LNA

Hello all! I believe I've only posted once before regarding studying Medieval Latin, but if I remember correctly that was before 2020, so it's been awhile since I've interacted here. I wanted to get other opinions about what I'm hoping to study in grad school, and whether or not I should pursue a PhD program (since I've been reading the posts advising against it, with the evidence of the terrible job market being heartbreaking but not unsurprising). I want to study the history of the Medieval Islamic empire, with an emphasis on researching lgbtq+ identifying figures from that era. It's a topic that I am passionate about (coming from someone who has a personal connection to both of those topics), and while there is some research done into it, it's not studied enough in my opinion and deserves more recognition. Personal feelings aside however, I have two questions that come from this. My first question is, is a PhD the right way to approach this for me? I am in the process of studying the necessary languages and was hoping to prepare December applications for Fall 2023. For awhile I was only interested in museum work, but more recently I am open to both academia and museum work (both of which are very difficult career fields to pursue, I am aware). I would also like to, at some point in the future, publish a book on the topic that is geared towards a wider audience rather than just an academic one, since I strongly believe that the topic needs more public awareness. Would anyone have any advice on what I could do in this situation? My second question, which is more specifically about grad school applications, is regarding my undergrad thesis advisor. I had always planned for them to be one of my references for me for grad school, and they've let me know they would be happy to act as one. However, my undergrad thesis (which I would also hope to use as a writing sample to showcase what is, in my opinion, my strongest work) deals with a very different topic; propaganda in literature about powerful Norman women in the Medieval era. I don't know if this is more of a non-issue in actuality, but is there a way someone might recommend to let this person know that I've changed my research focus almost entirely? Or is that something that is less important to focus on than I am thinking it is? Any insight anyone may have on my questions would be greatly appreciated!

I want to apply for a PhD program that will allow me to focus on Medieval History, and most schools that I'm looking at offer both a Medieval Studies PhD and a PhD in History which can be focused on Medieval History. I am not entirely sure what the differences between the two types of programs are, are there any benefits or negatives to getting a PhD in one or the other?

I was thinking of applying to Medieval Studies, with the intention of combining that with museum work. My goal is to work in a museum dedicated to Medieval History in some capacity. I have experience with Art History and I've worked in museums as both an intern and a docent, but it's not where I want my focus in my career to be. However, while I'm really interested in Medieval history in museum work, I am worried about narrowing my options too much when it comes to actually finding a job, which is already difficult enough in the Humanities as it is. I am trying to decide on a third language to work on, but I haven't decided on one yet. I'm hoping to have strengthened my Latin enough by the time to send in applications, but if it isn't where it needs to be at that point then I was going to just keep working on it and apply next year again. Do you have any suggestions as to the best options for MA funding that I could look at? My concern with getting an MA separately from the PhD first is funding, but I know that it would help to prepare me for the PhD.

Hi all, this is my first time posting on here, but I could really use some advice. I graduated this past spring with a Bachelor's Degree in History and a minor in Art History. I also wrote a Senior Honors Thesis at my program that was based in Medieval history. I want to focus on Medieval history and get a PhD with the intention of working in the museum field. I am planning on applying to graduate school for Fall 2021, but I'm concerned about my language experience, and getting into a PhD program vs. an MA. I have two semesters of Latin and four semesters of French completed, but my Latin isn't as strong as I'd like it to be. I struggled with Latin during the second semester I took it but still managed to pass the class. I'm currently trying to work through Wheelock's Latin again to beef up my Latin but I'm worried that I'm not in as strong a place as I want to be for applying to a PhD program in Medieval Studies, and I'm unsure about most MA programs because of the lack of funding. Is it realistic for me to apply in December for PhD programs now or should I wait and work on my language skills? For reference, the schools I'm looking at are Yale, Cornell, Columbia, Oxford, Cambridge, and UC Berkeley.