MAM: The Medieval Association of the Midwest

REGIONAL AND GLOBAL MEDIEVAL ASSOCIATIONS:

ORGANIZATION, SPONSORSHIP, FUNDING 2004–2005

The following information was compiled by Kristie Bixby.  It describes medieval associations similar to MAM, and notes opportunities for collaboration and organizational structure that our membership should consider as we discuss MAM’s future at this spring’s business meeting:

Australian Early Medieval Association (AEMA) (Pamela O’Neill)

AEMA has been in existence for about a year.  Operating costs are funded from membership fees and subscriptions for an annual journal that is produced from the self-funded annual conference.  AEMA recently appointed a funding project officer to investigate other sources of funds to increase its scope.  AEMA asks MAM’s permission to include a link to MAM’s webpage from theirs.  It would also be interested in keeping up with any news and activities of MAM.  Membership fees are as follows:  $20 entrance fee (once only on joining), $40 annual subscription fee (includes journal), and $20 annual subscription fee (concession) (includes journal).

Delaware Valley Medieval Association (DVMA) (Mark Darby)

DVMA one-day meetings are held four times a year at members’ institutions throughout the tri-state area from 9:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. and include continental breakfast and lunch; three speakers (typically two DVMA members and one invited speaker) present papers of about 50 minutes in length.  Membership fees are $30 regular and $10 student.  Per-meeting charges are $15 non-members, $10 members, and $5 students.  Regular membership includes half-price courtesy privileges at the University of Pennsylvania Library; however, the $10 student membership rate does not cover library-borrowing privileges.  The DVMA also receives occasional gifts.

It’s worth noting, however, that DVMA began as a seminar funded by the Lilly-Pennsylvania fund back in the early 80s, at which time it was subsidized by that group and by Delaware Valley institutions, especially the University of Pennsylvania.  This support included free borrowing privileges from the University of Pennsylvania Library, which was a considerable inducement to join.  Members now have to pay (unless they are in some other consortium), although at a reduced rate.  As a result of the early support, DVMA has some thousands of dollars, maybe as much as $10,000, in the bank.  On a year-to-year basis, it does not add much to this, although the Association is able to convoke four meetings a year without spending beyond what it takes in annually.  Transportation costs are minimal in this (compact) region.

Illinois Medieval Association (IMA) (Anita Riedinger and Mark Amos)

Institutional membership rates are as follows:  Four-year colleges or universities without graduate programs in the humanities are $50 per year, and colleges and universities with graduate programs in the humanities are $100 per year.  Current institutional members of IMA are DePaul University, Dominican University, Loyola University Chicago, Northern Illinois University, Northwestern University, Purdue University, Southern Illinois University, Western Michigan University, University of Chicago, and Xavier University.

Individual memberships for those affiliated with member institutions are as follows:  Student $5, full-time faculty $10, part-time faculty $5, and retired faculty $5.  All other memberships are as follows:  Student $10, full-time faculty $30, part-time faculty $20, and retired faculty $10.

Membership in IMA is required for attendance at and participation in the annual meeting. Those registering from member institutions are able to register at a discount. Students and part-time and retired faculty from member institutions register for $10; full-time faculty from member institutions for $20; registration includes lunch. All categories also pay the annual membership fee when they register if they have not already paid it.  Students and part-time and retired faculty from non-member institutions register for $20; full-time faculty register for $40; registration includes lunch. All categories also pay the annual membership fee when they register, if they have not already paid it.

Proceedings of the Association—Essays in Medieval Studies—are available online, and every electronic issue of EMS is issued in print.  Most of Volumes 1–18 are available for purchase at $25 each, including shipping, for individuals, and $35 each, including shipping, for libraries. Libraries with standing or previous orders with IMA will receive a discount.  Volumes 12–18 are available only tape-bound in cardstock. EMS publishes only papers read at annual meetings.

Medieval Association of the Pacific (MAP) (Phyllis Brown)

MAP came into being in 1966 at the University of California at Davis as an outgrowth of an interdisciplinary conference called “Artistic and Intellectual Relationships in the Middle Ages.”  The first issue of Chronica, published in the fall of 1967, articulated MAP’s purpose: “to facilitate studies in medieval culture and history.”  In February 1968, the University of San Francisco hosted MAP’s first annual conference. By 1969, when Chronica printed MAP’s membership roster for the second time, members’ home institutions were in California, Oregon, Washington, Nevada, Minnesota, Michigan, and New York, as well as British Columbia and Alberta in Canada. Since then the MAP officers and Advisory Council have made sure that the annual meeting moves north, south, east, and central so that no one geographic locale dominates the organization.

Over the years, MAP has been kept alive through the dedicated service of its elected officers: a President, a Vice President, and a Secretary/Treasurer, and twelve councillors, who serve three-year terms staggered so that each year four new councillors replace four outgoing ones. Each president serves two years and then is succeeded by the Vice President. Until 1971, the President was also de facto editor of Chronica; in 1972, the position of editor was added to the list of officers.  MAP is funded by members’ dues and gifts from members.  Over the years it has built up some reserve funds.  Membership dues are as follows:  $50 gift, $35 gift; $25 gift; $25 regular, and $15 student.

Mid-America Medieval Association (MAMA) (Jim Falls)

MAMA was founded in l976 by Jim Falls and two faculty from the University of Kansas.  The Association has an annual meeting, which is held in Kansas City, Missouri, every other year and then moves to one of the other schools in the area for the other year.  The president for the year is the host school.  Jim Falls is the permanent secretary-treasurer.  He previously received funding from the dean for expenses but now generally depends upon registration fees ($10 faculty and $5 student) to cover costs.  There are no annual dues.  Since MAMA is not a very costly operation, it does not require much money.

Rocky Mountain Medieval and Renaissance Association (RMMRA) (Paul Thomas and Isabel Moreira)

RMMRA is primarily funded in three ways:  annual dues (primarily), occasional large gifts from members, and extra support from sponsoring universities during annual conferences.  Dues provide the basic support, and the extra money that usually flows from sponsoring universities and colleges during annual conferences has also played an important role over the years.  The organization is moving toward an electronic journal in order to reduce both dues and outgoing costs.  The current schedule for annual dues is as follows:  $25 graduate student, adjunct faculty, retired, and independent scholar; $35 Assistant Professor; $40 Associate Professor; $45 Full Professor; Joint Membership $XX (appropriate highest level plus $5).  Those taking advantage of the joint membership option will receive all benefits of the society, except for publications; joint members receive only one copy of the membership publications (e.g., Quidditas).

South Eastern Medieval Association (SEMA) (Ordelle Hill)

Funding for SEMA’s annual proceedings journal (from selected papers presented at the annual conference) and for miscellaneous expenses (web site expenses, newsletter, and seed money for the annual conference) comes from its membership dues, which are, and have been for some time, $25.  It has a modest number of library subscriptions ($10 an issue) that helps to offset journal expenses.  The cost for producing the journal is usually between $3,000 and $4,000.  The conference itself is funded by registration dues–$100 this year, though it can vary, depending on whether or not there is a banquet.  Usually, some funding and support are also provided by the host institution.

Texas Medieval Association (TMA) (Donald Kagay)

TMA funding comes completely from the registration fee ($35) and the business lunch fee ($15) for the state meeting, as well as membership dues ($15 faculty and professionals, $10 students).  It does not have a journal, so there is no expense in that regard.  TMA believes that perhaps the time has come for several of the regional associations to engage in joint projects and seek joint funding.

University of South Africa Medieval Association (UNISA Medieval Association) (Leonie Viljoen)

The UNISA Medieval Association is the oldest and most active academic association of the University of South Africa.  Founded in 1985 for the purpose of cross-curricular, inter-disciplinary inquiry into the Middle Ages and an active examination and promotion of the study of this distant period in the history of peoples, cultures and ideas, it has made a major contribution to the promotion of medieval studies, both locally and in the wider South African academic context.  Through its biennial conferences, occasional commemorative seminars and monthly meetings, the association has provided a forum for academics working in this field and, more importantly, stimulated interest among lecturers, students, and the general public.  The association has always maintained close ties with the Medieval and Renaissance Study Group of the Rand Afrikaans University and the South African Association for Medieval and Renaissance Studies, thus fostering collegial academic collaboration and interaction.  The UNISA Medieval Association has also produced a number of excellent publications emanating from its conferences and seminars.

The Association has been successfully running for almost 25 years.  The annual membership fee of 50-00 Rand or $8.54, and participating departments are asked to contribute to venue and administrative costs.  The biennial conferences always make a profit, partly because special assistance is requested from deans for these occasions.  Conference proceedings and other publications also help to keep the organization solvent.  Membership is largely from the general public, and the monthly meetings are mostly attended by them.  Unfortunately, the body of academics interested in the field is shrinking and aging.  The Association has strong ties with the Southern African Society for Medieval and Renaissance Studies and often participates in joint conferences.  These conferences generally tend to make a profit because South Africa’s National Research Foundation sponsors visiting keynote speakers.

MAM 2004 Annual Meeting

The 20^th Annual Meeting of the Medieval Association of the Midwest was held September 24-25 at Northern Michigan University’s University Center in Marquette, Michigan.  Despite the distance for many conferees to travel, over 40 people attended the meeting.

Alan Gaylord, emeritus Henry Winkler Professor of Anglo-Saxon and English Language and Literature at Dartmouth College, delivered a superb plenary address on “Chaucer’s Tragic Romance: Imagining Voices in Troilus and Criseyde” which was appreciated by nonspecialists and Chaucerian experts alike.

Those attending also enjoyed nine other paper sessions, a decadently catered reception with “heavy” hors d’oevres, beautiful weather and a boat tour of the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore after the conference.  Many thanks to all who came, and all who assisted!

Calls for Papers

The absolute deadline for organizers to propose sponsored and special sessions at the 41st International Congress on Medieval Studies is Sunday, May 15, 2005 (well, okay – Monday the 16th).  The deadline for submitting paper proposals to organizers of general sessions advertised in the July Call for Papers is September 15, 2005.  Organizers of Sponsored and Special Session have until October 1, 2005, to submit final session schedules.  Organizers of MAM sessions should submit session proposals to Cynthia Valk before May 15.

If you are thinking of a session, it’s helpful to propose it at the business meeting Thursday evening.  The Congress has made filling out forms for sessions much easier.  These are now located on the web page in PDF format.  You can just fill them out and forward them to Cynthia (email is best).  It is the responsibility of the organizer to fill out the forms.  For more information, contact Cynthia at (734) 671-0111, http://www-instruct.nmu.edu/valac@sbcglobal.net.

***

PMAM (Publications of the Medieval Association of the Midwest) is currently requesting submissions from the members of the Medieval Association of the Midwest for Volume Twelve.  PMAM is a refereed annual journal using MLA documentation styles and dedicated to well-researched scholarship on the Middle Ages.

Articles may (but do not have to) be based on conference papers given in MAM-sponsored conference sessions, and should be 3,000-10,000 words.  Book reviews are also welcome.  For further information and to make submissions (in three copies) for Volume 12, you are invited to contact Dr. Kristen Figg, Department of English, Kent State University-Salem, 2491 SR 45 South, Salem, OH 44460; telephone 317-788-3241/3455; fax: 317-332-9256; email: figg@salem.kent.edu.  For Volume 11, contact Dr. Melvin Storm, Jr., Department of English, Emporia State University, Emporia, KS 66801; telephone: 620-341-5563; fax: 620-341-5547; email: http://www-instruct.nmu.edu/stormmel@emporia.edu.

Back issues are available for $10.00 each.  If requesting airmail or large quantities, the Executive Secretary should be contacted to discuss postage fees.  Orders must be pre-paid with check or money order payable to the Medieval Association of the Midwest.  (Libraries need this illustrious journal!)  For more information and to order, contact Kristie A. Bixby, Executive Secretary, MAM, Academic Affairs & Research, Wichita State University, Wichita, KS 67260, (316) 978-3735, fax (316) 978-3739, kristie.bixby@wichita.edu

***

The Medieval Association of the Midwest 21st Annual Conference will take place Friday and Saturday, September 23-24, at the Public Affairs Center on the campus of the University of Illinois-Springfield.  Keynote speakers will be Joseph Wittig (University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill) and our own Norman Hinton (University of Illinois-Springfield).  The conference hotel is the Baymont Inn, with 50 rooms reserved for conferees at $65/night (be sure to cite the “MAM Conference”): (217) 529-6655.  The deadline for session proposals and paper abstracts is June 15.  For mopre information and to submit proposals and abstracts, contact Karen Moranski, University of Illinois-Springfield, LRH101, One University Plaza, Springfield, IL 62703, (217) 206-7440, http://www-instruct.nmu.edu/moranski.karen@uis.edu.

MAM Professional News

Have you recently finished a dissertation, book, or other major project?  Are you looking for contributors or help on a project?  To announce your latest publications and projects in Nuntia, please supply the following information:

·         Member name, Institution

·         Title of publication OR focus of project

·         Short summary or description (optional)

by e-mail to figg@salem.kent.edu, or in hard copy to Prof. Kristin Figg, Department of English, Kent State University – Salem Campus, 2491 SR 45 South Salem, OH 44460.  This issue’s news:

Dominique Battles, Department of English, Hanover College, has published The Medieval Tradition of Thebes:  History and Narrative in the OF Roman de Thèbes, Boccaccio, Chaucer, and Lydgate (Routledge, 2004).
         

Greg Sadlek has been appointed the Founding Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences at Cleveland State University, with an appointment beginning on July 1, 2005.  He will be leaving the University of Nebraska at Omaha, where he has served in the English Dept. since 1989.

Peter Goodrich has been named a recipient of the “Distinguished Faculty Member” award for 2005 at Northern Michigan University.

Dr. Meredith Clermont-Ferrand of Eastern Connecticut State University has published Anglo-Saxon Propaganda in the Bayeux Tapestry (Studies in French Civilization 33, Edwin Mellen Press).

Tom Capuano, professor of foreign language at Truman State University, continues work on his Diccionario herbario medieval, a dictionary of
medieval Spanish plant terminology.

Kristen Figg and John B. Friedman have published Arts and Humanities through the Eras: Medieval Europe, 814-1450 (Farmington Hills MI: Gale, 2004, 515 pp.).  This reference work, part of a series intended for use in undergraduate and advanced secondary humanities courses, includes a chapter by Laura Hodges (also a MAM member) as well as chapters on architecture, dance, literature, music, philosophy, religion, theatre, and the visual arts. 

John B. Friedman has also published  “‘Monstres qui a ii mamelles  bloe’: Illuminator's Instructions in a MS of Thomas of Cantimpré” in The Journal of the Early Book Society 7 (2004) pp. 11-32; articles on  “Monsters and the Monstrous,” “Demons,” and “Devil” in William Chester Jordan, ed., Supplement to the Dictionary of the Middle Ages (New York: Scribners, 2004); and a review of Geraldine  Heng, Empire of Magic: Medieval Romance and the Politics of Cultural Fantasy in Speculum 79 (October 2004) pp. 1093-94.

Photo Quiz

Last issue’s manuscript illumination of two lovers (modeled on Konrad von Altstetten and lady) was correctly identified by William R. Levin and John Shinners as from the 14^th century Manesse Codex, Pal. germ. 848.  Congratulations, and may each of you enjoy the love of a noble lady!