The Medieval Studies Institute

The Medieval Studies Institute is proud of the graduate students and faculty advisors who coordinate our reading groups for responding to the pressing need to protect each other and the broader Bloomington community while continuing to enjoy, explore, and practice medieval languages. The following reading groups remain active this semester with virtual meetings. 

Middle English ("Song School")

This year, Song School will spend some time on Middle English prose as a refresher, splitting their time between The Book of Margery Kempe and The Shewings of Julian of Norwich since these texts are quite popular and the language is a bit more accessible to readers at all levels. Passages will be circulated prior to the meetings, which will be held during the third week of each month through the Fall semester. Jennifer Lopatin (jlopatin@iu.edu) and Gregory Tolliver (gretolli@iu.edu) are coordinating Song School this year, with Dr. Joey McMullen (jmcmull@iu.edu) serving as faculty advisor.

Old Norse

The Old Norse reading group meets one Friday evening each month. Two semesters of Old Norse (or equivalent) are required to participate. For further details, contact Dr. Kari Gade (gade@indiana.edu).

Old Occitan

The Old Occitan reading group will hold informal meetings this semester. For meeting information, contact Liz Hebbard (ehebbard@iu.edu) or Barbara Vance (bvance@iu.edu).

Queer Medieval Reading Group ("QMR")

This Fall, QMR will continue to read short sections of longer works. They are starting the semester with Chapters 1, 2, and 6 of Ben Spatz’s Making a Laboratory: Dynamic Configurations with Transversal Video. In light of increased political, social, and scholarly attention to race and racism at IU and across the globe sparked by the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery, QMR will more concertedly focus on and discuss issues of race and racism in the fields of Medieval, Queer, and Queer Medieval Studies. QMR hopes these readings will dovetail with the upcoming MEST and Renaissance Studies roundtables and workshops on race and racism in our scholarly fields. If you are interested in reading with QMR this semester, you may reach out to Zac Engledow (zacclift@iu.edu) and Gregory Tolliver (gretolli@iu.edu). 

For more information or to join an active reading group, reach out to the coordinator of the reading group. For general information or to propose a new reading group, contact us.