The 61st International Congress on Medieval Studies will take place Thursday, May 14, through Saturday, May 16, 2026.
Registration is open!
TEAMS-Sponsored Sessions at ICMS 2026
Mark your calendars and join us at these sessions at K’zoo this year.
༺═───────────────༻༺──────────────═༻
Session 23, Thursday, May 14, 8:30-10am, Sangren Hall 4715
Ugly Is as Ugly Does: Physiognomy as Signifier in Medieval Literature and Culture
Presider: Deborah Sinnreich-Levi
· “The Physiognomy of the Demonic: Portraits of Saracens in the Chansons de geste and Le jeu de S. Nicolas,” Joel N. Feimer, Independent Scholar
· “Marked by the Body: Ugliness, Otherness, and the Semiotics of Appearance in Medieval Literature,” Georgina Z. Crespi, Univ. of Reading
· “Monstrous Children in Norwegian Medieval Law Codes,” Torgeir Landro, NLA Høgskolen
· “(Trans)Formative Monstrosity and the "Ugly" Wyrm's Turn: Eleanor Rykener and John Mandeville in Dialogue,” Johanna W. Alden, Boston College
༺═───────────────༻༺──────────────═༻
Session 239, Friday, May 15, 1:30-3pm, Waldo Library 1070 (Multipurpose Room)
Ludic Lessons (A Roundtable)
Presiders: Clint E. Morrison Jr., Univ. of Texas–Austin & Thomas C. Sawyer, Univ. of Chicago
· Arielle C. McKee, Wake Forest University
· Melissa Ridley Elmes, Lindenwood University.
· Mary A. Valente, Appalachian State University
· Antonia DiNardo, Univ. of North Carolina–Chapel Hill
· Tamara J. McCarty, Arkın Yaratıcı Sanatlar ve Tasarım Üniv. Top of Form
༺═───────────────༻༺──────────────═༻
Session 276, Friday, May 15, 3:30-5pm, Waldo Library 3016 (Multipurpose Room)
If We Ever Get out of Here: Teaching Medieval Studies in a Shifting Political Landscape
Presider: Bonnie Wheeler, Southern Methodist Univ.
Respondent: Larissa "Kat" Tracy, Univ. of Maryland–Baltimore County
· “Teaching the Conflicts: Medievalists, Public Medievalists, and Medievalism-ists and Their Classrooms,” Richard Utz, Georgia Institute of Technology
· “Leaning in to the DEI Debate: The Responsibility, Power, and Influence of Senior Faculty in Medieval Studies,” Dorsey Armstrong, Arthuriana / Purdue Univ.
· “Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes at a State Flagship University,” Julie Human, Univ. of Kentucky
༺═───────────────༻༺──────────────═༻
Session 354, Saturday, May 16, 1:30-3pm, Sangren Hall 1310 / Hybrid
The TEAMS / Bonnie Wheeler Session: Christine de Pizan on the Seductions of Chivalry in the Dit de Poissy and Epistre Othea
Presider: Deborah Sinnreich-Levi, TEAMS
Christine's choice of a conventional love-debate poem to present original techniques and ideas will be discussed.
· Christine de Pizan's Dit de Poissy: "Un si bel lieu, si bien ordonne": A Medieval Heroine Seduced by Dominican Moral Virtues,” Kandace Brill Lombart, Independent Scholar
· “The Epistre Othea as the Framing Context for Christine de Pizan's Treatment of Chivalry in Her Lyric Poetry,” Earl Jeffrey Richards, Bergische Univ. Wuppertal
· Suzanne Hélène Savoy, Independent Scholar, will read excerpts from her translation of le dit de Poissy and Blumenfeld-Kosinski/Richards' translation of l'epistre Othea to explore Christine's depiction of chevaliers in these two works published in 1400.
༺═───────────────༻༺──────────────═༻