New Minor in Medieval Studies programs offered at U.S. universities

<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXrScbtkluozlQI24DQf8Bo8m3_U3NxbiiEcQv6GwxibAqbftDnwD-Q46PAdM_RvsPg7LJQLvicXd1Apr-sa_1xKPNVqZSkjK5Nk-y458TlbD6GKMbkTBuMkLw4d9vEp2QaKEAiTwIpeo/s1600/Seo_Jp_of_Graduation_to_Columbia_University_in_the_City_of_New_York,_1892.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXrScbtkluozlQI24DQf8Bo8m3_U3NxbiiEcQv6GwxibAqbftDnwD-Q46PAdM_RvsPg7LJQLvicXd1Apr-sa_1xKPNVqZSkjK5Nk-y458TlbD6GKMbkTBuMkLw4d9vEp2QaKEAiTwIpeo/s1600/Seo_Jp_of_Graduation_to_Columbia_University_in_the_City_of_New_York,_1892.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Don't worry - medieval studies is a little more gender balanced!</td></tr></tbody></table>The University of Arizona and the University of Connecticut have both added a Minor in Medieval Studies to their program offerings for undergraduate students. <i>The Daily Wildcat</i> that the University of Arizona approved of the minor last December, after it was proposed by professors Fabian Alfie and Albrecht Classen. They were inspired by the creation of a minor in Hip-Hop Studies at the university to go ahead with their own.<br /><br />Professor Classen tells the newspaper, "“[The minor is] trying to give students a sense of a certain cultural period. [This] allows [students] to combine — in a unique way ­— philosophy, religion, art history, literature and economics. There is a lot of flexibility, yet with a concrete focus on a cultural period.”<br /><br /><b><a href="http://www.wildcat.arizona.edu/article/2014/02/new-minor-is-positively-medieval">Click here to read the article from the Daily Wildcat</a></b><br /><br />Meanwhile, the University of Connecticut will offer their students to gain a minor in Medieval Studies by taking courses from over 11 departments. <i>The Daily Campus</i> reports that the program is designed so that students take a wide variety of subjects.<br /><br />Graduate student Brandon Hawk explains, “It encourages people to take classes in music, art history and other subjects. It provides a greater spectrum of a liberal arts education.”<br /><br />Professor Fiona Somerset, who is one co-head of the program, finds that it will appeal to many types of students. “For aspiring novelists, it’s a great way to get an edge,” she said. “Much of the basis of our pop culture is in the middle ages. If you read fantasy, that’s medieval based.”<br /><br /><b><a href="http://www.dailycampus.com/news/new-minor-offered-in-medieval-studies-1.3137282">Click here to read the article from the Daily Campus</a></b><br /><b><br /></b><b><a href="http://www.medievalists.net/2013/08/25/medieval-studies-programs-in-the-united-states/">Click here to see our page on Medieval Studies programs in the United States</a></b>

New Minor in Medieval Studies programs offered at U.S. universities

Don't worry - medieval studies is a little more gender balanced! The University of Arizona and the University of Connecticut have both a...

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Look who is starting Viking and Medieval Norse Studies and Medieval Icelandic Studies at the University of Iceland

<div id="fb-root"></div> <script>(function(d, s, id) { var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) return; js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src = "//connect.facebook.net/en_US/all.js#xfbml=1"; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs); }(document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk'));</script><div class="fb-post" data-href="https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=492993597463688&set=a.363000650462984.82013.132399990189719&type=1" data-width="550"><div class="fb-xfbml-parse-ignore"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=492993597463688&set=a.363000650462984.82013.132399990189719&type=1">Post</a> by <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Viking-and-Medieval-Norse-Studies-Programme/132399990189719">Viking and Medieval Norse Studies Programme</a>.</div></div>

Look who is starting Viking and Medieval Norse Studies and Medieval Icelandic Studies at the University of Iceland

Post by Viking and Medieval Norse Studies Programme .

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Learning about the Middle Ages can't get you a job (so says The National Post)

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9Qjq-bHpMugScccXgYWR9ApaFDPgSfje79s1W5-P7Ox65GxITQkct8JphyIlDCmDJVgxvgwy3T8GpPkl_RrrtgnXK9y-5AXoFJmf_S2I8M8BSc_mn_8Mu45_YNjlLPSKjosFQ35ginrY/s1600/jobs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9Qjq-bHpMugScccXgYWR9ApaFDPgSfje79s1W5-P7Ox65GxITQkct8JphyIlDCmDJVgxvgwy3T8GpPkl_RrrtgnXK9y-5AXoFJmf_S2I8M8BSc_mn_8Mu45_YNjlLPSKjosFQ35ginrY/s1600/jobs.jpg" /></a></div>As universities welcome a new batch of students this month, the media has shifted its attention to what kind of programs they should be learning. According to Robyn Urback, writing in the Canadian newspaper <i>The National Post</i>, you shouldn't want to attend university to learn about the Middle Ages, or anything else in the arts and humanities.<br /><br />In her article <b><a href="http://fullcomment.nationalpost.com/2013/09/04/robyn-urback-what-do-you-mean-i-cant-get-a-job-with-my-medieval-feminist-studies-degree/">What do you mean I can’t get a job with my medieval feminist studies degree?</a></b>, Urback explains those students will be sorry "when the realization sets in that that medieval feminist studies* degree is not as marketable as they had anticipated."<br /><br />She calls on governments and universities to make it easier to get into skilled trades or nursing and at the same time scare high school students into avoiding programs like journalism, history and teaching by telling them about the high debt levels they will achieve and the dismal job prospects they will have after graduating.<br /><br />Over the last several days several news pieces have come out pointing to problems with getting an education in the liberal arts. In the article <b><a href="http://www.theprovince.com/business/university+degrees+losing+their+value/8855657/story.html">Degrees of uncertainty: Is being a university graduate losing its value?</a></b> from the <i>Vancouver Providence</i> those students "will find university impoverished them beyond anything they could have imagined. They will graduate with staggering debt loads and lurch between low-paying jobs as they fail to find work in their field. Finally, they’ll beat a retreat to college or a trade for more job-focused training. They will belatedly understand what they should have seen from the start: the treacherous disconnect between the job market’s needs and the output of degree-granting sausage ­factories."<br /><br />Similar concerns are raised in US media - see <b><a href="http://www.thenewamerican.com/culture/education/item/16051-diploma-disaster">Diploma Disaster</a></b> - in Australia - see <b><a href="http://www.theaustralian.com.au/careers/wages-do-not-reflect-degrees/story-fn717l4s-1226703000824">Wages do not reflect degrees</a></b> - and in the UK - see<b> <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2391092/Students-shun-art-courses-university.html">Students are turning their back on arts and humanities courses for more 'profitable' vocational degrees</a></b><br /><br />Meanwhile, Michael Gettings, associate professor of philosophy at Hollins University, writing in <i>The Roanoke Times</i>, suggests "Students headed to college this fall should consider that a liberal arts education may very well be their best option for future employment, not only in the short-term, but over the course of their careers." In his article, <b><a href="http://www.roanoke.com/opinion/commentary/2145428-12/the-value-of-liberal-arts-an-education-not.html">The value of liberal arts: an education, not just a degree</a></b>, Gettings adds "Apple co-founder Steve Jobs is an oft-cited example of this connection between the liberal arts and innovation. In his commencement address to Stanford University, Jobs credited his study of calligraphy at Reed College as the inspiration for the industry-changing font design on the Macintosh computer. As American students worry about their post-college jobs, Asian universities hope that they will produce the next Jobs."<br /><br />If you still want to learn about the Middle Ages, please check out our section on <b><a href="http://www.medievalists.net/category/medieval-studies-programs/">Medieval Studies programs</a></b> around the world.<br /><br />* No post-secondary institution in Canada (and probably in the world) offers a degree on medieval feminist studies. Not even a minor.<br /><br />

Learning about the Middle Ages can't get you a job (so says The National Post)

As universities welcome a new batch of students this month, the media has shifted its attention to what kind of programs they should be lear...

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Black Death, Northampton Castle find, and history-related crowd-funding projects

<i>BoingBoing</i> has just posted an article <b><a href="http://boingboing.net/2013/04/08/shedding-light-on-the-black-de.html" target="_blank">Shedding light on the Black Death</a></b>, which offers a good overview of recent research on the plague that struck the medieval world in the 14th century. It includes an interview with Sharon DeWitte of the University of South Carolina, who is one of the leading researchers in the field. She raises some of the important questions still being asked about the Black Death, such as why it was destructive. “The Black Death killed between 30 and 50 percent of the affected population,” she notes. “Modern plague, at most, kills between 2 and 3 percent, and that’s even in areas without access to modern medicine.”<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjArsj3H73imep9UAf9s2O5qn_m8taQncrAY615XWrRgM831DKqOMByvAU7sjGjr1l3kKas3tnm_o62Z77K18xWpUCz2iDZcWRceU5lK1mmvxhnYIUXRgvtkcccyLo9I5Li6I5-L-2Ak9E/s1600/blackdeath.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="299" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjArsj3H73imep9UAf9s2O5qn_m8taQncrAY615XWrRgM831DKqOMByvAU7sjGjr1l3kKas3tnm_o62Z77K18xWpUCz2iDZcWRceU5lK1mmvxhnYIUXRgvtkcccyLo9I5Li6I5-L-2Ak9E/s400/blackdeath.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />They also note that the recent find of a <b><a href="http://www.medievalists.net/2013/03/14/burial-ground-discovered-in-london-may-be-victims-of-black-death/" target="_blank">possible Black Death cemetery in London</a></b> might be very helpful in this area of research.<br /><br />The Northampton Chronicle and Echo reports that archaeologists have <b><a href="http://www.northamptonchron.co.uk/news/local/part-of-northampton-s-medieval-castle-unearthed-1-4978657" target="_blank">discovered one of the buildings that was part of Northampton Castle in the 12th century</a></b>. One archaeologist comments that "we’ve had an awful lot of animal bones, including a dog’s jaw, which could have been a hunting dog from the castle, or maybe a domestic animal.”<br /><br />Here is a video about the dig:<br /><object classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=9,0,47,0" height="412" id="flashObj" width="486"><param name="movie" value="http://c.brightcove.com/services/viewer/federated_f9?isVid=1" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><param name="flashVars" value="videoId=2287814483001&linkBaseURL=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.northamptonchron.co.uk%2Fnews%2Flocal%2Fpart-of-northampton-s-medieval-castle-unearthed-1-4978657&playerID=2999987001&playerKey=AQ~~,AAAAAH7YAAk~,wy3kE_WV5Okg_KmNNxRgNbVAxEAluNJT&domain=embed&dynamicStreaming=true" /><param name="base" value="http://admin.brightcove.com" /><param name="seamlesstabbing" value="false" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="swLiveConnect" value="true" /><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always" /><embed src="http://c.brightcove.com/services/viewer/federated_f9?isVid=1" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" flashVars="videoId=2287814483001&linkBaseURL=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.northamptonchron.co.uk%2Fnews%2Flocal%2Fpart-of-northampton-s-medieval-castle-unearthed-1-4978657&playerID=2999987001&playerKey=AQ~~,AAAAAH7YAAk~,wy3kE_WV5Okg_KmNNxRgNbVAxEAluNJT&domain=embed&dynamicStreaming=true" base="http://admin.brightcove.com" name="flashObj" width="486" height="412" seamlesstabbing="false" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowFullScreen="true" swLiveConnect="true" allowScriptAccess="always" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/shockwave/download/index.cgi?P1_Prod_Version=ShockwaveFlash"></embed></object> <br /><br />For those looking to donate some money to worthy history-related causes, please check out a couple of items on Indiegogo and Kickstarter. Tania Picard-Braun emailed us to let us know about her fundraising drive <b><a href="http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/help-me-go-to-graduate-school?c=home" target="_blank">Help Me Go To Graduate School</a></b>. She is hoping to raise $1000 to help her go to the University of Manchester where she will study for  a Master's degree in Medieval Studies. Tania wrote "I've known I've wanted to be a historian since I was a little kid and that the Middle Ages was my favorite historical period since I was in High School.  While still an Undergraduate, I presented my first academic paper at Plymouth St. University's Medieval and Renaissance Forum titled “The Middle Ages in <i>Buffy the Vampire Slayer</i>: Images and Symbols".<br /><br />Meanwhile, at Kickstarter you can find Ian Crowe looking to raise <b><a href="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/iancrowe/ovid" target="_blank">$9000 to create an art book</a></b> featuring the 100+ stories of Ovid's masterpiece, <i>Metamorphoses</i>. He writes, "The fact is, despite being so pivotal, <i>Metamorphoses </i>is not as widely read as you'd think. Not anymore, anyway. Maybe it's the length of the book that turns people off. Maybe it's the lack of pretty pictures. Either way, I intend to do something about it."<br /><br /><b><a href="http://www.medievalists.net/2012/07/09/become-a-history-builder/" target="_blank">Speaking of worthy causes, we could always use your support too</a></b>! :)<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />

Black Death, Northampton Castle find, and history-related crowd-funding projects

BoingBoing has just posted an article  Shedding light on the Black Death , which offers a good overview of recent research on the plague th...

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Locked in the Ivory Tower: Why JSTOR Imprisons Academic Research

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0tbhfn0p4wbJn0EPqwCLQ-ZwniPWnwnQeocmwaqPsEss-ecOgclyHQaSvyvu_-zggEzyp_3JAopfG7UJtAm7GfsL6pOTVMVzVThaIIkg7-7z8WCydFpJPCkjF6Vw4q8dRcViS-nZj3fU/s1600/jstor_logo.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0tbhfn0p4wbJn0EPqwCLQ-ZwniPWnwnQeocmwaqPsEss-ecOgclyHQaSvyvu_-zggEzyp_3JAopfG7UJtAm7GfsL6pOTVMVzVThaIIkg7-7z8WCydFpJPCkjF6Vw4q8dRcViS-nZj3fU/s320/jstor_logo.jpeg" width="251" /></a></div>This morning, I searched for an article about autism on JSTOR, the online database of academic journals. I have a child on the autistic spectrum, and I like to be aware of the latest research on the topic. I could not access any of the first 200 articles that contained the word "autism." That's because, for the most part, only individuals with a college ID card can read academic journal articles. Everyone else, including journalists, non-affiliated scholars, think tanks and curious individuals, must pay a substantial fee per article, if the articles are available at all.<br /><br /> I later found one article that was available for $38. I'm not sure why one twelve page article costs $38. It takes me about eight minutes to scan a twelve page article. The researcher receives no royalties. Why does it cost so much to read one article?<br /><br /> The answer lies in the antiquated system of academic publishing.<br /><br /><b><a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2012/01/locked-in-the-ivory-tower-why-jstor-imprisons-academic-research/251649/" target="_blank">Click here to read this article from The Atlantic </a></b>

Locked in the Ivory Tower: Why JSTOR Imprisons Academic Research

This morning, I searched for an article about autism on JSTOR, the online database of academic journals. I have a child on the autistic spec...

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American Historical Association: Openings and New PhDs on the Rise: The 2012 Jobs Report

<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnS1Q1p9oL7TOg4bZdQoaQLICHEyGHkKBY3mJqy46NAOGtdu0wV5WxsBKVYWcFRa3hFKs4dsMJ9kS6DLkTSon751-K8uiy8h57kCmGetpCmDrmfZSSu-Wa4bds8HL9g5Cu8fEYQv8GROs/s1600/AHAjobsreport.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnS1Q1p9oL7TOg4bZdQoaQLICHEyGHkKBY3mJqy46NAOGtdu0wV5WxsBKVYWcFRa3hFKs4dsMJ9kS6DLkTSon751-K8uiy8h57kCmGetpCmDrmfZSSu-Wa4bds8HL9g5Cu8fEYQv8GROs/s320/AHAjobsreport.png" width="320" /></a></div>The number of job openings advertised with the AHA in the 2011–12 academic year increased by 18 percent over the year before—rising for the second time in a row. Unfortunately, other evidence shows the competition for academic positions also continued to grow, and the squeeze on full-time faculty positions continued.<br /><br />Between June 1, 2011, and May 31, 2012, employers posted 740 positions with the AHA. This is up from a nadir of 569 positions in the 2009–10 academic year, but still well below the all-time peak of 1,064 jobs offered in 2007–08 at the precipice of the recent recession.<br /><br />Despite the increase in the number of jobs available, there was a slight (0.3 percent) contraction in the number of full-time faculty actually employed in the 686 departments listed in the AHA's Directory of History Departments and Historical Organizations over the past two years. While 187 departments reported a net increase in the number of full-time faculty, and 333 departments were unchanged, 166 departments experienced a net reduction of one faculty member or more when compared to the previous academic year.<br /><br /><b><a href="http://www.historians.org/Perspectives/issues/2013/1301/2012-Jobs-Report.cfm" target="_blank">Click here to read the full report from the American Historical Association</a></b><br /><br /><br />

American Historical Association: Openings and New PhDs on the Rise: The 2012 Jobs Report

The number of job openings advertised with the AHA in the 2011–12 academic year increased by 18 percent over the year before—rising for the ...

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Albrecht Classen wins Arizona Professor of the Year

<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRWl267LrU21z4LBywQLi6ya12ArFvIDHGcWIaGZnlVR8GtunAnfMjRB5tDH4WK51Cvw1JXdhzZVcBiYxvl-nNUa_sCRp3D_X6UYQt3ji7r-D3FP8oKutLOxz1Vp_IiltKeI6L-T8KBLo/s1600/classen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRWl267LrU21z4LBywQLi6ya12ArFvIDHGcWIaGZnlVR8GtunAnfMjRB5tDH4WK51Cvw1JXdhzZVcBiYxvl-nNUa_sCRp3D_X6UYQt3ji7r-D3FP8oKutLOxz1Vp_IiltKeI6L-T8KBLo/s320/classen.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Albrecht Classen almost cried when he learned he won the 2012 Professor of the Year award for the state of Arizona, but the German-born German Studies professor is no stranger to recognition for his work.<br /><br />Awards line the walls of Classen’s office and help serve as a testament to the appreciation for his work and teaching ability. This week, Classen will receive three additional honors to add to the wall.<br /><br />On Wednesday, Classen will be inducted as honorary member of the Golden Key International Honour Society. Later this week, he’ll also receive an award known as “Friend of German” from the American Association of Teachers of German.<br /><br />The Friend of German award “recognizes outstanding support for and promotion of German and the study of German at the local, regional, or national level,” according to the association’s website.<br /><br />Probably most significant is the fact that this week Classen will receive an award for U.S. Professor of the Year for 2012 in Arizona from the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. When he found out he won, he said he felt moved.<br /><br /><b><a href="http://www.wildcat.arizona.edu/article/2012/11/classen-awards-teacher-arizona-111412" target="_blank">Click here to read this article from the Daily Wildcat</a></b><br /><br />See also Professor Classen speaking on <b><a href="http://www.medievalists.net/2011/11/29/trobairitz-women-poets-from-early-twelfth-century-southern-france/" target="_blank">Trobairitz Women Poets from Early Twelfth-Century Southern France</a></b><br />

Albrecht Classen wins Arizona Professor of the Year

Albrecht Classen almost cried when he learned he won the 2012 Professor of the Year award for the state of Arizona, but the German-born Germ...

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Florida Wants to Make History Majors Pay More for College Than Math Majors

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1SuBO_RK5aLu4P1b24W1RblXQybFCqgLKJ99dlX71UCME69ne-p7qyGkWjtrAeTJS6bqTGoCjtCeWFL8qON-dDL2UmM97RJc2RwWJh_9oSHXJYAQDYjnsSLrHz6TZZb-zQ2ubscVbjsM/s1600/OTL-Florida-and-the-Keys-Map.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1SuBO_RK5aLu4P1b24W1RblXQybFCqgLKJ99dlX71UCME69ne-p7qyGkWjtrAeTJS6bqTGoCjtCeWFL8qON-dDL2UmM97RJc2RwWJh_9oSHXJYAQDYjnsSLrHz6TZZb-zQ2ubscVbjsM/s1600/OTL-Florida-and-the-Keys-Map.jpeg" /></a></div>Philosophy lovers, prepare to be outraged.<br /><br /> Down in Florida, a task force commissioned by Governor Rick Scott is putting the finishing touches on a proposal that would allow the state's public universities to start charging undergraduates different tuition rates depending on their major. Students would get discounts for studying topics thought to be in high demand among Florida employers. Those would likely include science, technology, engineering, and math (aka, the STEM fields), among others.<br /><br /> But Art History? Gender Studies? Classics? Sorry, but the fates are cruel. Unless a university could show that local companies were clamoring to hire humanities students, those undergrads would have to pay more for their diploma.<br /> Charging tuition by major is one of several recommendations the task force will submit to lawmakers as part of a broad reform package for Florida's university system. The hope appears to be that by keeping certain degrees cheaper than others, the state can lure students into fields where it needs more talent. It's an interesting idea in the abstract, but if it ever makes it into law, the results could be messy.<br /><br /> Before we dive into the pros and cons of the proposal, a few details: The task force's plan calls on the state to help colleges freeze tuition for three years on "high-skill, high-wage, high-demand" majors picked out by the legislature, while letting prices rise for other areas of study. It's not clear yet what degrees would fall under that "high-demand" umbrella. But Florida's state schools already hand out about 37 percent of their diplomas in subjects the government has deemed "strategic areas of emphasis," which include the STEM disciplines, some education specialities, health fields, emergency and security services, and "globalization." Presumably, many of those same majors would qualify for the cheaper tuition rates.<br /><br /><b><a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2012/11/should-science-majors-pay-less-for-college-than-art-majors/264417/" target="_blank">Click here to read this article from The Atlantic</a></b>

Florida Wants to Make History Majors Pay More for College Than Math Majors

Philosophy lovers, prepare to be outraged.  Down in Florida, a task force commissioned by Governor Rick Scott is putting the finishing touch...

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Daniel Hobbins joins the University of Notre Dame

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKNXeuG-3PSt3qnfziQ1BwdlnQ_GrcZvFYg3vTOVjt81288RQY_uEsEpKfpy5mzzWgVSQLtnr5mrlrIW_M5K9r3Y8aNzmox0fM6u0HQGnBbcNzaU4u2o-ly68K2_fWBUaows4ieGeWxLQ/s1600/daniel_hobbins_photo_by_annette_hornischer_resized.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKNXeuG-3PSt3qnfziQ1BwdlnQ_GrcZvFYg3vTOVjt81288RQY_uEsEpKfpy5mzzWgVSQLtnr5mrlrIW_M5K9r3Y8aNzmox0fM6u0HQGnBbcNzaU4u2o-ly68K2_fWBUaows4ieGeWxLQ/s1600/daniel_hobbins_photo_by_annette_hornischer_resized.jpeg" /></a></div>Associate Professor Daniel Hobbins’s arrival at the University of Notre Dame this fall is a homecoming of sorts.<br /><br /> A cultural and intellectual historian of the late middle ages, Hobbins received his Ph.D. in medieval history from Notre Dame’s Medieval Institute in 2002 and completed a post-doctoral fellowship at the University in 2004.<br /><br /> Most recently an associate professor of history at The Ohio State University, Hobbins says his reasons for wanting to return to Notre Dame were both personal and professional. One of the most important factors, he says, is the University’s commitment to medieval studies.<br /><br /> “Notre Dame has a very, very strong program,” Hobbins says. “It’s a great place to be a medievalist.”<br /><br /><b><a href="http://al.nd.edu/news/34334-medievalist-daniel-hobbins-joins-faculty/" target="_blank">Click here to read this article from the University of Notre Dame</a></b>

Daniel Hobbins joins the University of Notre Dame

Associate Professor Daniel Hobbins’s arrival at the University of Notre Dame this fall is a homecoming of sorts.  A cultural and intellectua...

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María Rosa Menocal, medieval historian, passes away

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU9lOarOck7l1pYUENICgQ0XADZTk_UbhYruvke1ITKNVFIcDf8-hKIVKwkoT7jHOI8DWzJVMagFjym7kpAZx9Veo9bTOgcyci-8FP382CRWfeYPcCQgWb0ANJJSQy4TFgVSNbWnWOqC0/s1600/Menocal.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU9lOarOck7l1pYUENICgQ0XADZTk_UbhYruvke1ITKNVFIcDf8-hKIVKwkoT7jHOI8DWzJVMagFjym7kpAZx9Veo9bTOgcyci-8FP382CRWfeYPcCQgWb0ANJJSQy4TFgVSNbWnWOqC0/s320/Menocal.jpeg" width="228" /></a></div>María Rosa Menocal, a renowned scholar and historian of medieval culture and literature, passed away on October 15th after a three-year battle with melanoma.<br /><br /> Menocal, Sterling Professor of the Humanities at Yale and former director of the Whitney Humanities Center, focused her research on the literary traditions of the Middle Ages and on the interaction of various religious and cultural groups in medieval Spain.<br /><br /> Her 2002 book, <i>The Ornament of the World: How Muslims, Jews and Christians Created a Culture of Tolerance in Medieval Spain</i>, describes the rich cross-fertilization that took place among those religious groups. The book placed the interactions of Jews, Christians and Muslims at the heart of the formation of a diverse and vibrant Western culture, and posed a vigorous challenge to the notion of inevitable polarization of Islam and the West in the popular imagination. It has been published in numerous languages, and received wide critical acclaim. A documentary for public television based on the book is under development.<br /><br /> Menocal once noted that she was inspired to write the book because "... the medieval period has been, and continues to be, so grossly misrepresented in almost all of our histories — from the fact that we have so little knowledge that medieval European culture included, centrally, the study of Greek philosophy as it was interpreted by hundreds of years of Muslim and Jewish commentaries to the fact that we still use the word medieval to mean 'dark' and 'unenlightened' when, in some respects, Europe has never been as enlightened … as it was then."<br /><br /><b><a href="http://news.yale.edu/2012/10/15/memoriam-mar-rosa-menocal" target="_blank">Click here to read the full obituary from Yale University</a></b><br /><b><br /></b><b>See also <a href="http://www.medievalists.net/2011/12/18/culture-in-the-time-of-tolerance-al-andalus-as-a-model-for-our-time/" target="_blank">Culture in the Time of Tolerance: Al-Andalus as a Model for Our Time</a> </b><br /><b><br /></b><b><a href="http://mariarosamenocal.com/index.html" target="_blank">See also her website for more information about María Rosa Menocal</a></b>

María Rosa Menocal, medieval historian, passes away

María Rosa Menocal, a renowned scholar and historian of medieval culture and literature, passed away on October 15th after a three-year batt...

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Medieval Studies Expert Fiona Somerset Joins University of Connecticut

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcb5bSwKZn8LNMethbQs_iZ72W-rhGDVHwizSXcj3EVARdTetMTbCa-3XvKP1GvZ4bbgJSnK6UyvScsQ-4wmesXwIuArtqvp7-sxdSIDKI5etXpJQl9rlh3_FkB6_KvPJahGUMgKzJFEA/s1600/Somerset120828a032.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcb5bSwKZn8LNMethbQs_iZ72W-rhGDVHwizSXcj3EVARdTetMTbCa-3XvKP1GvZ4bbgJSnK6UyvScsQ-4wmesXwIuArtqvp7-sxdSIDKI5etXpJQl9rlh3_FkB6_KvPJahGUMgKzJFEA/s1600/Somerset120828a032.jpeg" /></a></div>The voices of the Middle Ages are everywhere in Fiona Somerset’s office at UConn, filling hundreds of books that line her shelves and waiting inside the old microfilm rolls ready to be spooled into her reader in the corner.<br /><br /> Somerset, who joined UConn’s Department of English this year from Duke, says she has been fascinated throughout her career by connections between those long-ago voices and the issues facing people and society today.<br /><br /> Now, she’s bringing that curiosity and a wealth of expertise to UConn, drawn by its ambitious program to hire hundreds of new faculty members across the disciplines.<br /><br /> From Geoffrey Chaucer to William Langland to the mysterious “Pearl Poet,” Somerset is bringing their voices and those of their characters to a new generation of UConn students – and, she hopes, sparking in them the kind of contemplation that launched her own career. <br /><br /><b><a href="http://today.uconn.edu/blog/2012/10/medieval-studies-expert-fiona-somerset-joins-uconn-faculty/" target="_blank">Click here to read this article from UConn Today</a></b>

Medieval Studies Expert Fiona Somerset Joins University of Connecticut

The voices of the Middle Ages are everywhere in Fiona Somerset’s office at UConn, filling hundreds of books that line her shelves and waitin...

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When did 'interdisciplinary' become the adjective we can't live without?

<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5Kkc7hr9cztCmTkQcuii4MaFgXi3UNmCgjwWmps7IT6Y-zowNv2t2uO5VBEMlRd4BuKnkh3_JwUemI7Ckldna8RCDkzsYNESRn-G6ITH5hDQ057XyAZ-yfJBkKzdQXaZHvOFM6oGNfOk/s1600/InterdisciplinaryStudies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5Kkc7hr9cztCmTkQcuii4MaFgXi3UNmCgjwWmps7IT6Y-zowNv2t2uO5VBEMlRd4BuKnkh3_JwUemI7Ckldna8RCDkzsYNESRn-G6ITH5hDQ057XyAZ-yfJBkKzdQXaZHvOFM6oGNfOk/s1600/InterdisciplinaryStudies.jpg" /></a></div>By Anatoly Liberman<br /><br /><i>Anatoly Liberman is a professor at he University of Minnesota, where he has taught medieval culture, German and other languages since 1975.</i><br /><br />Everything should be interdisciplinary, right? Read the ads for the few openings in the humanities, and you will see that colleges will hire only specialists with an interdisciplinary focus and the propensity for critical thinking. Now, thinking is of course always critical; otherwise, it is not thinking, so let us forget about this part of advertising. But how many irons should one have in the fire?<br /><br />For starters, allow me to tell an anecdote. I once had a problem in my right eye, and the excellent ophthalmologist who had observed me for years said that he wanted to ask the opinion of a doctor specializing in the diseases of the lid. "The lower lid?" — I asked darkly, because I happened to be worried about that part of my anatomy. "Yes," he snapped back, "the lower lid of the right eye."<br /><br />His answer restored my confidence in the medical profession. I had known that there were experts in the diseases of the retina and suspected that the same might be true about the cornea, but the lid too!<br /><br /><b><a href="http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2012/09/24/liberman/" target="_blank">Click here to read this article from Minnesota Public Radio</a></b><br />

When did 'interdisciplinary' become the adjective we can't live without?

By Anatoly Liberman Anatoly Liberman is a professor at he University of Minnesota, where he has taught medieval culture, German and other la...

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Were Medieval Universities Catholic?

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRwXSuI4XuzWUX7Q9i0wdVHKHMb5rrvY_Vtl_ZXdrOExDwV-cw0Jmth8ln3HkECza7iOmstil9_P_sXKC4cr9qEXKV8p0z85XnfTE4uRK7utuNqu_PMPLk-tkMPgpLdzceFSsdDRCU1uw/s1600/220px-Philo_mediev.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRwXSuI4XuzWUX7Q9i0wdVHKHMb5rrvY_Vtl_ZXdrOExDwV-cw0Jmth8ln3HkECza7iOmstil9_P_sXKC4cr9qEXKV8p0z85XnfTE4uRK7utuNqu_PMPLk-tkMPgpLdzceFSsdDRCU1uw/s1600/220px-Philo_mediev.jpeg" /></a></div>Perhaps the greatest and most enduring achievement of the Middle Ages was the creation of the university, an institution for which there was no precedent in the history of the West. It sprang into existence seemingly out of nowhere in the late 12th century primarily in two cities, Paris and Bologna. Both claim to be Europe’s first. By the early decades of the 13th century, others had emerged modeled on them—Oxford on the Paris model and Padua on Bologna. From that point forward, universities proliferated across the face of Europe and became a standard, important and self-governing institution in larger cities.<br /><br />Medieval universities, although they differed among themselves in significant ways, all quickly developed highly sophisticated procedures and organizational strategies that we recognize as our own today. The list is long: set curricula, examinations, professorial privileges and duties, a full array of officers of various kinds, division into different “faculties” (we call them schools) and the public certification of professional competence through the awarding of degrees.<br /><br /><b><a href="http://www.americamagazine.org/content/article.cfm?article_id=13577" target="_blank">Click here to read this article from America: The National Catholic Weekly</a></b>

Were Medieval Universities Catholic?

Perhaps the greatest and most enduring achievement of the Middle Ages was the creation of the university, an institution for which there was...

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$1.25 million gift creates endowment for medieval professorship at SMU

<br />Two graduates of Southern Methodist University are giving back to their alma mater by creating an endowed professorship in medieval history. Stephen L. and Kathryn Hedges Arata of Dallas are donating $1.25 million to create the Jeremy duQuesnay Adams Centennial Professorship in Western European Medieval History in honor of the longtime SMU professor.<br /><br />In addition to the Aratas, several other former students of Professor Adams have contributed toward the endowed professorship in his honor. Those contributing $25,000 and more include Cindy and Dr. David Stager, Jr. ’87; Jo ‘90 and Joe Goyne; and Renee Justice Standley ’90 and Kenneth Standley.<br /><br />“We are honored to have an endowed professorship bearing the name of one of SMU’s most distinguished and revered faculty members,” said SMU President R. Gerald Turner. “We are grateful to the Aratas for their vision and generosity in providing this gift, which supports our Second Century Campaign goal to increase the number of endowed chairs to 100. With the Adams Professorship, the University is within 15 faculty positions of reaching that goal.”<br /><br /><b><a href="http://www.medievalists.net/2012/09/17/1-25-million-gift-creates-endowment-for-medieval-professorship-at-smu/" target="_blank">Click here to read this article from Medievalists.net</a></b><br />

$1.25 million gift creates endowment for medieval professorship at SMU

Two graduates of Southern Methodist University are giving back to their alma mater by creating an endowed professorship in medieval history....

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Real to reel: Course explores ancient Greece and Rome in the movies

<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK80TzB28HdHFIGEdiV-EdHh_RF_NzBdjLbJSHajACC0XcLK43zTD2hD_LCJI7i-Cwlz6PmcfvIRwsiFDhyphenhyphenZxHLTjnhx7hXUrsf6NlPLa21_dpLzpcvMX9xBozBD61UHyUQOLkbi3zTI8/s1600/spartacus.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK80TzB28HdHFIGEdiV-EdHh_RF_NzBdjLbJSHajACC0XcLK43zTD2hD_LCJI7i-Cwlz6PmcfvIRwsiFDhyphenhyphenZxHLTjnhx7hXUrsf6NlPLa21_dpLzpcvMX9xBozBD61UHyUQOLkbi3zTI8/s320/spartacus.png" width="212" /></a></div>Was “Spartacus” an anti-fascist polemic? Does “Agora” demonstrate the horrors of anti-science religious zealotry? Did the Trojans really dress only in blue-and-white outfits? Quiz: Sophia Loren and Elizabeth Taylor in un-credited roles, plus 32,000 costumes.<br /><br />The answers are yes, yes, no and “Quo Vadis.”<br /><br />Since 1914, more than 600 movies have been set in ancient Greece or Rome, or in some way employ their history and literature. These movies offer varying degrees of historical accuracy and often mirror contemporary fears and concerns.<br /><br />A sampling of antiquity-themed films will be examined in depth in the course “The Ancient World in the Movies” to be taught at University of Buffalo this fall by UB classicist Donald McGuire.<br /><br />Students will watch 13 excellent films, attend two lectures a week and read critical material in a quest to understand why we keep looking at the past, where the populist version of the ancient life comes from and how such movies have reflected and represented present day issues.<br /><br /><b><a href="http://www.buffalo.edu/ubreporter/2012_08_23/real_to_reel" target="_blank">Click here to read this article from the University of Buffalo Reporter</a></b><br /><br /><b><a href="http://honors.buffalo.edu/honorablemention/academics/cl-410-the-ancient-world-in-the-movies-with-professor-mcguire/" target="_blank">Click here find more information about the course from the University of Buffalo</a></b><br />

Real to reel: Course explores ancient Greece and Rome in the movies

Was “Spartacus” an anti-fascist polemic? Does “Agora” demonstrate the horrors of anti-science religious zealotry? Did the Trojans really dre...

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New Vikings MLitt offered by University of the Highlands and Islands

<br />Runes, place-names and heavy metal; these are just some of the topics in a new University of the Highlands and Islands’ course. The postgraduate qualification in Viking Studies has been developed by the University’s Centre for Nordic Studies. Modules include Viking History, Runology (the study of Runes) and Vikings in Popular Culture which looks at the way Vikings are portrayed in films, comics, music and the media.<br /><br />Although the Centre for Nordic Studies is based on Orkney and Shetland, the new MLitt can be studied part or full-time from anywhere in the world. Tutors will use resources such as video-conferencing technology and a virtual learning environment to teach students wherever they are based. Enrolment opened this month, with the first intake of students starting in autumn.<br /><br /><b><a href="http://www.medievalists.net/2012/05/31/new-vikings-mlitt-offered-by-university-of-the-highlands-and-islands/" target="_blank">Click here to read this article from Medievalists.net</a></b><br />

New Vikings MLitt offered by University of the Highlands and Islands

Runes, place-names and heavy metal; these are just some of the topics in a new University of the Highlands and Islands’ course. The postgrad...

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Medieval lecturer uses role-playing to teach history

The black-robed women in Tony Silvestri's Medieval Experience course at Washburn University sat in a circle in the International House as guest lecturer Carla Tilghman showed them how to embroider running and chain stitches on a small square of fabric. Sewing was a skill they needed to master if they wanted to improve their lot in life and "marry up," said Tilghman, who teaches art history at the university. "If a woman doesn't marry, she's a burden on her family," she confided. <object classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=9,0,47,0" height="412" id="flashObj" width="486"><param name="movie" value="http://c.brightcove.com/services/viewer/federated_f9?isVid=1" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><param name="flashVars" value="videoId=1559292587001&playerID=9413662001&playerKey=AQ~~,AAAAAEiis88~,BcrTrmoF4lqpi3lA_B_Wbbn8LpcX8pef&domain=embed&dynamicStreaming=true" /><param name="base" value="http://admin.brightcove.com" /><param name="seamlesstabbing" value="false" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="swLiveConnect" value="true" /><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always" /><embed src="http://c.brightcove.com/services/viewer/federated_f9?isVid=1" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" flashVars="videoId=1559292587001&playerID=9413662001&playerKey=AQ~~,AAAAAEiis88~,BcrTrmoF4lqpi3lA_B_Wbbn8LpcX8pef&domain=embed&dynamicStreaming=true" base="http://admin.brightcove.com" name="flashObj" width="486" height="412" seamlesstabbing="false" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowFullScreen="true" swLiveConnect="true" allowScriptAccess="always" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/shockwave/download/index.cgi?P1_Prod_Version=ShockwaveFlash"></embed></object> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsgZjgOpP547vpyKRJs59Bd5vGzNTOBKiKVpxJC3YgxiygX95lqRaK7f7ylDl4o3VVTW-xwaFj8bDrB0fdv8-sJ3d8Obdx49Pjo7yagJQXZZWpolMISltnK9Wc2riLYswEPzn2L5Zf8LQ/s1600/Washburn_University_logo-1.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right; float:right; margin-left:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="161" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsgZjgOpP547vpyKRJs59Bd5vGzNTOBKiKVpxJC3YgxiygX95lqRaK7f7ylDl4o3VVTW-xwaFj8bDrB0fdv8-sJ3d8Obdx49Pjo7yagJQXZZWpolMISltnK9Wc2riLYswEPzn2L5Zf8LQ/s320/Washburn_University_logo-1.png" width="314" /></a></div> As the young women continued to maneuver their needles through the fabric, Tilghman, dressed in an early 12th-century ensemble of handwoven, embroidered cloth, talked about the roles of women, poetry and the fate of unfaithful spouses. On the other side of the classroom, male students — also wearing black academic robes — quietly studied under Silvestri's supervision. <b><a href="http://cjonline.com/news/2012-04-15/wu-lecturer-uses-role-playing-teach-history">Click here to read this article from The Topeka Capital-Journal</a></b>

Medieval lecturer uses role-playing to teach history

The black-robed women in Tony Silvestri's Medieval Experience course at Washburn University sat in a circle in the International House a...

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