Seven Lycoming College students expand current understanding of personal and political dynamics in medieval and early modern times by presenting research at the Undergraduate Conference in Medieval and Early Modern Studies. The 11th annual conference was hosted at Moravian College in Bethlehem, Pa., on Dec. 3.
The conference provides students with the opportunity to present their research in a professional setting to peers and faculty from across the region and the country. This year, the conference drew more than seventy student presenters from Missouri to Connecticut.
Led by Cullen Chandler, Ph.D., professor of history, Todd Preston, Ph.D., professor of English, and Len Cagle, Ph.D., professor of German, the Lycoming contingent included the following students and papers:
- Christine Elizabeth Almassy, a junior history major from Fredericksburg, Va., “The Hidden Lives of Women”
- Samantha Chovanec, a junior archaeology major from Blairsville, Pa., “A Fearful Charlemagne: The Mission to Convert the Saxons”
- Sanna Fogt, a junior English major from Alta Loma, Ca., “Troilus and Criseyde and Romeo and Juliet: A Comparative Study”
- Sarah Jaran, a senior comparative literature and French major from Budd Lake, N.J., “Literature’s Role During the Carolingian ‘Renaissance’”
- Channimuth Miller, a junior English major from Lansdowne, Pa., “Women, Freedom, and Power in Chaucerian Works”
- Ali Preston, a junior history major from Edgewater, Md., “Transgender Saints and Transcending Gender”
- Joanna Wagner, a junior history major from Middlebury Center, Pa., “Women in the Carolingian Empire and Muslim Iberia”
“All of their papers garnered compliments from students and faculty alike, and generated interesting discussions both within their panels and throughout the conference as a whole,” said Preston. “These students researched their topics well, and more importantly, analyzed it to craft new ways of thinking that continually broaden our understanding of human relationships and the culture of the period.”
More than 150 students, faculty and historians from about 30 colleges and universities attended the conference. The conference was open to all college students who conducted research about the medieval and early modern periods in any field of study, including art, history, English, philosophy, religion or languages.