Welcome to our new Ph.D. Students

The start of a new school year brings us the opportunity to warmly welcome our incoming Ph.D. students:

 

Hannah VanSyckel comes to the MI from the Master of Early Christian Studies program here at the University of Notre Dame. She works on the intersection of culture and language, both within a society and between societies. As a Latinist, Hannah focuses on how Latin texts accommodate the ideas and linguistic expressions of other languages in the Early Medieval Period. She is especially interested in theological development resulting from cross-cultural and cross-linguistic contact.

 

 

 

Francisco J. Cintrón Mattei joins the Medieval Institute from Ohio University. His research centers on the legal status of religious minorities in the medieval Iberian Peninsula and the social dynamics that emerge from the convergence of pluralistic legal systems in medieval societies. Francisco is interested in the social history of Christians living under Muslim rule in the medieval Mediterranean, as well as the development of canon law and Classical Islamic law concerning Muslim-Christian relations.

 

 

 

Spencer Arrowood comes to the Medieval Institute from the Master of Theological Studies program at the University of Notre Dame. His research concerns medieval Christian worship and how the liturgy shaped constructions of time, space, and identity. This includes both Eastern and Western Christian traditions, as well as their mutual relationship. In particular, Spencer is interested in the role of religion in the development of Slavic culture and letters, and the creative engagement of the Slavs with the rest of the medieval world.

 

 

 

The Medieval Institute was the first of its kind in the United States and remains one of the leading centers in North America for the advanced study of medieval culture. The graduate program provides students with superb technical training, but it also equips them with a holistic vision of the Middle Ages, grounded in a mastery of sources and languages and extending to the whole of its life and culture. 

Students in the Medieval Institute pursue the Ph.D. in Medieval Studies, a rigorous, interdisciplinary degree with a focus on one of the classic disciplines: history, Latin or vernacular literature (English, Italian, German, Spanish, French), theology, philosophy, music, or art history. They receive training from leading experts in their field while researching and writing in one of the best libraries in the world for medieval studies.

Graduates of the Medieval Institute are extremely competitive on the job market, and currently hold positions throughout the United States, Canada, and Europe.

The Medieval Institute welcomes applications from students of high academic ability who wish to pursue a career teaching and researching the Middle Ages. Generous fellowship support and light service demands allow students to devote themselves fully to their course of study.