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Bourgeoning medievalists share research at annual conference

Bourgeoning medievalists share research at annual conference

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Near the close of the fall semester, seven Lycoming College students presented papers at the Fourteenth Undergraduate Conference in Medieval & Early Modern Studies at Moravian College in Bethlehem, Pa. The conference provides students with the opportunity to share their research in a professional setting with peers and faculty from across the country. This year, the conference drew more than seventy students from Virginia to New York.

The Lycoming contingent comprised students enrolled in various literature and history courses that cover medieval subjects. While participation in the research conference is optional for Lycoming students, it is of particular interest to those preparing to continue their studies at a graduate level.

“Attending the conference offers our students an opportunity not only to share their research with an audience beyond the campus, but to build on written and oral communication skills that are so highly sought after these days,” said Cullen Chandler, Ph.D., professor of history and co-coordinator of medieval studies at Lycoming College. “Making the trip helps to create a sense of community among the medievalists at Lycoming, and the conference lets them see that they have peers at other institutions who are interested in similar subjects.”

Led by Chandler and Todd Preston, Ph.D., associate professor of English and co-coordinator of medieval studies at Lycoming, students presented the following papers:

  • Megan Friedline ’20, anthropology major; entrepreneurship and English minors (Boswell, Pa.): “Debt and Money in the General Prologue of the Canterbury Tales.”
  • Jordan Leh ’21, archaeology major; medieval studies minor (Wind Gap, Pa.): “BBC’s Merlinas a Modern-Day Re-Imagining of an Early Medieval Romance.”
  • Samantha Marvin ’21, creative writing major; commercial design and painting minors (Milton, Pa.): “Criseyde and the Exploration of Social Conventions.”
  • Kellie Mooney ’21, art history and medieval studies double major; archaeology minor (Swedesboro, N.J.): “Illustrations in Medieval Manuscripts.”
  • Julia Nagle ’20, Spanish and political science double major; European history minor (Altoona, Pa.): “Hominis est Venatio: Dhuoda and the Frankish Gentleman.”
  • Samuel Novoa ’20, creative writing major; film studies minor (Byram Township, N.J.): “Not That Godric: ‘The Battle of Maldon’ and Identity.”
  • Sam Rutan ’21, creative writing major (Williamsport, Pa): “Chaucer’s Indiscriminate Objectification of Both Sexes.”

“Congratulations to all these students for presenting well-written and impressively researched papers!” said Preston. “All of their papers garnered compliments from students and faculty alike, and they generated interesting discussions both within their panels and throughout the conference as a whole.”

“I had a great time at the Moravian Conference. It was an excellent opportunity to experience a professional conference and see other scholarly undergraduate work from my peers,” added Leh.

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