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 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.
Upcoming Lectures
Check back later for upcoming speaker announcements.
| 2013 |
| Dr. M. Wendy Hennequin, associate professor of English, Tennessee State University - Nashville, "God for Harry, Hogwarts, and St. George: How J.K. Rowling Uses Medieval Saints' Lives in the Harry Potter Series" |
| 2012 |
| Dr. Matthew V. Desing, Asst. Professor, Dept. of Languages and Linguistics, University of Texas, El Paso |
| 2011 |
| Dr. Christopher Flavin, lecturer in the English Dept., presented "Filí Na mBan: Women in the Celtic Poetic Traditions" |
| Howard Andrew Jones, novelist, presented "1001 Arabian Pages: Bringing Medieval Arabia to Life" |
| Anya King, USI History Dept., presented "A Quest for Cathay" |
| 2010 |
| John Lawrence presented "Books of Hours: Medieval Bestsellers" |
| Fredericka Schmadel, instructor in Humanities: "Forget the Grail; Go With God!: Mysticism in the Late Middle Ages." |
| David Black, USI Communications Dept., and S. Elizabeth Passmore, USI English Dept.: presented on astrolabes & other astronomical devices in medieval literature & culture |
| 2009 |
| Annette Parks, University of Evansville History Department: "The Damsel and The Pearl: How Can We Recover Their Stories?" |
| Dan Scavone, USI History Dept. Emeritus: "The Myth of the Vampire" |
| Dan Craig, USI Music Dept.: "Medieval Music: Sacred and Profane" |
| Chris Keegan, Vincennes U Surgical Technology and Surgical Assisting Programs: “Medieval Surgery” |
| Dr. Jason Hardgrave, USI History Dept.: "The Catapult Connection: The Invention of and Inventing in the Middle Ages" |
| Mr. John Gibson, USI Classical and Modern Languages Dept.: “The Medieval Imagined: The East Anglian Landscape and its Buildings” |
| 2008 |
| Dr. Margaret Skoglund, USI Art Dept.: "Isabel la Catolica's Art as Solidification of a Questionable Reign" |
| Ms. Patricia Aakhus, USI English Dept.: “Alchemy: the Great Work” |
| Leslie McCrary and Ashley Mewes, USI English majors, “Chaucerian Forgeries” |
| Dr. Paula Von Loewenfeldt, USI English Dept., “Mapping Late Medieval British Drama” |
| Dr. Dan Scavone, USI Professor Emeritus of History, “The Mystery of the Holy Grail: Crossing the Sword Bridge to a Solution” |
| Marcia Mishler, USI MALS graduate student, “The History and Development of Chess in the Middle Ages” |
| 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 |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 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 |
| Our topic of discussion will be King Arthur and Arthurian legend in medieval literature, history, and art. |
| 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. |
| Craig Fehrman, USI English major, discusses his current work-in-progress concerning the use of anthologies in literature courses. |
| 2006 |
| Our topic of discussion will be the Black Plague of 1349 and its impact on history, art, and literature. |
| Inaugural meeting of the Medieval Studies Forum: Our topic of discussion will be the illuminated manuscripts of the Middle Ages. |