Spring 2023 Newsletter

Director's Message

Dear MEST Community,

Welcome back to another semester! We already had a wonderful start to the year with our kickoff event at the Eskenazi Museum of Art. We were happy to see so many faces, new and old, joining us as we learned about the use of ivory as an artistic medium during the medieval period. Thank you to everyone who showed up on a chilly Friday afternoon, and especially to the curators Jenny McComas, Juliet Graver Istrabadi, and Allison Martino who so kindly shared their expertise with us and showed us new ways to think about global connections in the pre-modern world. 

If you weren’t able to make it to the kickoff event, don’t worry! We have plenty of exciting events planned for this Spring semester. We are excited to be welcoming Dr. Joannah Peterson, Assistant Professor of Japan Studies at the University of Kentucky and IU PhD Alum, back to IU (virtually) for our annual alumni lecture. She will be presenting a talk titled “Re-Envisioning Imperial Figures in Late Heian Japan” on Friday, March 3rd. 

We are also hosting a Career Diversity Panel with medieval studies alumni who work outside of academia. This event showcases our commitment to supporting our graduate students in all aspects of their professionalization process both inside and outside of traditional academia. Both events will be held on Zoom and we hope to see you then!

Additionally, MEST is excited to continue financially supporting our undergraduate and graduate students. Our Spring 2023 award application process is officially open and a full list of awards and grants can be found in this newsletter and on our website. We are looking forward to reading your applications and supporting your work in medieval studies. 


Sincerely,

Jeremy Schott, Medieval Studies Institute Director

Undergraduate and Graduate Awards


Applications for MEST awards are officially open. The Medieval Studies Institute provides a number of funding opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students in Medieval Studies. Applicants can use this form to submit their application by March 1, 2023. Please note that you must be logged in with your iu.edu email to gain access to the form. You may have your application considered for more than one award or grant simultaneously.

As part of their fellowship experience, recipients will write a short round-up of their funding use for a public-facing audience that will be promoted on the MEST website and in our newsletter.

Additional information about undegradute and graduate awards can be found on our website. Please email mest@iu.edu if you have questions.

Undergraduate Awards

Shirley Jean Cox Medieval Studies Undergraduate Scholarship: The Institute is pleased to invite applications for Cox Undergraduate Scholarships. Cox Scholarships support undergraduate students in the Medieval Studies Institute within the College of Arts and Sciences. Expenditures may include, but are not limited to, scholarships for summer study, study abroad, internships, senior merit, or essays. Students should be enrolled as (or plan to enroll as) Medieval Studies minors. In Spring 2023, the Institute will make up to three awards of $2500 each.

Graduate Awards

Shirley Jean Cox Medieval Studies Conference Travel Fund: Supports travel and other costs for graduate students attending conferences for the purpose of presenting their research. In Spring 2023, the Institute invites applications for conference travel support up to $750 (you may apply for up to $750 of support; the awards committee may award partial funding), for conference travel in Spring, Summer, or Fall 2023.

C. Clifford Flanigan Memorial Fund: The Flanigan fund assists students enrolled in the Medieval Studies Institute. In Spring 2023, the Institute invites applications for support up to $2000 (you may apply for up to $2000 of support; the awards committee may award partial funding). Funds may be used to support graduate student research, construed broadly; examples include: research travel, participation in professional development programming (e.g. summer language programs), research resources (e.g. books, microfilm, technology).

Medieval Studies Graduate Research and Professionalization Grants: In Spring 2023, the Institute invites applications for grants up to $2000 (you may apply for up to $2000 of support; the awards committee may award partial funding). Grants are intended to support graduate research and professionalization. Examples include: research travel, participation in professional development programming (e.g. summer language programs), research resources (e.g. books, microfilm, technology); student-faculty collaborations, and internships.

Andrea McRobbie Graduate Fellowship: This is a nomination-based fellowship. If you are nominated, you will receive a request to submit a separate application. Presented in honor of Andrea McRobbie by the McRobbie family, this fellowship supports a graduate fellowship at IU Bloomington for scholarship in medieval history, specifically some aspect of its social history or some theme in medieval social history related to its art, philosophy or literature. In Spring 2023, the Institute will award one grant in the amount of $2000.

Apply Now

News

The Old Occitan Reading Group is meeting this semester on Wednesdays, 4-5pm in GA 3134. We study Old Occitan grammar and vocabulary collaboratively and work towards reading fluency. Reading selections are tailored to the interests of the participants, and no previous experience with Old Occitan is required. Those interested in joining should email Profs. Liz Hebbard (ehebbard@iu.edu) and Barbara Vance (bvance@iu.edu).

Upcoming Events

  1. March 3rd (Friday), 2-3:30 PM

    Distinguished Alumni Lecture

    Dr. Joannah Peterson, Assistant Professor of Japan Studies at the University of Kentucky will present her talk, “Re-Envisioning Imperial Figures in Late Heian Japan.”

    Co-sponsored by EALC, EASC. Zoom Link: https://iu.zoom.us/j/89093333861

  2. March 10th (Friday), 3-4:30 PM

    MEST Career Diversity Panel

    Hear from the following alumni on how they translated their medieval studies degrees and experience into successful careers:

    Abby Ang: Research Analyst, Center for Popular Democracy

    Christopher Beck: Senior Instructional Design Manager–Course Production–Purdue University Online

    Jessica Leach: Grants Manager for Excelencia in Education

    Natalie Levin: Presidential Stewardship Associate, Indiana University Foundation

    William E. Smith III (Will): Associate Director of Advising College of Arts + Sciences, IUB; Adjunct Assistant Professor, Dept. of Educational Leadership & Policy Studies (School of Education, IUB); Township Board Member, Van Buren Township (Monroe Co., elected office)

    Co-sponsored by IDAH. Zoom event.

  3. April 27th (Thursday)

    MELC: Danner Memorial Lecture

    MEST is proud to co-sponsor The Department of Middle Eastern Languages & Cultures' Danner Memorial Lecture featuring Professor Mohammed Rustom, From the Seeker to the Sought: The Quest for Liberation in ʿAyn al-Quḍāt (d. 1131).

    Mohammed Rustom is Professor of Islamic Thought at Carleton University and Director of the Carleton Centre for the Study of Islam. He is author of The Triumph of Mercy: Philosophy and Scripture in Mullā Ṣadrā (SUNY Press, 2012), co-editor of The Study Quran: A New Translation and Commentary (HarperOne, 2015), translator of Al-Ghazālī, The Condemnation of Pride and Self-Admiration (Islamic Texts Society, 2018), translator of ʿAyn al-Quḍāt, The Essence of Reality: A Defense of Philosophical Sufism (Library of Arabic Literature; NYU Press, 2022), and author of Inrushes of the Heart: The Sufi Philosophy of ʿAyn al-Quḍāt (SUNY Press, 2023).  

Support MEST
Your tax-deductible financial contribution allows MEST to continue to provide a diverse array of lectures, programs, and fellowships that promote the scholarship and teaching of the Middle Ages.

Gifts can be directed to any following funds:

  • The Medieval Studies Institute General Fund: Your donation will provide general support to the Institute, helping us host events, invite speakers, and continue with our outreach
  • The Medieval Review Support Fund: Gifts will support the Medieval Review, an open-access journal that publishes reviews of books in medieval studies.
  • The Clifford Flanigan Awards: Your donation will help support medievalist graduate students.
  • The Shirley Jean Cox Undergraduate Fellowships: Your donation will help fund our two undergraduate prizes (for the best thesis and paper in medieval studies) and several grants to support undergraduate summer study, study abroad, or internships.

How to donate:

By mail: Checks made out to “Indiana University Foundation” may be mailed to The Medieval Studies Institute, Lindley Hall 201G 150 S Woodlawn Ave., Bloomington, IN 47405
On our website: https://medieval.indiana.edu/about/alumni-giving/index.html
Recurring bank or payroll deductions: Perhaps the easiest way to offer ongoing support of the work of the Institute, you can make a recurring monthly, quarterly, or annual gift that is deducted from your credit card or bank account. IU Employees can also set up recurring donations through payroll deduction. See https://www.myiu.org/.

Contact Us!

If you have communications you would like to have distributed as a general announcement in Medieval Studies, or for general correspondence with the Institute, please contact Erin at mest@ indiana.edu.

For direct and confidential communications with the MEST Director, please contact mestdir@indiana.edu. This is an administrative account that will transfer from director to director. 

We also maintain six distribution lists, one each for undergraduate students, graduate students, alumni, faculty, core faculty, and community members. If you would like to be added to any of our lists, please contact mest@indiana.edu.