Medieval Studies Interdisciplinary Working Group

Presentations include: * Thomas Hall, Department of English, "What to Make of the Alfred Jewel" * Richard Oosterhoff, History and Philosophy of Science, "A Marvelously Wrought Ring and the Rise of Paper Instruments: The Material Culture of Renaissance Astronomy"

Light refreshments will be served. The Working Group has several aims: to question the meaning of the term “interdisciplinary” and to explore the possibilities it can—or cannot—afford to medievalists; to promote the community of medievalists across disciplines both within and outside Notre Dame; to provide graduate students wide-ranging exposure to important methods and trends in scholarship, as well as models for how interdisciplinary studies can be pursued (or not) within the demands of the single-discipline department; and to allow graduate students an opportunity to explore ideas and methods with esteemed scholars in an informal setting, along with the possibility to receive feedback on their own work. Meeting monthly, each session will feature at least two speakers from different disciplines: one professor and one advanced graduate student. Each will present for 20 to 30 minutes on the same broad topic or problem, highlighting the insights and approaches that the different disciplines can bring to the question at hand. The presentations will be followed by a discussion among the speakers and the audience. Speakers are asked to circulate either a copy of their talk and/or a text or image before the meeting in order to facilitate discussion. Above all, the group is meant to be informal, convivial, and heavy on audience participation. Sponsored and supported by the Institute for Scholarship in the Liberal Arts; the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation; the Medieval Institute; the Ph.D. in Literature Program; the Department of English; the Department of History; the Department of Romance Languages and Literatures; the Department of Art, Art History, and Design; the Department of Classics; the Religion and Literature program; the Devers Program in Dante Studies; and Italian Studies at Notre Dame.