Book of Hours; Kentuckiensis III - fols. 61v-62, c1475-1500; NE Italy, School of Ferrara Gift of J. Christian Bay; University of Kentucky Special Collections

• What is the Medieval Studies Forum?
• Associated Links
• Schedule of Meetings and Discussion Topics
• Archive of Past Discussion Topics

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What is the Medieval Studies Forum?

The USI Medieval Studies Forum sponsors presentations by faculty and students at the University of Southern Indiana and faculty and independent scholars from elsewhere. The forum was created in the fall of 2006 as a place where faculty, staff, students, and members of the community can gather in a friendly and informal environment to learn about a variety of medieval topics ranging across disciplines such as literature, art history, history, gender studies, and material culture.
 
We are on Facebook! Join the “Medieval Studies Forum” site for updates and upcoming events.
 
USI STUDENTS: Get involved in the student organization, “Medieval Studies Society” (also on Facebook)!  See Bonnie Hobgood (bjhobgood) or Dr. Passmore for more details, or stop by our new clubroom in OC3047.
 
For more information and/or to be added to the mailing list, please contact Dr.
S. Elizabeth Passmore, Associate Professor, English Department (LA3025B;  Email: epassmore). 

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Associated Links

• Scavone Awards in Medieval Manuscripts and Culture
• We are on Facebook now! Please check out our site and become a "Fan" to get updates.

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Schedule of Meetings and Discussion Topics

The USI Medieval Studies Forum invites you to the presentations for Spring 2012!

"Representing the Woman Writer in Medieval Spain"

By Dr. Matthew V. Desing, Asst. Professor, Dept. of Languages and Linguistics, University of Texas, El Paso

When:   Thursday, February 2, 2012, 6:00 PM - 7:00 PM 
Where:   Kleymeyer Hall in Liberal Arts, LA0101

Abstract: Explorations of medieval women engaged in the narrative process have often focused on the few examples of known women authors, Christine de Pizan being the most prominent example. Because medieval texts known to be authored by women are few, and because the general state of authorship prior to the fourteenth century is anonymity, it is helpful to turn to other kinds of textual and pictorial representations of women narrators and composers to obtain a more fully developed picture of the medieval woman writer. This talk focuses on the relative abundance of literary depictions of women engaged in composition in a corpus of mid-thirteenth-century verse narratives from northern Castile (Spain) known as the mester de clerecía. These texts include (but are not limited to) portrayals of the Virgin Mary editing the gospels, a young noblewoman choosing her own husband through a letter, and an anchoress narrating her own visions to be transferred to text. This talk explores these depictions as well as current critical approaches, from both literary studies and art history, to women’s participation in the narrative process. Together we will begin to answer the question, “in the face of this abundance of portrayals of women writers, why do we continue to downplay medieval women’s participation in textual production?”

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Archive of Past Discussion Topics

2011

• November: Dr. Christopher Flavin, lecturer in the English Dept., presented "Filí Na mBan: Women in the Celtic Poetic Traditions"
• October: Howard Andrew Jones, novelist, presented "1001 Arabian Pages: Bringing Medieval Arabia to Life" 
• March: Anya King, USI History Dept., presented "A Quest for Cathay" 

2010

• October: John Lawrence presented "Books of Hours: Medieval Bestsellers"
• April: Fredericka Schmadel, instructor in Humanities: "Forget the Grail; Go With God!: Mysticism in the Late Middle Ages."
• March:  David Black, USI Communications Dept., and S. Elizabeth Passmore, USI English Dept.: presented on astrolabes & other astronomical devices in medieval literature & culture

2009

• November: Annette Parks, University of Evansville History Department: "The Damsel and The Pearl: How Can We Recover Their Stories?"
• October: Dan Scavone, USI History Dept. Emeritus: "The Myth of the Vampire"
• September: Dan Craig, USI Music Dept.: "Medieval Music: Sacred and Profane"
• April: Chris Keegan, Vincennes U Surgical Technology and Surgical Assisting Programs:  “Medieval Surgery”
• March: Dr. Jason Hardgrave, USI History Dept.: "The Catapult Connection: The Invention of and Inventing in the Middle Ages"
• February: Mr. John Gibson, USI Classical and Modern Languages Dept.:  “The Medieval Imagined: The East Anglian Landscape and its Buildings”

2008

• December:  Dr. Margaret Skoglund, USI Art Dept.:   "Isabel la Catolica's Art as Solidification of a Questionable Reign"
• November:  Ms. Patricia Aakhus, USI English Dept.:  “Alchemy: the Great Work”
• October: Leslie McCrary and Ashley Mewes, USI English majors, “Chaucerian Forgeries”
• April:  Dr. Paula Von Loewenfeldt, USI English Dept., “Mapping Late Medieval British Drama”
• March:  Dr. Dan Scavone, USI Professor Emeritus of History, “The Mystery of the Holy Grail:  Crossing the Sword Bridge to a Solution”
• February: Marcia Mishler, USI MALS graduate student, “The History and Development of Chess in the Middle Ages”
• January:  Dr. Lisa Nicholas, USI English Dept., “Chivalry's Defects in Chretien de Troyes’ Perceval (The Story of the Grail): A Re-reading of Gornemant’s Instructions to Perceval”

2007

• November:  Ms. Virginia Poston, USI Art Dept., demonstrates how to plumb the scholarly depths of the ArtStor database (available through Rice Library) for medieval manuscript images.
• October: Dr. S. Elizabeth Passmore continues her demonstrations of the interactive CDs for medieval studies produced by the University of York on the topics of Pilgrims & Pilgrimage and Images of Salvation.
• September:  Dr. S. Elizabeth Passmore, USI English Dept., demonstrates the classroom and research possibilities of two interactive CDs for medieval studies produced by the University of York on the topics of Pilgrims & Pilgrimage and Images of Salvation.
• April: Our topic of discussion will be drawn from the following topics as they are manifested in medieval literature, history, and art:  pilgrimage & the cult of relics; crusades & inter-cultural contact; chivalry & knighthood
• March:  Our topic of discussion will be King Arthur and Arthurian legend in medieval literature, history, and art. 
• February:  Ms. Lisa Nicholas, USI English dept.,  discusses her research on Chretien de Troyes, the twelfth-century romance writer who popularized tales of King Arthur and his knights.
• January: Craig Fehrman, USI English major, discusses his current work-in-progress concerning the use of anthologies in literature courses.

2006

• November:  Our topic of discussion will be the Black Plague of 1349 and its impact on history, art, and literature.
• October:  Inaugural meeting of the Medieval Studies Forum: Our topic of discussion will be the illuminated manuscripts of the Middle Ages.