MEDIEVAL FEST
in memory of Dr. Victoria Chandler
Distinguished Professor of History
October 4-8, 1999
Sponsored by the Interdisciplinary Studies Program
All faculty, students, staff, and interested others are invited to participate. All events are free and open to the public.
Monday, October 4 7:15 A&S auditorium
"Historicizing Nuns," a special presentation by Dr. Jo Ann Kay McNamara, Professor of History at Hunter College and at the Graduate School of the City University of New York and world-renowned expert on medieval women. Dr. McNamara is the author of Sisters in Arms (Harvard University Press), without doubt the most significant work on women religious published in the last decade, and Sainted Women of the Dark Ages (Duke University Press). She has published numerous articles, and is on the editorial board of the Journal of Women's History, and numerous other publications. Her presentation will focus on interpretive problems surrounding medieval women, with many implications for today, and copies of her books will be available for purchase. This event is co-sponsored by the Women's Studies Program.
Tuesday, October 5 9:30 A&S auditorium
A reading of Everyman by Walter Bilderback's Theatrical Heritage class.
Wednesday, October 6
10:00 A&S auditorium Dr. Wayne Glowka will discuss the history of English, show the audience some examples of Old English, and then teach everyone how to recite the opening lines of Beowulf in Old English. For a finale, he will sing the opening lines according to the suggestions made by Thomas Cable in The Meter and Melody of Beowulf.
11:00 A&S auditorium Dr. Cathleen Fleck will present a discussion of "Monastic Modes of Seeing in the Late Middle Ages: A Study of a Fourteenth-century Nuns' Choir in Naples." For those who do not yet know Dr. Fleck, she is a new faculty member this year in the Art Department and Interdisciplinary Studies, who holds the doctorate from Johns Hopkins University.
700 P.M. Chris Vinsonhaler performs Beowulf in the Max Noah Hall
Ms. Vinsonhaler is a storyteller who has performed nationally and internationally, and has been featured on Mississippi Educational Television. She is director of the Great Oaks Storytelling Festival in Ocean Springs, Mississippi. This performance is co-sponsored by the Department of English, Speech, and Journalism.
Thursday, October 7 12:30 A&S auditorium
Dr. Deborah Vess will discuss the historical contributions and spirituality of medieval Celtic Monasticism.
Friday, October 8 10:00 Front Lawn
The SCA from Macon will stage a mock medieval battle, and there will also be heraldry and medieval weapons exhibits. Dr. Robert Coleman will have a display of medieval coins.