Medieval Studies

The Medieval Studies Program in English first took form in 1982 as a modest undergraduate minor and has since developed into a vibrant interdisciplinary program with a national and international scholarly reputation of its graduate students and faculty. Our classes provide deep and solid knowledge of medieval languages and literatures situated in their many contexts and nuanced with judicious applications of modern literary theory. In the classroom and in the larger community, the Medieval Studies program blends language, context, and theory to provide world-class training. 

Medieval Studies is a truly interdisciplinary program, with instruction in literature, history, art history, and philosophy. Language courses include Old English (Anglo-Saxon) and Middle English, and students also have access to instruction in medieval Spanish. Our Visiting Scandinavian Scholar program provides access to the world's greatest authorities in Scandinavian and Viking studies, and affiliation with the internationally recognized UNM Institute for Medieval Studies increases that access even further with the Spring Lecture Series, which features nationally and internationally renowned researchers and scholars. Additional events, such as the Science and Medicine seminar series and numerous visiting lecturers, bring a wealth of opportunity and scholarship to Albuquerque.

We are also privileged to work and study in a community that has a deep interest in the Middle Ages, and we are excited to give back to that community in a number of ways, including an Outreach Fellowship program that provides instruction and resources to area secondary schools.

Funding opportunities are also an important part of the Medieval Studies program. Aside from the Teaching Assistantships available to graduate students in the English department, Medieval Studies students are also eligible for positions as Outreach Fellow (see above) and as Graduate Assistant for the Visiting Scandinavian Scholar, providing an opportunity to work even more closely with leading scholars from programs at UC Berkeley, Leeds University, Smith College, and Durham University, among others.

Finally, the strength of the Medieval Studies program is probably best understood through the vibrant student organizations that support our diverse and growing community. The 

Medieval Graduate Students in English (MEGSE) provides a loose network of support for graduate students in the English department, while the 

Medieval Studies Student Association (MSSA) provides an engaging program of activities each semester that simultaneously broadens the educational opportunities of the program itself while encouraging student engagement with the subject. Both groups are also known to have a lot of fun!

Medieval Studies Faculty

Director: Anita Obermeier, Professor

Jonathan Davis-Secord, Associate Professor

Nahir Otaño Gracia, Assistant Professor

Contact Information

For more information on the various degree programs available, please see the IMS website (undergraduate minor) or the Graduate Handbook's description of the Masters and Doctoral programs.. Should you have any questions, please feel free to contact us.

Anita Obermeier
Director of Medieval Studies 
Humanities 321
(505) 277-6347
aobermei@unm.edu

Keelan O'Riley
Graduate Program Advisor
Humanities 267
(505) 277-4437
englishgrad@unm.edu