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A Medieval Summer in London 2013

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History and Mission

The Medieval Studies program was founded in 1971 to promote the interdisciplinary study of the Middle Ages through the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences at Fordham. By the late 1970s, the program had grown to include an undergraduate element and was housed in the Center for Medieval Studies, which has become one of Fordham's most active and well-known centers of advanced study. The integrated interdisciplinary approach to the Middle Ages is a natural extension of Fordham's long-standing commitment to the study of this crucial historical period, which has attracted some of the University's most distinguished faculty and students. The emphases on intellectual diversity, depth of study, and rigorous scholarship that underlie the degree and outreach programs of the Center resonate strongly with Fordham's Jesuit tradition and institutional goals, particularly with its dedication to teaching and to close student-faculty interaction, with its devotion to scholarship and ethical values, and with its stress on critical thinking and communication. Through such activities as its lecture series, annual conferences, web sites, newsletters, regular social gatherings, and participation in the New York City Doctoral Consortium, the Center for Medieval Studies provides a community of scholarship for all those interested in the middle ages.

About the Center

Located at the Rose Hill campus, the Center for Medieval Studies houses three offices, a small library, and a seminar room. The Center administers the Medieval Studies Program, which offers an interdisciplinary undergraduate BA and graduate MA in Medieval Studies, as well as an Advanced Doctoral Certificate for PhD students enrolled in one of the participating departments. Embracing the full sweep of artistic, literary, scholastic and cultural issues that make medieval civilization such a rich field of study, the degree programs draw on the expertise of faculty in the departments of art and music history, classics, English, history, modern languages and literature (French, German, Italian, and Spanish), philosophy, political science, and theology. Each year the Center offers several specifically interdisciplinary courses that bring together specialists in different fields, on the assumption that our understanding and appreciation of medieval civilization is particularly enriched by a multi-disciplinary perspective. Technical preparation is key to these interdisciplinary studies, so the graduate program emphasizes diverse research skills that range from examining primary documents to creating and managing databases. Special facilities for medievalists, including a Paleography Room, Archives Room, and the Hare Special Collections, are offered at Walsh Library, which is especially strong in its medieval holdings. Fordham's location in New York City also affords easy access to major libraries with medieval materials (such as the Pierpont Morgan Library and the New York Public Library), museums (such as The Cloisters and the Metropolitan Museum of Art), and other institutions of higher learning.

The Center supports the exchange of views and information through its annual conferences and lecture series. Fordham faculty are invited to address colleagues and students informally, and graduate students have also presented talks.

Twice each year the Center for Medieval Studies publishes Medievalia Fordhamensia, a newsletter for medievalists in the Fordham community. The newsletter announces upcoming lectures and conferences, as well as new courses; introduces new faculty members and Medieval Fellows to its readership; offers updates about the recent publications, scholarly talks, and grants awarded to Fordham faculty and graduate students; and prints a variety of other news of interest to medievalists at Fordham. For a recent copy, contact us at medievals@fordham.edu.

As the original home of the Internet Medieval Sourcebook, designed and maintained by Paul Halsall, the Center has made a significant contribution to the promotion of the study and teaching of medieval Europe. Fordham is also home to the French of England web site, a comprehensive bibliography of printed historical sources in Anglo-Norman from the late eleventh to mid-fifteenth centuries, the French of Italy website, which aims to expand awareness of French texts composed and circulated within medieval Italy, the French of Outremer website, which provides a guide to French-language texts and records produced in the Crusader States, and the Medieval Sources Bibliography. The Center also hosts The Latin Works of John Wyclif, which makes the Latin theological and philosophical texts of this fourteenth-century reformer and dissenter available in a searchable form. For descriptions of and links to the Center's seven websites, click here. Fordham publishes Traditio: Studies in Ancient and Medieval Thought, History, and Religion.

Last modified: September 17, 2012
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