Medieval Studies
Barbara J. Newman
Professor of English
1897 Sheridan Road, Room 215
Evanston, IL 60208-2240
Email: bjnewman@northwestern.edu
Phone: (847) 491-5679
One of the most significant legacies of the European Middle Ages is the university system itself, with an undergraduate curriculum divided into arts and sciences along with professional degrees in Medicine, Law, and Theology. The medieval arts curriculum comprised the trivium or verbal arts (Grammar, Rhetoric, and Dialectic) and the quadrivium or mathematical arts (Arithmetic, Geometry, Music, and Astronomy). But despite this structure, medieval disciplines differed significantly from modern ones. For instance, “grammar” entailed Latin instruction, but also poetry, literary criticism, ethics, and advanced linguistic speculation. History was not a discipline at all, but a literary genre or sometimes a branch of theology (under the guise of “salvation history”). Music was viewed theoretically as a branch of mathematics, while composition and performance were not studied in schools but learned by apprenticeship, like the visual arts and architecture.
The structure of medieval learning is just one of many reasons that Medieval Studies, as an interdisciplinary field, does not always fit comfortably into departmental programs. Aside from their disciplinary knowledge in history, literature, musicology, and so forth, medievalists must learn specialized skills such as paleography, archival research methods, liturgical chant and dating, and the use of often recondite manuscript catalogues and bibliographic resources (both digital and print). Above all, they must learn languages. Latin is indispensable, and students must also learn appropriate medieval vernaculars, other classical languages (Greek, Hebrew, Arabic) as needed for certain fields, and modern languages such as French, German, and Italian, since access to European scholarship is vital within this international research community.
Graduate training, professional societies, and journals in the field have been interdisciplinary for almost a century. The Medieval Academy of America (founded in 1925) covers all disciplines of medieval scholarship, and the International Congress on Medieval Studies at Kalamazoo (now in its forty-sixth year) sponsors some two thousand papers at each annual meeting in disciplines ranging from archeology to philosophy, from legal history to the construction of musical instruments. Geographic coverage ranges from Iberia and Scandinavia to eastern Europe and central Asia, and temporal coverage from the late Roman Empire to Tudor England. Medievalists publish much of their work in interdisciplinary, period-focused journals such as Speculum (the journal of the Medieval Academy), Viator, Traditio, the Journal of Medieval and Early Modern Studies, Cahiers de civilisation médiévale, and Frühmittelalterliche Studien.
Taking advantage of the strong group of medievalists now at Northwestern, the Medieval Studies Cluster is designed to prepare students to succeed as scholars in this challenging interdisciplinary field.
Students interested in pursuing a PhD in Art History, Comparative Literary Studies, English, History, French and Italian, Spanish and Portuguese and Religious Studies are encouraged to find a second intellectual “home” in this interdisciplinary cluster.
Pictured above: the Mellon Symposium on Medieval Subjectivity, July 2011
How to Participate
There are many different ways for faculty and students to participate in the intellectual life of the cluster. Many cluster events, such as visiting lecturers and conferences, are open to all members of the University. Cluster seminars are open to graduate students across the University. We encourage all students, faculty and staff of Northwestern to learn more about our research and activities by participating in our public events.
Matriculating graduate students interested in participating in this cluster should indicate their interest when they apply to their respective graduate programs. Information on cluster requirements for participating graduate students can be found by visiting the Requirements page for this cluster.
Students admitted directly to the cluster and a department are noted as "cluster fellows" and will be provided with two years of fellowship as part of their five-year funding package, as well as with a $1000 research account.
Certificate in Medieval Studies
Students who wish to receive the extra credential of a Certificate in Medieval Studies (awarded at graduation) must take English 422, History 440, Latin 400, Medieval Studies 420, and at least two additional seminars in medieval subjects. They must also pass the Toronto Medieval Latin Exam (Level 2) before defending their dissertations. A student working in Jewish or Byzantine studies may pass the Toronto Medieval Latin Exam (Level 1) and instead of Level 2, substitute a proof of equivalent proficiency in Hebrew or Greek.
Contact
Current graduate students interested in participating in this cluster should contact Professor Barbara Newman at bjnewman@northwestern.edu.
Faculty Affiliated with the Medieval Cluster
(in alphabetical order)
Katharine Breen, Assoc. Professor, English
Dyan Elliott, Professor, History
Shirin Fozi, Postdoctoral Fellow, Art History
Scott Hiley, Asst. Professor, French and Italian
Matthew Johnson, Professor, Anthropology
Mark Kauntze, Postdoctoral Fellow, Classics
Richard Kieckhefer, Professor, Religious Studies and History
Barbara Newman, Professor, English and Religious Studies
Christina Normore, Asst. Professor, Art History
Susie Phillips, Assoc. Professor, English
David Shyovitz, Asst. Professor, History
