at the conference held in the McMullen Museum. (Nancy Netzer)
Teaching the global Middle Ages
Fifty graduate students representing 30 institutions across six countries, including Boston College, gathered at the McMullen Museum of Art this semester for a daylong educational program featuring workshops, talks, and seminars.
The event, held in March, was designed to support graduate students in developing methods for teaching the global Middle Ages, according to Professor of Philosophy Eileen Sweeney, who helped to organize the event. The goal, she said, was “to have students emerge with a sense of the different disciplinary perspectives on what ‘global’ and ‘medieval’ can mean in the context of teaching, and come away with concrete ideas for a syllabus and the confidence to teach materials outside their area of specialization.”
BC grad students Casey Madden and Eleanor Forestell (English), and Avner Goldstein and Trevor Wiley (History) were among the participants. Chelsea Parsons (English) served as the administrator for the event, held in advance of the Centennial Meeting of the Medieval Academy of America (MAA), the largest organization in the United States promoting excellence in the field of medieval studies. The Centennial Meeting, which drew 850 registrants representing 244 institutions and 23 countries—the MAA’s largest gathering ever—addressed the medieval world from the North Atlantic to the Sea of Japan as well as the histories and possible futures of medieval studies.
During the March 19 program, Professor of History Robin Fleming (MAA past president) and Associate Professor of the Practice of Political Science David DiPasquale took part in a plenary roundtable on the challenges and possibilities of teaching the global Middle Ages. Sweeney, DiPasquale, Professor of English Eric Weiskott, Associate Professor of East Asian Art History Aurelia Campbell, and Assistant Professor of Medieval Art History John Lansdowne also served as co-leaders of various seminars on themes ranging from poetry to law to knowledge.
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Associate Professor of the Practice of Political Science David DiPasquale (left) participated in a plenary roundtable and co-led a seminar on law during the daylong event. (Caitlin Cunningham)
The educational program was held against the backdrop of the McMullen’s current exhibition, Wonders of Creation: Art, Science, and Innovation in the Islamic World, which is anchored by a 13th-century text by Zakariyya ibn Muhammad al-Qazwini describing the wonders of the universe. The graduate students viewed the exhibition at the conclusion of the workshop.
“Qazwini, himself a refugee and a synthesizer of global culture, created a work that traveled the world from the Middle East and Europe through India and China, and was translated into many languages,” said Sweeney. “Our goal for the workshop was to have graduate students begin to think in terms of connections across the world and across cultures, and visiting the Wonders of Creation really made concrete the day’s project.”
Sweeney and Weiskott served on the Centennial Meeting’s planning committee; Sweeney was co-chair. Other BC participants at the meeting included Fleming, Assistant Professor of Theology Jason Welle, Assistant Professor of the Practice of Philosophy Kelsey Boor, Professor Emerita of Romance Languages Matilda Bruckner, as well as Parsons and fellow graduate student Johanna Alden.
The Centennial Meeting was hosted by Harvard University in collaboration with BC, Boston University, Brandeis University, Fitchburg State University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stonehill College, Tufts University, and Wellesley College. Among the sponsors were several affiliated with Boston College, including the Office of the Provost, Dean’s Office of the Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences, McMullen Museum of Art, and Institute for the Liberal Arts.
“I was struck by the sense of community at the Centennial Meeting—mutual recognition, appreciation, and support for all those working in so many different disciplines, areas, and time periods, coming from many different perspectives and experiences. I was thrilled to participate and learn about creative teaching on the Middle Ages being done across the country,” said Sweeney. “I was really moved to see BC’s support of the mission to educate and explore, to expand and help others expand their knowledge and understanding.”