Hey, Medievalists... (Fall 2015)

[cloudofunknowing]

To piggyback off of what's already been said - especially poliscar's great recommendations - barring taking a survey course in theory/criticism, which I think is extremely helpful to anyone aspiring to doctoral work in literary studies, the best thing to do is to read the leading journals in the field whose contributors tend to engage with theory more (Exemplaria, postmedieval, JMEMS - but also Speculum & Studies in the Age of Chaucer). Too, if there are certain things/areas of interest to you, you can target scholarship that way, too.

Several relatively recent essay collections have been released that might be of interest to you. Cohen's The Postcolonial Middle Ages & Scala & Federico's The Post-Historical Middle Ages are two that immediately come to mind. If gender &, particularly, sexuality are interests, I can't recommend Dinshaw highly enough, particularly Getting Medieval (which also engages with postcolonial, poststructuralist &, to a lesser degree, psychoanalytic modes of thought; her Chaucer's Sexual Poetics is also excellent). Karma Lochrie's work is also fantastic - Covert Operations & Heterosyncrasies both. If psychoanalysis, I'd check out Fradenburg.

[cloudofunknowing]

Poliscar's mention of Holsinger's book is really good, too, because his archaeological investigation of those theorists - and how the Middle Ages, or medieval writers, or tropes associated with them (Lacan's use of courtly love; or Zizek's), were used & *integral* to the formulations we now call "theory" - traces how, despite the centrality of the Middle Ages for those theorists, that fact has been elided, or underplayed, when their writings have been deployed for postmodern/structuralist purposes.

[jhefflol]

Hi Medievalists! One of my papers was just accepted as part of a panel for a conference in Texas. Has anyone heard of this conference/any of the presenting professors? I'm just curious if its a legit thing I should use my resources for. It's affiliated with UT Denton.

 

http://www.texasmedieval.org/

[unræd]

I'm thinking about asking to join the advanced/graduate track in my OE course - it involves a longer paper (15 pages) and there's less margin for error, but we get our own smaller class section later in the semester. This is no small benefit: there are 60 students in the class. 60!!! Whoever heard of such a turnout for Old English? My mentor is just that charismatic, I guess. But it's annoying because individual in-class practice opportunities are extremely limited. What do y'all think? Am I crazy for taking on more work? (You can say so if I am.)

 

If it were I, I'd definitely do the graduate track--for me, I think the opportunities afforded by the smaller class size would outweigh the paper requirement, especially since you plan on doing OE work in graduate programs. Besides, by the time you need to be kicking out that paper you'll no longer have the GRE on your plate!

[__________________________]

Hello everyone, glad to see some medievalists here!

 

Regarding theory, I echo poliscar's and cloudofunknowing's recommendations wholeheartedly.  Holsinger has done some really great work and points to some modernist theorists who I think would be potentially interesting to medievalists (and non-medievalists!) interested in the roots of contemporary critical theory - I'm a Georges Bataille nut, and he was one of the writers who got me interested in medieval studies in the first place, which is why I found it strange that Holsinger is one of the few to talk about that aspect of his work.  Caroline Walker Bynum is, of course, worth checking out too (Holsinger was one of her students) because she's been so influential in the field when it comes to making more room for women's studies and more theoretical approaches to medieval culture (Holy Feast and Holy Fast, from '88, is a good place to start with her - it's a spectacular book).

 

If you're interested in the relationship between print history and theory, I just started reading Virtually Anglo-Saxon by Martin K. Foys, which I'm really enjoying so far.  There's also a group called MEARCSTAPA (Monsters: the experimental association for the research of cryptozoology through scholarly theory and practical application) which has a lot of medievalists whose work I've yet to really delve into, but seems really cool.  Asa Mittman is one of their ringleaders.

 

In general, knowing some about modern/contemporary philosophy would help with what is done in a lot of more theory-interested MS work.  Foucault is obviously used a lot in readings I've done on asceticism/mysticism and women's studies/queer theoretical approaches to that.  I found Pierre Hadot's (though he's not really a medievalist) work on Neoplatonism very useful for some work I was doing a couple years ago on Late Antique asceticism too.

[unræd]

Hey, other Notre Dame applicants--for some reason I'd been thinking that the Medieval Institute required four letters of recommendation, but now I can't for the life of me find that information anywhere. There's a place where it says to submit "no more than four" letters, but the general grad school app just says three are required--did I just completely make the fourth letter requirement up in my head?

[__________________________]

Hey, other Notre Dame applicants--for some reason I'd been thinking that the Medieval Institute required four letters of recommendation, but now I can't for the life of me find that information anywhere. There's a place where it says to submit "no more than four" letters, but the general grad school app just says three are required--did I just completely make the fourth letter requirement up in my head?

 

Okay, so I was curious about this too and started an account for the application (which I admittedly haven't started yet).  The preliminary instructions for the general application say three, and the FAQ at the Medieval Institute website says "no more than four," as you mentioned.  When you're actually in the application, you create a list of recommenders with their emails so ND can send them an email for them to upload their letters.  The actual online application reads,

 

"Please list the identities and contact information for at least three people who will be submitting letters of recommendation on your behalf."  (my emphasis)

 

If you have four profs lined up to give you solid recommendations, I would say go ahead and put them all.  I don't see how it could hurt.

[unræd]

Thanks so much, mollifiedmolloy!

 

I'm just going with three other letters for everywhere else, but since I'd (thinking ND required four) already asked a fourth prof to write one for them, you're right--I might as well keep him! Plus, he was my medieval Latin prof, so he'll be able to speak to ND's emphasis on Latinity. Double plus, it'd just be awkward at this point to say "Whoops! You aren't needed after all, thanks though."

[__________________________]

Thanks so much, mollifiedmolloy!

 

I'm just going with three other letters for everywhere else, but since I'd (thinking ND required four) already asked a fourth prof to write one for them, you're right--I might as well keep him! Plus, he was my medieval Latin prof, so he'll be able to speak to ND's emphasis on Latinity. Double plus, it'd just be awkward at this point to say "Whoops! You aren't needed after all, thanks though."

Oddly enough, as I was investigating this the exact same thing occurred to me.  I have about four people I can get references from for MS programs and I still haven't completely figured out which combinations of three to use (the fourth, who I've taken the least courses with, was my medieval Latin lit/paleography prof too)  I thought I had seem somewhere that some program explicitly say it wanted 3-4 refs... maybe it was ND after all....

 

Anyway, I'm under the impression that you're two primary references will be most crucial, and that any beyond that are just supports (and thus don't necessarily have to align with your specific interests so much as speak to your general scholarly abilities). I don't think it'll make or break you're application, but again I don't see how it could hurt either!

 

Good luck getting in!  I'm getting more and more nervous, especially about "reach" schools like ND... where else are you applying?

[unræd]

Same to you!

 

And I'm so, so sorry for my egregiously late reply! This first chunk of October has been ridiculously busy for me--I took both general and subject GREs, started the apps proper, revised my SOP for roughly the 4,000th through 4,002nd times, and wrote and submitted a proposal for a manuscript studies conference--all on top of my five courses that require a lot of time in the library doing translations, transcriptions, and general research. Blech. Hopefully I'll be able to be around GC a bit more in the coming months, now that a lot of that 's out of the way!

 

And I'm nervous about getting into ND, too. I have plenty of "reach" programs on my list (perhaps too many), but there's a special fondness in my heart for ND--partially because my advisor did their PhD there, but also because of the amazing opportunities for interdisciplinary work, and paleographic and manuscript studies work specifically, and the ginormous research support students get. At the same time, though, the simple fact is that with their Anglo-Saxonist situation so much in flux, if I don't get it (which is overwhelmingly likely) I won't be terribly crushed.

 

Notre Dame is actually the only medieval studies program I'm applying to. The rest are all English, and the list is about what you'd expect for an Anglo-Saxonist: Berkeley, Yale, Cornell, Urbana, WashU, etc.

[MedievalMadness]

Just popping in to give a little plug for my own university. We have three tenured medievalist faculty in the English Department, one of whom is involved in the Babel Working Group. We have an Anglo-Saxonist, Middle English specialist, and a later medievalist. There's a special degree specialization for medieval studies, though we don't, to my knowledge, have a 'medieval studies' degree. 

 

This is my first semester, but I can report that there is a heavy emphasis on language and theory. For the medieval studies specialization, one must take certain language cycles of courses  with an Old English track and then the Middle English track. This cycle is as follows: OE - Beowulf - History of the English Language or ME - ME Romances - HOEL. I'm taking OE and, as stated, there's a big emphasis on translation theory and history of sound changes as opposed to just memorization of paradigms. I'm also hoping to take a medieval Latin cycle. (And Irish and Welsh, but that's another issue that I will probably resolve outside the department.)

 

I would also like to put out there that the university offers decent funding for all grad students. This semester I'm teaching 2 composition courses, but next semester I'll be doing research for one of the medievalist faculty. (Yay!)

[jhefflol]

The medievalists in my program all came from Texas. Apparently its the place to go for medievalists! I'm glad you enjoy your program.

[__________________________]

Yeah, basically . and no worries, I think everyone's pretty busy right now. I'm focusing on MS programs, mostly because I like doing more comparative work. Maybe I just don't feel like memorizing the friggin Norton Anthology to take the English subject test too... Totally unprepared for the GRE that I'm taking next week, but I'll hopefully have a nice little WS finished on a strange little 10th century Latin poem and some solid refs.... I'll be honest and say I haven't even started my SOPs, but I work two jobs (one of which is academic and involves some DH nightmares right now) and am taking a couple classes in Latin and OE lit right now, so I've been a little swamped.... Applying to Yale, ND, Cornell, Fordham for MS; Princeton and Penn State for Comp Lit (maybe Duke for Literature?). In the end though, I'd love to just be a professional paleographer and work in some fancy library, so I figure MS is my main grad school focus, with plenty of DH and philology/manuscript studies thrown in for good measure.

As for ND, the program is fantastic, but it sure as hell ain't the only one. Looks like you got some good schools to apply to and I'm sure you'll do fine. I was going to apply for Berkeley, but now I'm not so sure. I'm worried about funding and how long it's been taking people to get their PhDs from UCs recently... Money is, unfortunately, a big constraint for me, which is why I'm not even bothering to apply to a lot of MA/foreign programs like Toronto (where I would SO love to go - if i do the Fordham MA I would definitely try to transfer there for the PhD).

Same to you!

 

And I'm so, so sorry for my egregiously late reply! This first chunk of October has been ridiculously busy for me--I took both general and subject GREs, started the apps proper, revised my SOP for roughly the 4,000th through 4,002nd times, and wrote and submitted a proposal for a manuscript studies conference--all on top of my five courses that require a lot of time in the library doing translations, transcriptions, and general research. Blech. Hopefully I'll be able to be around GC a bit more in the coming months, now that a lot of that 's out of the way!

 

And I'm nervous about getting into ND, too. I have plenty of "reach" programs on my list (perhaps too many), but there's a special fondness in my heart for ND--partially because my advisor did their PhD there, but also because of the amazing opportunities for interdisciplinary work, and paleographic and manuscript studies work specifically, and the ginormous research support students get. At the same time, though, the simple fact is that with their Anglo-Saxonist situation so much in flux, if I don't get it (which is overwhelmingly likely) I won't be terribly crushed.

 

Notre Dame is actually the only medieval studies program I'm applying to. The rest are all English, and the list is about what you'd expect for an Anglo-Saxonist: Berkeley, Yale, Cornell, Urbana, Ohio State, etc.

[ProfLorax]

To be honest, I know very little about your field, and furthermore, I don't think any of you are even applying to University of Maryland. That being said, I'm taking a gateway course with Theresa Coletti right now, and she's one of the nicest, smartest, most helpful lit professors I've ever had. So, if anyone is considering applying here, I can attest to the approachability of at least one medievalist faculty member! 

[cloudofunknowing]

I second that, proflorax - she is dynamite! I only know her scholarship, but she & my undergrad mentor are good friends. One reason Maryland might not be on the radar for some has to do with a focus (by no means a bad one)on Medieval Studies. Also, as she is a Middle English scholar & a couple of people are wanting to do Anglo-Saxon (I don't know if there's an AS person there), that likely contributes, too. Still, Maryland has a wonderful PhD program in English. & one not to be discounted.

[Dr. Old Bill]

Yeah, UMD should really be on everyone's radar. It has a large and diverse English faculty, and access to all the wonderful resources in D.C. (it's easy to forget that despite technically being in Maryland, College Park is within D.C.'s beltway and only about twenty minutes from downtown). It also boasts excellent placement rates, a very good funding package, and even (for what it's worth) a superb performing arts center that hosts a bevy of fantastic, world-class productions. It's not the top institution for most English programs, but it's consistently very good for most of them regardless.

 

And again, you shouldn't underestimate the significance of it being in the D.C. metro area. Pretty much every resource you can imagine is there. You can certainly never complain about a lack of research opportunities...

Edited October 22, 2014 by Wyatt's Torch

[ProfLorax]

Yes, studying close to D.C. is fantastic. I have spent days in the Library of Congress going to town on their resources. But even if you aren't applying to UMD (and that's totally fine! No one applies to ALL THE SCHOOLS), if you live close by, you should come for the Knowing Nature in the Medieval and Early Modern World conference taking place here this weekend. I will not be there, but my medievalist friends and faculty have been shaking with anticipation all semester over the conference. 

[__________________________]

Thanks, proflorax!  I've been looking at UMD since I saw your post and actually might apply there - they have quite a few professors in the English department doing Medieval and Renaissance studies - normally I approach this with caution because at some schools that means mostly Renaissance/Early Modern with one or two medievalists, but there's actually a few medievalists in their English department.  I'm probably going to email someone in the department, but do you know off hand of any Anglo-Saxonists who teach there?  It looks like most of the medievalists that I've checked out there work with Middle English, though there are some great people there (as you mentioned, Coletti, but also people like Thomas Moser and Kellie Robertson). 

 

I wish I could have gone to that "Knowing Nature" conference... Jerome Jeffrey Cohen is kind of a bad-ass and I would have loved to see Robert Stanton's talk on "Isidore of Seville's Biopolitical Order".... among others... did you end up going?  I live in the midwest, so there wasn't a chance of me being able to make it anyway...

 

For other medieval literature (or renaissance/early modern for that matter) applicants, is anyone else applying to Penn State?  Both their English and Comp Lit departments (which work pretty closely) have some cool medievalists working there and in general seem pretty well-rounded.  They offer a graduate minor in Medieval Studies and the MS program has quite a few profs from all over the humanities. 

[Dr. Old Bill]

For other medieval literature (or renaissance/early modern for that matter) applicants, is anyone else applying to Penn State?  Both their English and Comp Lit departments (which work pretty closely) have some cool medievalists working there and in general seem pretty well-rounded.  They offer a graduate minor in Medieval Studies and the MS program has quite a few profs from all over the humanities. 

 

I've applied to Penn State, and while I'm not a medievalist so much as I am an early modernist / poetics person, I have had a number of first-hand accounts about the quality of their program...and its interdisciplinary nature. There's truly a LOT of interplay between departments there, despite the stratification of periods listed on their Graduate English site.

 

The two downsides to Penn State are the remoteness of the location (seriously, 2.5 hours away from any cities, and far from any towns, even), and their tardiness when it comes to releasing admissions decisions. Other than that, they've got a solid reputation for all things English.

[__________________________]

On 10/27/2014 at 9:49 AM, Wyatt said:

I've applied to Penn State, and while I'm not a medievalist so much as I am an early modernist / poetics person, I have had a number of first-hand accounts about the quality of their program...and its interdisciplinary nature. There's truly a LOT of interplay between departments there, despite the stratification of periods listed on their Graduate English site.

 

The two downsides to Penn State are the remoteness of the location (seriously, 2.5 hours away from any cities, and far from any towns, even), and their tardiness when it comes to releasing admissions decisions. Other than that, they've got a solid reputation for all things English.

 

Yeah, the remoteness worries me.  I grew up in a big city and have now lived in a relatively small town for four years, so I'm not sure how I feel about spending another 5 or 6 years living in a place even more remote than where I currently live.  Good to know about their tardy responses though, I hadn't heard about that.  On the other hand, it looks like both departments seem to have good placement rates and several people who I'd just love to take classes with.  I'm applying to both English and Comp Lit, with a preference toward Comp Lit.  I also do work in poetics -- medieval, but also some modern and modernist (I'm a comparatist at heart -- I delight in singling out some select elements and looking at them through different times, places, authors, and languages).

 

I see that you're also applying/applied to WashU -- I recently started looking at their Comp Lit/English program b/c my SO is applying to their law program.  It seems great but I've yet to find many signs of life for premodernists....

[Dr. Old Bill]

On 10/27/2014 at 10:52 AM, mollifiedmolloy said:

I see that you're also applying/applied to WashU -- I recently started looking at their Comp Lit/English program b/c my SO is applying to their law program.  It seems great but I've yet to find many signs of life for premodernists....

 

True...although Professor Lawton looks to be VERY strong in that field. WUSTL seems to be fairly interdisciplinary / transhistorical as well too, so they might be a little more welcoming than other places with a small pre-modern faculty.

[__________________________]

On 10/27/2014 at 11:23 AM, Wyatt said:

True...although Professor Lawton looks to be VERY strong in that field. WUSTL seems to be fairly interdisciplinary / transhistorical as well too, so they might be a little more welcoming than other places with a small pre-modern faculty.

 

Word, good to know -- I literally only started considering them today, but I'll keep examining the program(s).  Lawton looks good, though I'm not familiar with his work.  To be honest, I'd be hard pressed to find an English department without at least one Chaucerian though.  Even my tiny liberal arts college did (who, as it happens, was my advisor).  Which isn't to disparage that fact -- I love Chaucer . 

 

It gets tough trying to mediate which Comp Lit programs and which English programs to apply to when one is interested in medieval studies, at least it has been for me.  English departments tend to have more medievalists, if they have any, but sometimes (not always) lack the linguistic diversity I crave.

 

Also Wyatt's Torch, I'm super jealous that you're already done with all your applications.  I've been so busy that I haven't even completed one!  So congrats with that and good luck with acceptances!

[hreaðemus]

Eeep, you guys, look!

 

http://www.buckinghamtoday.co.uk/news/more-news/silver-coins-worth-1m-found-on-farm-1-6497630#.VKRWuNsOipE.twitter

 

Anglo-Saxon coins are popping up everywhere lately, along with cool Viking stuff! Numismatics must be a very interesting field at the moment...

[jhefflol]

Eeep, you guys, look!

 

http://www.buckinghamtoday.co.uk/news/more-news/silver-coins-worth-1m-found-on-farm-1-6497630#.VKRWuNsOipE.twitter

 

Anglo-Saxon coins are popping up everywhere lately, along with cool Viking stuff! Numismatics must be a very interesting field at the moment...

 

That is amazing! Thanks for sharing. On a side note, how unfortunate would it be to be known as Ethelred the Unready?

[hreaðemus]

On a side note, how unfortunate would it be to be known as Ethelred the Unready?

 

I know, right? Poor guy. His name is actually Æthelred the Ill-Advised (unræd literally means "evil counsel); I really think it was less that he made bad choices and more that his choices turned out badly, in that the Danes won and took over English rule. But we translate his name as "unready" and peg him as incompetent rather than unlucky... it's a pretty crappy historical legacy.