Ballad of the Lone Medievalist, or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Job (A Roundtable)
Sponsoring Organization(s)
Massachusetts State Universities Medieval Blog
Organizer Name
Kisha G. Tracy
Organizer Affiliation
Fitchburg State Univ.
Presider Name
John P. Sexton
Presider Affiliation
Bridgewater State Univ.
Paper Title 1
Panelist
Presenter 1 Name
William Rogers
Presenter 1 Affiliation
Univ. of Louisiana-Monroe
Paper Title 2
Panelist
Presenter 2 Name
Thomas R. Leek
Presenter 2 Affiliation
Univ. of Wisconsin-Stevens Point
Paper Title 3
Panelist
Presenter 3 Name
Emily Leverett
Presenter 3 Affiliation
Methodist Univ.
Paper Title 4
Panelist
Presenter 4 Name
Amber Dunai
Presenter 4 Affiliation
Texas A&M Univ.–Central Texas
Paper Title 5
Panelist
Presenter 5 Name
Máire Johnson
Presenter 5 Affiliation
Emporia State Univ.
Paper Title 6
Panelists
Presenter 6 Name
Catherine A. Rock, Alexandra Sterling-Hellenbrand
Presenter 6 Affiliation
Stark State College, Appalachian State Univ.
Paper Title 7
Panelists
Presenter 7 Name
Sarah Barott, Rachel Munson
Presenter 7 Affiliation
Bemidji State Univ., Bemidji State Univ.
Start Date
12-5-2016 10:00 AM
Session Location
Schneider 1360
Description
The professional reality is that many of us are at institutions at which we are the "lone medievalist," without colleagues who share our areas of expertise and interest. In most cases, a department will hire only a single medieval specialist – and may be hard-pressed to convince administrations or hiring committees to approve even that one. While the advent of digital technologies has brought us the possibility of closer contact and greater collaboration with our fellow medievalists, our resource access, teaching opportunities, tenure cases, and other facets of our professional lives can be affected by our lack of numbers and by questions about the nature and value of what we do. In order to navigate these realities, we should be drawing on our collective experience.
At the 2015 International Medieval Congress, we hosted a roundtable entitled "The Ballad of the Lone Medievalist." It was exceptionally well-attended and various members of the audience raised issues and suggestions that indicated the conversation had only just begun. For this next roundtable, we would like to extend this conversation. This roundtable, as the title suggests, will collect panelists who can provide suggestions and ideas for professional engagement, curriculum planning, and reappointment and tenure cases as the “lone medievalist” in a department or institution. Our intention is that this roundtable will not be a forum simply for bewailing the state of medieval studies in small institutions. Indeed, we anticipate that it will be an opportunity for camaraderie, suggestions, and advice. We intend it to be very forward-thinking and revitalizing as well as helpful to those of us in these positions. It is also a forum for gathering the contact information in order to build a "lone medievalist" support group.
Kisha Tracy
Ballad of the Lone Medievalist, or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Job (A Roundtable)
Schneider 1360
The professional reality is that many of us are at institutions at which we are the "lone medievalist," without colleagues who share our areas of expertise and interest. In most cases, a department will hire only a single medieval specialist – and may be hard-pressed to convince administrations or hiring committees to approve even that one. While the advent of digital technologies has brought us the possibility of closer contact and greater collaboration with our fellow medievalists, our resource access, teaching opportunities, tenure cases, and other facets of our professional lives can be affected by our lack of numbers and by questions about the nature and value of what we do. In order to navigate these realities, we should be drawing on our collective experience.
At the 2015 International Medieval Congress, we hosted a roundtable entitled "The Ballad of the Lone Medievalist." It was exceptionally well-attended and various members of the audience raised issues and suggestions that indicated the conversation had only just begun. For this next roundtable, we would like to extend this conversation. This roundtable, as the title suggests, will collect panelists who can provide suggestions and ideas for professional engagement, curriculum planning, and reappointment and tenure cases as the “lone medievalist” in a department or institution. Our intention is that this roundtable will not be a forum simply for bewailing the state of medieval studies in small institutions. Indeed, we anticipate that it will be an opportunity for camaraderie, suggestions, and advice. We intend it to be very forward-thinking and revitalizing as well as helpful to those of us in these positions. It is also a forum for gathering the contact information in order to build a "lone medievalist" support group.
Kisha Tracy