9th Annual Lawrence J. Schoenberg Symposium on Manuscript Studies in the Digital Age
November 17-19, 2016
Save the Date! Registration opens at the end of the summer.
Reactions: Medieval/Modern
In partnership with the Rare Book Department of the Free Library of Philadelphia, the Schoenberg Institute of Manuscript Studies (SIMS) at the University of Pennsylvania Libraries is pleased to announce the 9th Annual Lawrence J. Schoenberg Symposium on Manuscript Studies in the Digital Age. This year's theme, "Reactions: Medieval/Modern," gives us space to explore the many and varied ways that people have reacted to, and acted upon, manuscripts from the Middle Ages up to today. Reactions take many forms. They include the manipulation of physical objects through, for example, the marking up of texts, addition of illustrations, the disbinding of books or rebinding of fragments, as well as the manipulation of digital objects, thanks to new technologies involved in digitization, ink and parchment analysis, virtual reconstruction, among many other processes. This symposium will also tackle how popular culture has reacted to manuscripts over time as witnessed by their use and appearance in books, games, and films. Our keynote speaker will be Michelle P. Brown, Professor emerita of Medieval Manuscript Studies at the School of Advanced Study, University of London, and former Curator of Manuscripts at the British Library.
For more information and a list of speakers, visit the website: http://www.library.upenn.edu/exhibits/lectures/ljs_symposium9.html.
In the summer of 2016 William Turpin (Swarthmore College), Jen Faulkner (East Longmeadow High School) and Larry Swain (Bemidji State University) will offer another free online Medieval Latin translation course, using the Zoom video conferencing program. This summer we will read the “Life of Patrick” by Muirchú, and Patrick’s “Confession,” which are written in relatively straightforward, intuitive Latin. User-friendly editions (with a lot of vocabulary help) are or will be posted (see below).
The course is aimed above all at those who have completed a year or so of classical Latin at the college level, or the equivalent in high school. It should also be suitable for those whose Latin may be a little rusty, or for more accomplished Latinists with an interest in medieval Latin. The intention is to replicate the experience of a student in (say) a college Latin class at the early intermediate level, minus the quizzes, tests, and continuing assessment; there is no mechanism for awarding credit or certificates of attendance. The most immediate model, in fact, may be an informal reading group: the basic premise is that a small community of interested participants can both encourage and enhance what is essentially a private encounter with a text.
