Delaware Valley Medieval Association

Serving Medieval Studies in the Delaware Valley since 1983

Tag: Announcements

INTENSIVE COURSE: The Crusades and Islamic History (University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, July 20-22, 2026)

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On February 9, 2026

In Announcements

This three-day intensive in-person course will focus on reading medieval primary sources for the social, economic and religious history of Egypt and Greater Syria, including Palestine during the period of the Crusades, roughly 1050-1500. It is intended for advanced graduate students and other qualified participants and will be offered by Prof. Paul M. Cobb (University of Pennsylvania) in collaboration with Prof. Ann Zimo (University of New Hampshire) and Prof. Reuven Amitai (Hebrew University of Jerusalem). The course will include close reading and historical analysis of published Arabic literary sources (chronicles and the like), Frankish sources in translation, and modern secondary literature. The overall goal is to provide students with in-depth understanding of the conventions and genres of historical writing on the Crusades and what we gain (and lose) by understanding the Crusades in their Middle Eastern context.

The number of participants will be limited to a maximum of 12.

Applications for the intensive course should include a CV, a statement of purpose (up to 750 words), and a letter of recommendation by someone familiar with your work. These should be sent to sms2026philadelphia@gmail.com by March 6, 2026. Those who are selected for the course will be notified before the end of March 2026, at which time a syllabus and information about the method of payment for the course fees will be provided.

The course fee is $250, which also includes the registration fee for the subsequent conference (July 23-25), about which more information can be found here: https://mamluk.uchicago.edu/sms-conference.html

All fees must be paid by April 15, 2026. Registration and participation will not be confirmed until payment is received. Participants must make their own travel arrangements; the local organizer will provide suggestions for accommodation.

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Jackson Lecture in Byzantine Art: Alice Isabella Sullivan, “Eastern Europe in Focus: Medieval Art, Cultural Heritage, and Global Conflicts”

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On January 29, 2026

In Announcements, Meetings

Friday, February 6, 2026, 4:30–6:00 PM EST
Hybrid: In-person at the Tyler School of Art and Architecture, Room Arch 104
Temple University, 2001 N. 13th Street, Philadelphia PA 19122
and virtual via Zoom (register here: https://temple.zoom.us/meeting/register/YEJDqOhrSdGUT4v7hktfUQ)

A reception will follow the lecture in person at the Tyler School of Art and Architecture, Temple University.

This lecture explores aspects of the history and art of Eastern Europe, which developed at the intersection of competing traditions and worldviews for much of the Middle Ages. Byzantium played a key role in shaping local artistic developments in regions of the Balkan Peninsula, the Carpathian Mountains, and further north, as did contacts with Western and Central Europe. Key objects and monuments reflect aspects of local negotiations among competing traditions, and the shifting meanings and functions of cultural heritage during moments of change, crisis, and conflict. Examples from regions of modern Ukraine, Romania, and North Macedonia, among others, underscore the importance of putting Eastern Europe in focus temporally, geographically, methodologically, and theoretically within the study of medieval, Byzantine, post-Byzantine, and early modern art history.

Alice Isabella Sullivan, PhD, is Assistant Professor and Director of Graduate Studies in the Department of the History of Art and Architecture at Tufts University. She specializes in the artistic production of Eastern Europe and the Byzantine-Slavic cultural spheres in the period between the 14th and 16th centuries. Sullivan is the author of the award-winning book The Eclectic Visual Culture of Medieval Moldavia (2023), Europe’s Eastern Christian Frontier (2024), and co-editor of several volumes. In addition, she is co-director of the Sinai Digital Archive, and co-founder of North of Byzantium and Map­ping Eastern Europe— two initiatives that explore the history, art, and culture of the northern frontiers of the Byzantine Empire in Eastern Europe during the medieval and early modern periods.

The event is free and open to the public. The Jackson Lecture in Byzantine Art is generously sponsored by Lynn Jackson, with additional support from Temple University’s General Activities Fund (GAF).

Making the Medieval Archive: Celebrating Elizabeth A. R. Brown at Penn

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On September 4, 2025

In Announcements, Meetings

This day-long symposium will commemorate Elizabeth (Peggy) A. R. Brown’s extraordinary legacy in the field of Medieval Studies and will mark the official launch of the Elizabeth A. R. Brown Medieval Historians’ archive. For more details and the event program, click here.

Co-organized by Nicholas Herman (Kislak/SIMS) and Ada Kuskowski (Department of History).

Register here

A photograph of Elizabeth (Peggy) A. R. Brown conducting research early in her career. Source: Brown family

2021 Spring DVMA Meeting: Darkness and Light, April 24, 2021

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On March 25, 2021

In Meetings

The History & Social Sciences and Arts departments at Bryn Athyn College in partnership with

Glencairn Museum are proud to co-sponsor and host the DVMA Spring Meeting

Darkness and Light, DVMA Spring Meeting, April 24, 2021

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On November 15, 2020

In Uncategorised

The History/Social Sciences and Arts departments at Bryn Athyn College in partnership with Glencairn Museum are proud to host the Spring Meeting of the Delaware Valley Medieval Association for 2021.

The theme is “Darkness and Light.” This is a hybrid event, meaning a limited number of participants may attend in-person with others participating virtually via Microsoft Teams (a Zoom-like application). For safety reasons, the DVMA meeting will follow all applicable COVID protocols. The program features three speakers followed by a visit to Glencairn Museum, located across from the Bryn Athyn College campus.

 

Bryn Athyn College, Doering Center Room 119; 2915 Campus Drive, Bryn Athyn, PA 19009

For more program information and to register, click here.

Free Online Latin Course for Summer 2016

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On June 8, 2016

In Announcements

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.
 

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