Research
The UMBC Minor in Medieval and Early Modern Studies views the period stretching from the fall of Rome to the dawn of the Enlightenment as crucial to an understanding of the world we know today. With a primary focus on European civilization, where the core of our modern heritage emerged and first flourished, the MEMS program also explores the intimate connections of western cultural centers with the rest of the Mediterranean, particularly the world of Islam, and with Asia via the Silk Road.
Students in the MEMS minor benefit from the expertise of faculty from two core departments–History and English–and several other departments including: Ancient Studies, Africana Studies, Modern Languages, Linguistics and Intercultural Communication (MLLI); Music, and Visual Arts. MEMS faculty carry on research in areas as diverse as Chaucer, Dante, Joan of Arc, Milton, the staging of Shakespeare, Byzantine history, medieval and early modern women, early colonial history in North America, early music, as well as Tang China and the age of the Shoguns.
MEMS at UMBC has the exceptional advantage of long-term relationships with two of the best institutions in the country devoted to these periods, the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, DC, and the Walters Art Museum in Baltimore. In addition to being able to attend public seminars and performances, and to visit the collections, our students have the rare opportunity to apply for research internships at both institutions and to work in collaboration with expert staff.
MEMS faculty members are eager to meet students interested in the medieval and early modern periods. We invite you to speak to us about the program or email the Director, Lindsay Johnson (lmjohnson@umbc.edu).
Graduate Study
Recent UMBC graduates have gone on to pursue graduate study in MEMS subjects at such institutions as Cornell University, York University (England), University of Connecticut, Johns Hopkins University, University of Toronto, University of California, and Catholic University. MEMS Minors can do graduate work at a range of universities with established Medieval and Early Modern Studies centers. To see a list of such universities in the United States, Canada, and abroad, go to http://www.medievalacademy.org/?page=CARA_Affiliates
MEMS Minors can also undertake advanced study through graduate programs in UMBC’s Departments of English; History; Modern Languages, Linguistics, and Intercultural Communication (MLLI); and Language, Literacy, and Culture (LLC).