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Useful Medieval and Renaissance links
RMMRA Newsletter: Fall 2001
If you have provided us with an e-mail
address, the annual RMMRA Newsletter
is coming to you electronically. We do this because escalating journal costs
mean that we must save every cent. If
you cannot print a hard copy and would dearly like a printed copy, please send
your name and address to Charles Smith at c7psmith@hotmail.com. If you are among those receiving a printed
version and would like to help us save future mailing costs, please send us
your e-mail address at c7psmith@hotmail.com.
Other comments are welcome at the same address. The Newsletter
is also available at our website, http://www.uni.edu/~swan/rmmra/rocky.htm
2002 Annual Conference and First Call for Sessions and Papers
The
34th Annual Conference will be held in Las Vegas, Nevada, May 23-25, 2002. Conference Co-chairs are Charles and Elspeth
Whitney, departments of English and History, respectively, University of Nevada
Las Vegas. The theme of the 2002
Conference will be the Presence of the Past.
You
are cordially invited to submit abstracts for papers and session proposals on
the conference theme or on any topic in medieval, Renaissance or early modern
studies. Please send session proposals
or one-page abstracts to Elspeth Whitney at elspeth@nevada.edu or at Department
of History, UNLV, Las Vegas, NV 89154-5020.
If you have questions, contact Charles Whitney at whitney@nevada.edu or
at Department of English, UNLV, Las Vegas, NV 89154. For early response, submit
by January 15, 2002. Deadline for
submission is March 1, 2002.
Plenary
speakers will include Wole Soyinka, Nobel Laureate and Director of Literary
Arts, International Institute of Modern Letters, University of Nevada, Las
Vegas; Terence Hawkes, English, University of Cardiff, Wales; and Diane
Wolfthal, Art History, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona.
"The
Presence of the Past," Professors Whitney explain, "concerns
questions such as these: in what way
are images, artifacts, and institutions of the medieval and early modern
periods part of the contemporary world?
What valid parallels or narratives connect these periods to the world
today? How can we address our own
historical and cultural situatedness?
How did medieval and early modern cultures themselves apprehend and
address the presence of the past?"
Plan
now to attend what promises to be an intellectually stimulating conference in
one of the most entertaining cities in the U.S.
Because
of the rising cost of publishing Quidditas,
the Executive Committee voted to raise annual dues as follows: $25 for graduate students, adjunct faculty,
independent scholars, and retired faculty; $35 for assistant professors; $40
for associate professors; $45 for full professors. For the first time, joint memberships (with one journal) are now
available by adding $5 to the appropriate level. The notice of annual dues will be sent, as last year, with the
final call for papers appearing late in January or early in February.
As
many of you have noticed, our annual journal under the editorship of Sharon
Beehler, English, Montana State, has taken remarkable strides in getting back
to a timely publication schedule with the publication of three volumes. Volume
21 is currently in press at its new location, Truman State, and volume 22
(2001), if it appears before the end of 2002, as we hope, will bring us within
six months of being completely caught up.
Scholars
are invited to submit essays (20-30 pages) appealing to readers of medieval and
early modern disciplines. Please submit
three copies in the Chicago Manual of
Style without your name or other identifying particulars and a covering
letter to Professor Sharon A. Beehler, Department of English, Montana State
University-Bozeman, Bozeman, MT 59717-2300.
The
2001 Conference was held in Fort Collins, Colorado, May 24-26. The Fort Collins Conference continued our
long tradition of excellent papers in an intimate and friendly setting at a
hotel or resort near or in one of the many parks, resorts, or vacation spots
that mark our marvelous Rocky Mountain region.
Participants
heard more than sixty papers on the theme of "Unity and Diversity in the
Middle Ages and Renaissance," enjoyed an evening organ concert given by Robert
Cavarra, Emeritus Professor of Music at Colorado State University, on CSU's
great Cassavant organ, and heard plenary addresses by Steven A. Epstein,
Professor of History at the University of Colorado at Boulder, "Medieval
Constructions of Race and Identity;" by Robert J. Brentano, Sather
Professor of History, University of California--Berkeley, and immediate
past-president of the Medieval Academy, "Autobiography in
Thirteenth-Century Chronicles"; and by Nancy van Deusen, Professor of
Music, Claremont Graduate School, "The Body as Instrument: Music, Shape, and Meaning in the Middle
Ages."
The
banquet honored two of our founders, Allen Dupont Breck and Boyd H. Hill. Allen Breck, our father and founder who
passed away this past year, was eulogized by Charles P. Carlson, Jr., long-time member of the Association and
Professor Emeritus, History, University of Denver. Harry Rosenberg congratulated our founder Boyd H. Hill on
advancing to Professor Emeritus, History, University of Colorado at Boulder, and
Professor Hill then briefly honored the members present with his customary wit
and insight.
Harry
Rosenberg, History, CSU, and Charles R. Smith, President-elect and Emeritus,
English, CSU, were conference co-chairs.
The co-chairs again thank all who attended, the plenary speakers, the
CSU College of Liberal Arts and its departments supporting the conference, and
those who helped at the registration desk, Barbara Lakin, Emeritus, English,
CSU; Alexander Pyle, USDA, Graduate Student, and Computer Wizard; and Patricia
Smith, Associate Professor, CSU Libraries.
2001 Annual Conference Luncheon
Members
attending the annual conference luncheon unanimously elected three new members of the RMMRA Executive
Council: Joseph Parry, Humanities,
Classics, and Comparative Literature, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah;
Jesse Swan, English, University of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls, Iowa; and Jane
Woodruff, History and Languages, William Jewell College, Liberty,
Missouri. Stan Benfell, History,
Brigham Young University, was unanimously elected to a second term on the
Council and Phebe Jensen, English, Utah State University, has consented to
serve an additional year. The
Association is grateful to these members for their willingness to serve and
expresses its gratitude to retiring President, Nancy Gutierrez, Associate Dean,
Arts and Sciences, Arizona State, and to retiring members of the Council, Jack
Owens, History, Idaho State and Isabel Moreira, History, University of
Utah. Special thanks go to Jack Owens
for continuing to facilitate communication among members of the Council as
List-Serve Administrator, to Jesse Swan for his service as RMMRA Web Site
administrator, and to Nancy Gutierrez for single-handedly carrying out a summer
membership drive.
Members
also joined to congratulate our esteemed colleague, friend, scholar, and past
president of the Association, Sara Jayne Steen, who won the initial Delno C.
West Award and its beautiful plaque for the best paper by a senior scholar at
the 2000 convention.
The
2001 Breck Award for the best paper given at the annual conference by a younger
scholar has been awarded to Marie A. Kelleher, Ph.D. Candidate, History,
University of Kansas, for her fine paper, "Clerics' Concubines, and the
Case for a Legal History of Women."
Reviewers spoke of the polish of her paper, the quality of her
historical analysis, her perceptive engagement in the act of writing
history, her rigor and
sensitivity, her ability to participate
in and to meditate on the discourse of history, and the immense potential her
paper shows of her ability to contribute to her discipline.
The
number and quality of the submissions this year meant that many deserving
presenters and papers went unrecognized.
The Association is grateful to all those who submitted papers for the
Breck award and to the four members who undertook the onerous task of selecting
the winner from among the fourteen submissions.
2001 Delno C. West Award:
The
2001 West Award for the best paper given at the annual conference by a senior
scholar has been awarded to Professor Richard G. Mann, Department of Art, San
Francisco State University, for his paper "El Greco's Synthesis of
Byzantine and Renaissance Conceptions of Art." The reviewing committee spoke of Professor Mann's superb general
argument, his paper's enlightening discussion of interpretive practice, its
remarkable discovery of El Greco's fingerprint, and its fine presentation. Professor Mann will be presented with a
plaque at the 2002 Conference in Las Vegas, and his paper will appear in Quidditas 22 (2002). The
Association is grateful to those who submitted their work for this challenging
competition and thanks the three members who conducted the review.
2003 and 2004 Conferences
The
2003 conference will be held in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and will be hosted by Colorado College
and organized by professors Carol Neel and Regula Evitt.
The
2004 conference will return once again to Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and is hosted
by the University of Wyoming and organized by English professors Susan Frye and
Susan Aronstein.
Please
consider, especially this year, making a tax-free contribution toward the
support of the Association and its journal.
Rising publication costs mean that we must begin now to supplement our
annual income with contributions.
As
a mark of our deep gratitude to supporters, each annual volume of Quidditas, starting with volume 22
(2001) will recognize all contributors as follows: Benefactors ($200 and up), Patrons ($100 or more), Sponsors ($50
or more), Contributors (up to $50).
This appeal will become an annual feature of the fall Newsletter.
If you can offer any
sum, large or small, please fill out the form below:
____________________________________________________________________________________________
RMMRA
Tax-Free Contribution Form
Name:
Position
and University Affiliation (if applicable):
Preferred Mailing
Address:
E-mail Address:
Amount Enclosed: $__________
Return this form with
your contribution to Susan Aronstein, RMMRA Treasurer, Department of English, University
of Wyoming 82071.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________