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Meeting in the Middle Ages

Meeting in the Middle Ages

By Meeting in the Middle Ages

Meeting in the Middle Ages is the Medieval Institute of Notre Dame's podcast. Our goal is to answer the questions "what do medievalists do, and how do they do it?" Episodes—a new one each month—are built around informal conversations between our hosts, Ben and Will, and medievalist scholars and graduate students. We discuss how they became medievalists, what led them to their current research, the resources they use, and how they use them.
Currently playing episode

Weigh Your Books! An Interview with Dr. Andrew Irving

Meeting in the Middle AgesAug 22, 2022

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41:08
Finding Bede with Dr. Michelle P. Brown (Pt. 2)

Finding Bede with Dr. Michelle P. Brown (Pt. 2)

This month we continue our conversation with Dr. Michelle P. Brown, professor emerita of medieval manuscript studies at the University of London and former curator of illuminated manuscripts at the British Library. We talk about bringing medieval England to the general public, preparing mentally for working with manuscripts, and (possibly) finding Bede's very own handwriting.

Apr 10, 202444:36
Uncovering Bede's Theory of Everything with Michelle P. Brown

Uncovering Bede's Theory of Everything with Michelle P. Brown

This month we sit down with Dr. Michelle P. Brown, professor emerita of medieval manuscript studies at the University of London and former curator of illuminated manuscripts at the British Library. We speak with her about her new book, Bede and the Theory of Everything (published by Reaktion Books), the challenges of working with shy medieval authors, and saving civilization by becoming a librarian.


https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/distributed/B/bo208669840.html

Mar 04, 202439:22
Trial by Combat with Dr. Mireille J. Pardon

Trial by Combat with Dr. Mireille J. Pardon

This week we're sitting down with Dr. Mireille J. Pardon, Assistant Professor of History at Berea College and 2022-2023 Mellon Fellow at Notre Dame's Medieval Institute. We learn about murder trials in medieval Flanders, pursuing postdoctoral fellowships, and what it's like to be in the world of medieval TikTok.

https://berea.academia.edu/MireillePardon

https://www.tiktok.com/@pardon_mi


Feb 14, 202445:26
Touring through Centuries of Philosophy with Dr. Peter Adamson

Touring through Centuries of Philosophy with Dr. Peter Adamson

This week we're chatting with Dr. Peter Adamson, Professor of Philosophy in Late Antiquity and in the Islamic World at the Ludwig Maximillian University of Munich and Professor of Ancient and Medieval Philosophy at King's College, London. His latest book, Don't Think for Yourself: Authority and Belief in Medieval Philosophy has just been released in paperback with Notre Dame Press.

We speak with him about how to decide who to believe, Islamic medieval philosophers, and what it takes to produce over 400 episodes of his popular podcast, The History of Philosophy without Any Gaps.

https://www.historyofphilosophy.net/

https://undpress.nd.edu/9780268203399/dont-think-for-yourself/


Feb 02, 202401:03:55
Discussing Donkeys in Lion-suits with Dr. Emily Mahan

Discussing Donkeys in Lion-suits with Dr. Emily Mahan

This month we chat with Dr. Emily Mahan, who recently received her PhD from Notre Dame's Medieval Institute. We talked with her about the power of medieval fables, the value of a postdoctoral fellowship, and how writing poetry led her to writing creatively in her dissertation.

Oct 10, 202351:56
Filming the Birth of the Spanish Language with Dr. Ryan Szpiech

Filming the Birth of the Spanish Language with Dr. Ryan Szpiech

This month we continue our conversation with Dr. Ryan Szpiech, associate professor of Spanish and director of the Center for Middle Eastern and North African Studies at the University of Michigan. We talk about parallel histories, the world of medieval Spain, and the creation of a documentary on the beginning of the Spanish language.


The Birth of Spanish in 3D:

https://birth-of-spanish.rll.lsa.umich.edu/


Dr. Szpiech's personal website: https://sites.lsa.umich.edu/ryanszpiech/


Dr. Szpiech's lecture at the Medieval Institute:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uWHN9-qcOCg&t=3987s&ab_channel=MedievalInstitute

Sep 06, 202341:09
Going on a Medieval Vision Quest with Dr. Ryan Szpiech

Going on a Medieval Vision Quest with Dr. Ryan Szpiech

This month we sit down with Dr. Ryan Szpiech, associate professor of Spanish and director of the Center for Middle Eastern and North African Studies at the University of Michigan. We talk about the hidden power of language, his surprising path into the medieval world through neuroscience, and questing alone in rural Spain.


Dr. Szpiech's personal website: https://sites.lsa.umich.edu/ryanszpiech/


Dr. Szpiech's lecture at the Medieval Institute:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uWHN9-qcOCg&t=3987s&ab_channel=MedievalInstitute

Aug 30, 202341:06
Leaving the Beaten Path with Dr. Andrea Robiglio

Leaving the Beaten Path with Dr. Andrea Robiglio

This month we sit down with Dr. Andrea Robiglio, professor of History of Philosophy at KU Leuven, about the wide world of pre-modern philosophy and the "vain struggle to define something."


You can find out more about Dr. Robiglio and his recent lecture at the Medieval Institute using the following links:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y74Ko5Ge-kg&ab_channel=MedievalInstitute

https://www.kuleuven.be/wieiswie/en/person/00042577

Aug 15, 202349:51
Making Waves in the Medieval Mediterranean Sea with Dr. Thomas Burman

Making Waves in the Medieval Mediterranean Sea with Dr. Thomas Burman

This month we sit down with Dr. Thomas Burman, director of Medieval Institute at the University of Notre Dame. We chat with him about how modern research on Mediterranean cultures is reshaping our understanding of the medieval world, exactly how far the Mediterranean world reaches, and what goes into creating textbooks for the next generation of students.


Link to Dr. Burman's new textbook, The Sea in the Middle: The Mediterranean World, 650-1650

https://www.amazon.com/Sea-Middle-Mediterranean-World-650-1650/dp/0520296524/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2TFGTK5SHF52C&keywords=sea+in+the+middle&qid=1680724997&sprefix=sea+in+the+middle%2Caps%2C181&sr=8-1


Apr 05, 202349:51
Crossing Religious Borders with Spencer Hunt

Crossing Religious Borders with Spencer Hunt

This month we sit down with Spencer Hunt, PhD candidate at the University of Notre Dame's Medieval Institute. We speak with him about medieval Christian and Muslim conversion, the trials and tribulations of writing a dissertation, and the ransom-paying monks of medieval Spain.

Jan 29, 202349:32
Learning about Learned Medieval Women with Dr. Megan J. Hall

Learning about Learned Medieval Women with Dr. Megan J. Hall

This month we sit down with Dr. Megan J. Hall, assistant director of Notre Dame's Medieval Institute. We speak with her about women's literacy and learning in medieval England, the trials and tribulations of writing an academic article, and why impromptu bell-ringing can reveal the true value of scholarship.

Dr. Hall's contact information can be found through the following links: 

https://medieval.nd.edu/people/director-and-staff/

@meganjhallphd on twitter

https://anchorholdondemand.wordpress.com/

Dec 14, 202239:56
The Exciting Adventures (and Misadventures) of Stained Glass. An Interview with Dr. Rachel Koopmans

The Exciting Adventures (and Misadventures) of Stained Glass. An Interview with Dr. Rachel Koopmans

This month we sit down with Dr. Rachel Koopmans, Associate Professor of History at York University, Toronto. We talk with her about conceptions of the medieval, studying stained glass in books and in person, and gratitude for antiquarians. 

Link to Dr. Koopmans's alumni interview with the Medieval Institute:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQBvYl14k2w&ab_channel=MedievalInstitute

Oct 24, 202243:40
Writing a Book on Used Books. An Interview with Eleonora Celora
Sep 14, 202243:27
Weigh Your Books! An Interview with Dr. Andrew Irving

Weigh Your Books! An Interview with Dr. Andrew Irving

This month we sit down with Dr. Andrew Irving, assistant professor of religion and heritage at the University of Groningen. We talk with him about his journey to Medieval Studies, his work on the 11th century Uta Codex, why one should always weigh their books, and why liturgy is like a Wagnerian opera.


Link to Dr. Irving's lecture on the Uta Codex at the Medieval Institute of Notre Dame:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zh_Tr26LYLQ&t=8s&ab_channel=MedievalInstitute

Aug 22, 202241:08