Director's Message
To all newcomers and current MEST members and collaborators, welcome! I am excited to start another year of engaging events for students and faculty in Medieval Studies at IU. Last year our MEST Graduate Student Advisory Committee put on a successful Spring Symposium, “Borderlands: Reimagining the Medieval Periphery.” It featured stimulating panels that culminated in a wonderful lecture by Dorsey Armstrong from Purdue University. Also, in the Spring of 2025 we held our annual Mediaevalia conference at the Lilly Library, with Dot Porter of the University of Pennsylvania as our visiting lecturer. She delivered a fascinating talk on the digital humanities in medieval studies. Additionally, we were honored to host Emily Houlik-Ritchey from Rice University as the annual alumni lecture.
Last week we made our presence known and shared MEST’s rich curricular offerings with undergraduate students at the College Expo. We already have a number of upcoming events planned for 2025-2026. Our webpage is currently being repaired after changes were made by the College over the summer. Once this is complete, you'll be able to find further information there on what to expect this year, starting with our annual MEST Fall Reception, which is scheduled for September 26th (GISB 1060: the conference room and common space). There, we will celebrate last year’s graduate student award winners and, once again, get a chance to select a free medieval studies book, à la “tolle lege,” and to enjoy catered food and refreshments together. On October 4, a symposium entitled “Newfangled Values: Imagination, Curiosity, and Community,” will be held in Maxwell Hall in honor of Patty Ingham. This event will feature a number of esteemed speakers from IU and all around the country. We are also planning to hold our annual alumni lecture in November—arrangements are still in the works, but we hope to send out an announcement soon!
Be sure to check your emails and the "LiveWhale" MEST calendar for the announcement of Spring events, including: Mediaevalia’s lecture and workshop at the Lilly; the “Dramatic Entanglements” Symposium; and the “Medieval Memes Activity” at April’s First Thursday. Also, we will again be collaborating with our new Graduate Student Advisory Committee, which is spearheading the MEST Spring Symposium and making plans for a keynote speaker. The tentative theme they have chosen for this symposium is “The Comic.” I will be writing soon with more information, but I encourage all graduate students and faculty interested in participating to contact me (mest@iu.edu). Also, please let us know about any additional upcoming events that might be of interest to the community.
I would like to express my thanks to the members of the Executive Committee whose service continues to be essential to the Institute—and who were incredibly helpful during my first year as Director. This year we are welcoming three members: Elizabeth Hebbard from French and Italian, Christopher Sapp from Germanic Studies, and Ryan Hintzman, who has just arrived from Yale University with an appointment in East Asian Languages and Cultures. I am additionally grateful for the support of our MEST assistant, Giovanni Molina Rosario, as well as our full-time staff.
As we start this new academic year, we hope to continue bringing together the MEST community and benefiting from more opportunities to collaborate and make connections with fellow scholars and students at IU and beyond.
Sincerely,
Ryan Giles
The College of Arts