Colloque “Sign and Design”

2012 Symposium
Sign and Design
Script as Image in a Cross-Cultural Perspective (300-1600 CE)
October 12-14, Dumbarton Oaks, Washington, D.C.

Dumbarton Oaks is pleased to announce a symposium, to be held in the Music Room of Dumbarton Oaks in Washington, D.C., on Friday, October 12th, Saturday, October 13th, and Sunday, October 14th, 2012. Please note that the symposium will be two and a half days: sessions will begin at 9 am on Friday, and conclude Sunday afternoon.

In the Middle Ages and beyond, legal, documentary, exegetical, literary and linguistic traditions have organized the relationship between image and letter in diverse ways, whether in terms of equivalency, complementarity or polarity. In this symposium, we wish to explore those situations in which letter and image were fused, forming hybrid signs that had no vocal equivalent and were not necessarily bound to any specific language.  Although imagistic scripts work on the visible, arranging representation, they challenge the legible in terms of linguistic signification. The incorporation of figures, objects, colors, even events, within the letter insists on the material dimension of the sign. As the iconicity of the letter transforms reading into gazing, the script-like character of the image compels consideration of the co-signification of sign forms. In mediating each other into altered formats, the script-image disrupts a-priori models and ideas and thus redefines both text and image in terms of their signifying and representational processes. The disruptive effect of imagistic script inheres in a suspension of meaning that opens the system of representation and signification in which it was produced and circulated.

During the three-day conference, we propose to bring together scholars of Hebrew, Greek, Latin, Arabic and Pre-Columbian cultures from numerous disciplines – art history, history, literature, religion, linguistics, and law – to consider the purpose, operations, agency and specular forms of iconic scripts. What sort of communication did they facilitate? Did they imply reception by the inner eye? In prompting recognition of the aesthetic dimension of texts, did they open governance, law, literature, diplomatics, and theology to sensorial appreciation? Did they enforce a latent principle of non-representability? Does their use imply what might be called an iconomy, a practice of policing images?

The symposium is organized with Brigitte Bedos-Rezak (New York University) and Jeffrey F. Hamburger (Harvard University). Symposium speakers include Elizabeth Hill Boone, Ghislain Brunel, Anne-Marie Christin, Tom Cummins, Vincent Debiais, Ivan Drpić, Antony Eastmond, Beatrice Frankel, Cynthia Hahn, Herbert Kessler, Katrin Kogman-Appel, Didier Méhu, Irvin Cemil Schick and Irene Winter.

Space for this event is limited, and registration will be handled on a first come, first served basis. For further information, including preliminary abstracts, please visit the website (http://www.doaks.org/news/2012-symposium) or contact Francisco López

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Jobs for Medievalists

Colby College
English; Waterville, ME 04901
Tenure-Track Assistant Professor of English (Medievalist)

Tenure-track Assistant Professor position, with a joint specialization in the literature and culture of the medieval period (c. 5th-15th centuries) and in the history of the English language, beginning September 1, 2013.  We especially welcome applications from candidates whose interests are cross-disciplinary, trans-historicist, and comparative.

The course load is five courses per year, including upper-level courses in the candidate’s areas of concentration and one section of an introductory writing course, which is taught by all members of the department. Other teaching assignments may include the introductory English seminar, our comparative literature and cultures sophomore-level course, and/or literary and critical theory.  An exceptional record of both research and teaching is required.  The Ph.D. must be in hand no later than August 1, 2013.

To apply, please send application materials as .pdf or .docx attachments, by no later than November 15, 2012, to Professor Tilar Mazzeo, Search Committee Chair, to: medievalistsearch@colby.edu.  Include letter of interest, CV, three letters of recommendation, statement of teaching philosophy, and a writing sample of no more than 25 pages. Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled. Preliminary interviews will take place at the MLA in January.

Colby College is committed to equality and diversity and is an equal opportunity employer. We encourage inquiries from candidates who will contribute to the cultural and ethnic diversity of our college. Colby College does not discriminate on the basis of race, gender, sexual orientation, disability, religion, ancestry or national origin, or age in employment or in our educational programs. For more information about the College, please visit our website: www.colby.edu

 

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Exposition “The people in the books : Judaica manuscripts at Columbia University Libraries”

New York, Columbia University, Columbia University Libraries, Rare Books and Manuscript Library, 12.IX.2012 – 25.I.2013 : The people in the books : Judaica manuscripts at Columbia University Libraries. –http://library.columbia.edu/content/libraryweb/news/libraries/2012/20120814_judaica.html

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Heckman Research Stipends

Hill Museum & Manuscript Library
Saint John’s University
Collegeville, Minnesota  56321

PURPOSE:  For research at the Library.

ELIGIBILITY:  Graduate students or scholars who are within three years of completing a terminal master’s or doctoral degree.

DURATION:  Two weeks to six months.

AMOUNTS:  Variable up to $2,000.

DEADLINES:  Twice a year. April 15 for research conducted from July 1-December 31. November 15 for research conducted from January 1-June 30.

APPLICATION:  Submit a letter of application, c.v., a one-page description of the research project including proposed length of stay, an explanation of how the Library’s resources will enable you to advance your project, and a confidential letter of recommendation from your advisor, thesis director, mentor, or, in the case of postdoctoral candidates, a colleague who is a good judge of your work.

SEND:  All inquiries and materials to The Committee on Research, Hill Museum & Manuscript Library, 2835 Abbey Plaza, Box 7300, Saint John’s University, Collegeville, MN 56321-7300 or directed to hmml@csbsju.edu, or fax (320) 363-3222.

The Hill Museum & Manuscript Library houses extensive resources for the study of manuscripts and archives. Almost 125,000 manuscripts are available on microfilm and in digital format.  HMML has microfilmed extensively in Austria, Germany, Spain, Portugal, Malta, and Ethiopia, and is currently digitizing manuscripts in Lebanon, Turkey, Iraq, India, Malta and Italy. Consult the Library’s website for further information, including an electronic inventory of its collections (OLIVER) and a growing database of manuscript and book images (Vivarium).

 

WWW.HMML.ORG

WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/VISITHMML

 

Hill Museum & Manuscript Library

Saint John’s University

Collegeville, MN  56321-7300

Phone: 320-363-2741

Fax: 320-363-3222

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Summer Latin Program

In 2013, the Centre for Medieval Studies at the University of Toronto will offer the following courses in Medieval Latin:

Beginning Latin (8 hours of instruction weekly, 21 May to 12 July 2013, with an optional three-week reading course thereafter).  Textbook: Moreland and Fleischer, Latin: an Intensive Course.

Level One Medieval Latin (7.5 hours weekly, 27 May to 5 July 2013, with an optional two-week grammar review before the course).

Level Two Medieval Latin (7.5 hours weekly, 8 July to 16 August 2013).

Enrollment in the Level One and Level Two courses will be restricted and will depend on performance in the April Level One Latin examination.  Information on the examinations and the summer program is available on line (medieval.utoronto.ca).

The fee for each course is $1,000 (Can) for Canadian residents, or its equivalent in US dollars for non-Canadian residents.  The deadline to apply for all courses is 1 May 2013.  Enrolment in each course is limited.

Two students at the Level One and Level Two will be awarded full tuition scholarships funded by the Medieval Academy through the Committee on Centers and Regional Associations (CARA).  To apply for the CARA scholarships, send a transcript and a brief personal statement indicating your interests and the value of the summer program for your studies and arrange for a letter of reference to be mailed separately to Medieval Latin Program, Centre for Medieval Studies, University of Toronto, 125 Queen’s Park, 3rd Floor, Toronto, Ontario, M5S 2C7.  The deadline for the CARA scholarship applications is 15 March 2013.

ASSESSMENT IN MEDIEVAL LATIN

The Centre for Medieval Studies in Toronto continues to offer its Level One and Level Two Medieval Latin examinations to external students.  Examinations will be as follows: Level One, 15 April 2013 and 4 September 2013; Level Two, 17 April 2013 and 6 September 2013.  Fee for examinations: $50 (US) for non-Canadians, $50 (Can.) for Canadians.  For details and application forms, please visit the Centre’s website: medieval.utoronto.ca.  Note that admission into the Summer Medieval Latin Level One and Level Two courses will be decided on the basis of the April Level One Latin examination.

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Jobs for Medievalists

Three Jobs for Medievalists at Fordham University

Medieval History. Fordham University, Department of History, invites applications for a tenure-track appointment as assistant professor in medieval history specializing in visual, material, or performative culture of the high to late Middle Ages. We seek an active scholar capable of teaching the medieval history introductory course, as well as advanced undergraduate and graduate courses in the candidate’s field. The position, located at the Lincoln Center campus, includes the opportunity to teach in the university’s interdisciplinary programs, such as Medieval Studies. Candidates must have the PhD in hand by September 1, 2013. Send letter of application, c.v., and three letters of recommendation via Interfolio by November 15, 2012 (https://secure.interfolio.com/apply/15498). For more information, see the department’s website at http://www.fordham.edu/history. Fordham is an independent, Catholic University in the Jesuit tradition that welcomes applications from men and women of all backgrounds. Fordham is an AA/EOE.

Medieval French Literature. Fordham University, Department of Modern Languages and Literatures, invites applications from a scholar of the French medieval period, particularly one with a specialization in medieval historiography at the rank of assistant professor to teach at the Rose Hill campus. A secondary expertise is highly desirable. Candidate must have native or near-native French and excellent French language and literature teaching skills. The teaching load is 3-2 and includes undergraduate courses in French literature, culture, and language, and graduate courses in the Medieval Studies Program. Please submit letter of application, c.v., teaching statement, sample syllabi, three letters of recommendation, and a writing sample to the search’s chair, Andrew H. Clark, via Interfolio: https://secure.interfolio.com/apply/16246.  Applications submitted by Nov. 15 will be given preference. Candidate must have dissertation in hand by August 2013 and preferably when applying. Interviews will be conducted in New York at Fordham University and at the MLA in Boston. Fordham is an independent, Catholic university, in the Jesuit tradition that welcomes applications from men and women of all backgrounds. Fordham University is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employee.

Classical or Medieval Judaism. Fordham University,  Department of Theology, invites applications for a tenure-track position, beginning Fall 2013, at the rank of Assistant or Associate Professor in the field of classical or medieval Judaism, with expertise in rabbinic literature. Candidates should be conversant with at least one other chronological period in the study of Judaism beyond their primary area of specialty. Interest and expertise in the history of biblical interpretation and/or Jewish-Christian relations are preferred. The ability and willingness to engage in university-wide or public dialogue about issues of contemporary relevance will be advantageous. The successful candidate will have opportunities to work with and may be invited to teach in Fordham’s Medieval Studies Program. Teaching responsibilities include graduate courses and mentoring of doctoral students, as well as undergraduate general education, upper level majors’, and elective courses in theology; ability to teach courses on the Hebrew Bible at the undergraduate level is preferred. Ph.D. required. Competitive compensation; ordinary teaching load is five courses per year. A one semester pre-tenure research leave with full pay can be applied for in the fourth year. Teaching experience in Hebrew Bible, Judaism, or cognate fields and academic publication record preferred. A complete application consists of (1) a personal letter of application, resume, and a representative example of scholarly work (e.g., unpublished research paper, published article) and (2) transcripts and three letters of reference that must be received by October 20, 2012. Evidence of teaching excellence also welcomed. All application materials must be submitted through Interfolio. Follow this link to apply for the position and receive your free Interfolio account: http://www.interfolio.com/apply/xxxx Please address any questions to theology@fordham.edu. No faxes. Late or incomplete applications will not be considered. Fordham is an independent, Catholic university in the Jesuit tradition that welcomes applications from women and men of all backgrounds. Fordham is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer.

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NEH Grant Opportunity: Sustaining Cultural Heritage Collections

NEH Grant Opportunity: Sustaining Cultural Heritage Collections

The application period is open for National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) Sustaining Cultural Heritage Collections grants. The receipt deadline for applications is December 4, 2012 for projects beginning October 2013.

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Jobs for Medievalists

The University of South Alabama History Department invites applications for a tenure-track assistant professor position, with a specialization in Medieval European history, to begin August 15,2013. All subspecialties will be considered. The successful candidate will be responsible for introductory and advanced courses in Medieval European history, including courses at the M.A. level, as well as for Western Civilization surveys that may include large-enrollment sections. Candidates should demonstrate excellence in teaching and research. The Ph.D. is expected by the time of appointment. To receive full consideration, all required application materials must be received by November 1, 2012. Send a letter of application, a curriculum vitae, a chapter or article-length writing sample, three letters of recommendation sent directly from the referee or appropriate placement office, and copies of graduate and undergraduate transcripts, to Professor Michael L. Monheit, Chair, Medieval European History Search Committee, Department of History, 5991 USA Drive North, Humanities Building 344, University of South Alabama, Mobile, AL 36688.

Web address: http://www.southalabama.edu/history. The University of South Alabama is an Equal Opportunity/Equal Access Employer.

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Call for Applications: Andrew W. Mellon Postdoctoral Fellowships in the Humanities, 2013-2015

The Jackman Humanities Institute (JHI) at the University of Toronto is pleased to announce Andrew W. Mellon Postdoctoral Fellowships designed to provide financial and intellectual support for outstanding scholars at the beginning of their professional careers. Up to three Fellows in the Humanities will be selected each year for a two-year fellowship in the JHI. Fellows will be selected on the basis of accomplishment appropriate to their stage in their career, the promise of excellence and the relevance of their research to the annual theme.

The JHI interprets “Humanities” as a broad category, including political theory, interpretative social science, music, and the arts.

The theme for 2013–2014 is Translation and the Multiplicity of Languages

The Fellows will pursue their individual research in the context of the JHI. They will have offices at the JHI and will participate in weekly seminars and other activities in the circle of fellows. In addition, each postdoctoral fellow will be affiliated with a Department and will teach one course in each Fall and Winter term of their two-year Fellowship. We are especially interested in candidates who have an interest in and capacity for interdisciplinary work of a high quality. The Fellowship provides an annual $50,000 Canadian stipend.

Eligibility:  1 July 2010 — 1 May 2013

Applicants must have completed their degree within three years of the beginning of the fellowship (1 July 2013).  Applicants who will defend their thesis before 1 May 2013 are eligible, but a letter from their supervisor or Chair may be requested. Any award will be conditional on a successful defense.

Applicants who received their Ph.D. prior to 1 July 2010 are ineligible.

Degree candidates and recipients of the Ph.D. from the University of Toronto are ineligible.

Fellowships are open to citizens of all states. The University of Toronto is strongly committed to diversity within its community and especially welcomes applications from visible minority group members, women, Aboriginal persons, persons with disabilities, members of sexual minority groups, and others who may further expand the range of ideas and perspectives.

Procedure

You must have a registered userID on the JHI website to apply.  Click on Funding to see the description of the fellowship and application procedures.  Scroll to the bottom of the description, and then click Apply Now to apply (this will not be visible until 1 October 2012).
You will be asked to upload the following documents in your application:
1.    Letter of Application
2.    Curriculum vitae
3.    Statement of Teaching and Research Interests
4.    Writing Sample (normally a completed thesis chapter of about 30 pages)
All documents must be in .doc or .pdf format.  The size limit for a complete application including all four documents is 7 mb.  If your application is too large, you will see an error message; please adjust the size of your files and try again.

You will also be asked to provide the names and email addresses of three referees, and/or the name and email address of your dossier service.  You may include both a dossier service and referee names if necessary.  Please alert your referees to your intention to apply before you submit your application in order to allow them sufficient time to respond.

When you complete the application, click Submit.  Please be aware that it is not possible to save a partial application and return to it at a later point.  When you click on Submit, your application will be filed, and the referees that you have named will be contacted automatically to request letters of reference. Do not click Submit until all materials have been uploaded and you are ready for reference requests to go out.

You may check on the status of your application by going into your userID profile on the JHI website and clicking on Applications (left column).  If your application says “complete”, your dossier/references have been received.  If your application says “pending”, we are waiting for a dossier or reference letters.  Your dossier and/or letters of reference should be received by 15 December 2012. 

Deadline

All applications must be made online at www.humanities.utoronto.ca by 1 December 2012 at 11:59 p.m. (EDT).  Faxed, emailed, and paper applications will not be considered.

Questions?

Contact: Robert Gibbs, Director of the Jackman Humanities Institute (416)-978-7415.

 

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Call for Papers – Trade, Travel and Transmission in the Medieval Mediterranean

Trade, Travel and Transmission in the Medieval Mediterranean
Third Biennial Conference of the Society for the Medieval Mediterranean
Churchill College, University of Cambridge (UK), 8-10 July 2013

Confirmed keynote speakers: Prof. David Abulafia (University of Cambridge) and Prof. Carole Hillenbrand (University of Edinburgh)

Abstract deadline: 1st December 2012

The Society for the Medieval Mediterranean is proud to announce our forthcoming third biennial conference, with the theme of ‘Trade, Travel and Transmission’. This three-day inter-disciplinary conference will bring scholars together to explore the interaction of the various peoples, societies, faiths and cultures of the medieval Mediterranean, a region which had been commonly represented as divided by significant religious and cultural differences. The objective of the conference is to highlight the extent to which the medieval Mediterranean was not just an area of conflict but also a highly permeable frontier across which people, goods and ideas crossed and influenced neighbouring cultures and societies. We invite proposals for 20-minute papers in the fields of archaeology, art and architecture, codicology, ethnography, history (including the histories of science, medicine and cartography), languages, literature, music, philosophy and religion. Submission on the following topics would be particularly welcome:

Activities of missionary orders
Artistic contacts and exchanges
Byzantine and Muslim navies
Captives and slaves
Cargoes, galleys and warships
Costume and vestments
Diplomacy
Judaism and Jewish Mediterranean History
Literary contacts and exchanges
Material Culture
Minority Populations in the Christian and Islamic Worlds.
Mirrors for Princes
Music, sacred and secular
Port towns/city states
Relations between Jews, Christians and Muslims.
Religious practices: saints, cults and heretics
Scientific exchange, including astronomy, medicine and mathematics
Seafaring, seamanship and shipbuilding
Sufis & Sufi Orders in North Africa and the Levant
Sultans, kings and other rulers
Trade and Pilgrimage
Travel writing
Warfare: mercenaries and crusaders

Please send abstracts of no longer than 250 words, together with a short CV (max. 2 sides of A4) to Dr Rebecca Bridgman (University of Cambridge, Vice-President of the Society for the Medieval Mediterranean) at the following e-mail: smmconference2013@gmail.com
Submission must be received by 1st December.

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