UNC’s Medieval Studies Community: Some Basics

This sheet is intended as a guide for new UNC graduate students who want to get involved with a larger community of medieval scholars. It has been compiled by fellow students through the Carolina Association for Medieval Studies (CAMS) to help familiarize newcomers with the opportunities available to medievalists at UNC. This general information sheet is meant as an entry point rather than a description of all possible resources; many other resources are also available for each specific discipline.

Curricular Offerings

UNC has a wide range of graduate medieval courses open to any interested graduate student, and in many departments (such as History or English) it is possible to major or minor in the medieval area within that discipline. The Medieval Studies Program also offers an interdisciplinary Ph.D. minor in Medieval Studies that many medievalists choose to pursue; this minor requires study in a minimum number of core areas.

For the specific requirements of the interdisciplinary minor in Medieval Studies, visit the website of the Medieval Studies Program (www.unc.edu/depts/medstud). That site also has listings of medieval courses being offered in a given semester. The CAMS website (www.unc.edu/student/orgs/cams) also offers links to full listings of UNC and Duke courses.

Organizational Involvement

Specific to UNC: The Carolina Association for Medieval Studies (CAMS) is a scholarly organization designed to encourage, promote, and support the study of the Middle Ages at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the neighboring universities in the Research Triangle, and beyond. To become involved, just show up at a meeting or event. Meeting dates are posted on the CAMS website (www.unc.edu/student/orgs/cams). CAMS provides a variety of services for the UNC medieval studies community, including a quarterly newsletter, reading groups in medieval languages, lecture programs, research tool workshops, online resources for medievalists, and conference “road shows” in which local medievalists present their work to a local audience before presenting it at a professional conference.

Beyond UNC: The Southeastern Medieval Association (SEMA) is a non-profit organization devoted to the encouragement and promotion of study, research and publication, and instruction in all aspects of medieval life, thought, and learning, including medieval records, literature, languages, arts, archaeology, history, philosophy, and science. Membership is open to all who are interested in the study of the Middle Ages. The SEMA website for the October 2003 conference is located at www.uark.edu/depts/h2p/sema2003/.

The Medieval Academy of America, the first organization of medievalists in North America (founded in 1925), is the largest organization in the world devoted to medieval studies. Any person interested in the Middle Ages is eligible for membership. Student members get a discount on dues (membership for 2003 is $25), which covers a year’s subscription to the major journal Speculum and other benefits, such as eligibility to apply for dissertation awards. Membership forms are available at the Medieval Academy of America’s website (www.medievalacademy.org) or by writing to the Medieval Academy of America, 104 Mount Auburn St, 5th Floor, Cambridge, MA 02138.

Listservs to join

In addition to specialized international listservs that you may want to join for news and discussion specific to your own discipline, there are listservs specific to UNC’s medieval community that you should know about. Each of the three lists described below has a well-defined purpose, so the lists are not redundant and cross-posting is not necessary.

Medvlch is a bulletin board for announcements about medieval-related events at UNC and in the surrounding area, as well as calls for conference papers and other general information of use to those who study and teach the Middle Ages. The mail volume is low. Everyone affiliated with UNC who researches the Middle Ages, teaches courses that include significant medieval content, or has a personal interest in the study of the Middle Ages should be subscribed to this list. Anyone can join medvlch. Instructions are available on the CAMS website (www.unc.edu/student/orgs/cams; the link for joining email lists is under the “Dialectica” heading).

Cams is the organizational email list of CAMS; it is used for information and announcements having to do specifically with CAMS as a functioning organization. The mail volume is low. Anyone who wishes to take part in the business or leadership of CAMS, or simply to remain informed of the organization’s activity, should be subscribed to this list. Anyone can join cams through the CAMS website (see above).

Medgrad is a forum for confidential procedures among graduate student medievalists, such as election of the graduate student representatives to the Medieval Studies Committee. The mail volume is very low. This list is restricted to graduate student medievalists at UNC; all who fit this category should be subscribed, as this list is the only way they can have a voice in the election process. Graduate students can join medgrad through the CAMS website (see above).

Conferences to Attend

Local Conferences: The North Carolina Colloquium in Medieval and Renaissance Studies is an annual interdisciplinary conference for graduate students hosted alternately by UNC and Duke. The two schools established the February conference as a joint effort in 2000; the 2004 North Carolina Colloquium will be held at UNC. Information will be posted at the North Carolina Colloquium’s website, which is hosted and maintained by CAMS (www.unc.edu/student/orgs/cams/ncc). Submission deadlines are usually late in the fall semester.

The Carolina Conference on Romance Literatures, hosted annually in Chapel Hill often has several panels dedicated to medieval topics. For more information, visit the website at www.unc.edu/ccrl.

External conferences attended by many UNC medievalists: The Southeastern Medieval Association (SEMA) has an annual interdisciplinary conference in October; the host institution varies year by year. The 2003 SEMA conference will be at the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville. The website for the conference is located at www.uark.edu/depts/h2p/sema2003. Submission deadlines are usually in March.

The International Congress on Medieval Studies (at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo) is a major international conference held each May. The conference is very large: between 1500 and 2000 papers are presented each year, and over 3000 medievalists from all over the world attend. The International Congress’s website is at www.wmich.edu/medieval/congress. Submission deadlines are in September.

There are many other conferences broadcasting calls for papers each year. For a fairly comprehensive listing, look at the calendar of events posted by the Medieval Academy (www.medievalacademy.org).

Events on Campus and in the Area

UNC has a very active medieval studies scene, including many extracurricular programs and events to attend. CAMS and the Medieval Studies Program organize many of these events. In addition, some programs are developed by individual departments or other university units. In addition to the events that take place at UNC, many appealing lectures and other local programs for medievalists are organized by Duke’s Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies.

A calendar of medieval-related events taking place at UNC and in the surrounding area is available online through the UNC Medieval Studies Program website (www.unc.edu/depts/medstud). This calendar is meant to be complete and is updated continually; it is a good webpage to bookmark on your computer for easy reference.

This information was compiled by Kathryn Wymer for the Carolina Association for Medieval Studies.