Rare Book School (RBS) is now accepting applications on a rolling basis for our five-day, intensive courses focused on the history of manuscript, print, and digital materials.

Among our more than thirty courses on the history of books and printing, we are pleased to offer courses of interest to those in the fields of medieval literature and history. The following courses focused on medieval studies are still accepting applications:

– M-20 “Seminar in Western Codicology,” taught by M. Michèle Mulchahey (Pontifical Institute of Medieval Studies) in Charlottesville, 23–28 July

– M-90 “Advanced Seminar in Medieval Manuscript Studies,” taught by Barbara A. Shailor (Yale) at Yale University, 11–16 June

Apply soon as courses are filling quickly!

Contact us at rbsprograms@virginia.edu if you have questions about course availability or about RBS in general. Visit rarebookschool.org for our full schedule, course details, and instructions for applying.

Posted in Summer Programs | Leave a comment

Workshop: East Syriac Christianity in the Mongol Empire, April 7, 2017

Posted on March 23, 2017 by Chris

Workshop: East Syriac Christianity in the Mongol Empire, April 7, 2017

The Arthur H. Dadian and Ara Oztemel Chair of Armenian Art at Tufts University and the Mary Jaharis Center for Byzantine Art and Culture at Hellenic College Holy Cross in Brookline, MA, are pleased to announce the final workshop in the Studying East of Byzantium II workshop series:

Friday, April 7, 2017, 10:00 am–12:00 pm

Harvard Faculty Club, 20 Quincy Street, Cambridge, MA

East Syriac Christianity in the Mongol Empire

A workshop for students focusing on East Syriac Christianity in the Mongol Empire. Led by Mark Dickens, University of Alberta

RSVP required. Registration closes April 5. Additional information and registration at https://eastofbyzantium.org/upcoming-events/east-syriac-christianity-in-the-mongol-empire/.

East of Byzantium is a partnership between the Arthur H. Dadian and Ara Oztemel Chair of Armenian Art at Tufts University and the Mary Jaharis Center for Byzantine Art and Culture at Hellenic College Holy Cross in Brookline, MA, that explores the cultures of the eastern frontier of the Byzantine empire in the late antique and medieval periods.

Posted in Workshops | Leave a comment

Lecture – Christian Bodies, Pagan Images, April 3, 2017

Posted on March 22, 2017 by Chris

The Mary Jaharis Center for Byzantine Art and Culture at Hellenic College Holy Cross in Brookline, MA, is pleased to announce the final lecture in its 2016–2017 lecture series:

Monday, April 3, 2017, 6:15 pm
Harvard Faculty Club, 20 Quincy Street, Cambridge, MA

Christian Bodies, Pagan Images: Women, Beauty, and Morality in Byzantium

Alicia Walker, Bryn Mawr College, explores how Byzantine women’s bodies were put in dialogue with visual and textual portrayals of pagan goddesses and heroines, and how these practices changed in fundamental ways from the early to middle Byzantine eras.

Details at https://maryjahariscenter.org/events/christian-bodies-pagan-images.

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

Posted in Lectures | Leave a comment

Nicky B. Carpenter Fellowship in Manuscript Studies

Posted on March 22, 2017 by Chris

These Fellowships in Manuscript Studies were established in 2012 by Nicky B. Carpenter of Wayzata, Minnesota, a Lifetime Member and former chair of the HMML Board of Overseers.

The purpose of the Fellowship is to support residencies at HMML for research by senior scholars using the digital or microfilm manuscript collections at HMML. (Graduate students and recent postdoctoral scholars should apply for the Heckman Stipends or the Swenson Family Fellowship for Eastern Christian Manuscript Studies).

Two to three fellowships of $5,000 will be awarded each year in support of a residency of at least two weeks. Funds may be applied toward travel to and from Collegeville, housing and meals at Saint John’s University, and costs related to duplication of HMML’s microfilm or digital resources. Fellowships may be supplemented by other sources of funding but may not be held simultaneously with another HMML award. Holders of the Fellowship must wait at least two years before applying again.

Applications:
Applications must be submitted by April 15 for residency between July 1- December 31, or November 15 for residency between January 1-June 30.

Applicants are asked to provide:

a letter of application with current contact information, the title of the project, length of the proposed residency at HMML and its projected dates
a description of the project to be pursued, with an explanation of how HMML’s resources are essential to its successful completion of the project; applicants are advised to be as specific as possible about which resources will be needed (maximum length: 1,000 words)
an updated curriculum vitae
a confidential letter of recommendation to be sent directly to HMML by a scholar with knowledge of both the applicant and the subject area of the project

Please send all materials as email attachments to:fellowships@hmml.org, with “Carpenter Fellowship” in the subject line. Letters should be sent by the referees directly to the same email address. Questions about the Fellowship may be sent to the same address.

Note: Those who are not United States citizens or permanent residents who plan to stay on the Saint John’s University campus or at the College of Saint Benedict will be expected to purchase health insurance in advance of their visit, and will be asked to show proof of coverage. Insurance plans for travelers to the United States are available from numerous online providers at reasonable cost.