Western Michigan University’s Medieval Institute and the medievalist community enjoyed in 2017-2018 a year of activities, accomplishments, and accolades.
The Institute sponsored lectures by Scott Magelssen (University of Washington School of Drama) and Jyotsna Singh (Michigan State University) in its distinguished lecture series and co-sponsored a lecture by English Department faculty member Eve Salisbury in the Department of English’s Anthony Ellis Scholarly Speaker Series.
The Institute hosted the 53rd International Congress on Medieval Studies (May 10-13, 2018), which attracted 2,623 medievalists to the campus. Marjorie Currie Woods was the inaugural speaker for the annual “Lecture in the Reception of the Classics in the Middle Ages,” endowed in memory of Archibald Cason Edwards, Senior, and Sarah Stanley Gordon Edwards.
The inaugural Paul E. Szarmach Prize, established by the Richard Rawlinson Center’s Board in 2017, was awarded in 2018 to Erica Weaver. The Prize is awarded to the author of a first article in the field of Anglo-Saxon studies published in a peer-reviewed scholarly journal that is judged by the selection committee to be of outstanding quality.
Four students completed the M.A. in medieval studies in April, and two more M.A. candidates are expected to finish their degrees by the end of the year.
Guthrie Beyer won the Galway conference exchange grant for his paper “Building Bridges and the Ideologies of Kingship in Medieval Ireland, 900-1200.”
Laurie Atkinson, a Ph.D. student in the Department of English Studies at Durham University, received a Northern Bridge Doctorial Training Partnership Award from the Northern Bridge Placement Scheme to intern at Medieval Institute Publications and the Institute for two months.
Theresa Whitaker, Co-Editor-in-Chief and Managing Editor of MIP, was awarded the WMU Administrative Professional Association’s Outstanding Professional Award for 2017-18.
Jana K. Schulman, Director of the Medieval Institute was reappointed to a second 3-year term.
