Unexpected Learning: The Variety of Educational Practices in Medieval Monastic Communities (Eighth- to Twelfth-Century)
Sponsoring Organization(s)
Henri Pirenne Institute for Medieval Studies; Research Unit "Religion and Society in the Early and Central Middle Ages" (RESOMA), Univ. Gent
Organizer Name
Micol Long
Organizer Affiliation
Univ. Gent
Presider Name
Sigbjørn Olsen Sønnesyn
Presider Affiliation
Durham Univ.
Paper Title 1
Will There Be Any Required Reading? The Production and Use of Textbooks in the Carolingian Monastery
Presenter 1 Name
Matthew D. Ponesse
Presenter 1 Affiliation
Ohio Dominican Univ.
Paper Title 2
Finding Space for Learning during the Abbacy of Peter the Venerable
Presenter 2 Name
Marc Saurette
Presenter 2 Affiliation
Carleton Univ.
Paper Title 3
The Emotions of Learning as Attested by Monastic Letters (Eleventh-Twelfth Century)
Presenter 3 Name
Micol Long
Start Date
12-5-2016 10:00 AM
Session Location
Fetzer 2030
Description
Three different approaches to learning and its perceptions offer insights into the way in which monastic learning was integrated into the daily life of the monastery. Firstly, a close examination of the manuscripts of some Carolingian “monastic textbooks” reveals that they were used by monks at various times during the day, rather than solely by masters during formal teaching in the monastic school. Secondly, a survey of the variety of spaces in which twelfth-century Cluniac learning took place shows that, next to the traditional spaces of learning such as the chapter and the church, there were others, less expected places, such as the garret, the subterranean prison and even the cemetery. Finally, an analysis of the emotions often associated with learning in 11th and 12th century monastic letters sheds some light into the social nature of learning, which took place through different kinds of interactions between members of the monastic communities and was inextricably linked to the construction of personal and communal identities.
Micol Long
Unexpected Learning: The Variety of Educational Practices in Medieval Monastic Communities (Eighth- to Twelfth-Century)
Fetzer 2030
Three different approaches to learning and its perceptions offer insights into the way in which monastic learning was integrated into the daily life of the monastery. Firstly, a close examination of the manuscripts of some Carolingian “monastic textbooks” reveals that they were used by monks at various times during the day, rather than solely by masters during formal teaching in the monastic school. Secondly, a survey of the variety of spaces in which twelfth-century Cluniac learning took place shows that, next to the traditional spaces of learning such as the chapter and the church, there were others, less expected places, such as the garret, the subterranean prison and even the cemetery. Finally, an analysis of the emotions often associated with learning in 11th and 12th century monastic letters sheds some light into the social nature of learning, which took place through different kinds of interactions between members of the monastic communities and was inextricably linked to the construction of personal and communal identities.
Micol Long