Cornelius Loew Lectures in Medieval Studies
The Cornelius Loew Lectures in Medieval Studies were established by the Board of the Medieval Institute in April of 1986 to honor a distinguished colleague on his retirement after thirty years of service to Western Michigan University.
During those years "Cornie," as he was known to his friends, served as founding Chair of the Department of Philosophy and Religion (1958-64), as Associate Dean then Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences (1964-68, 1968-77), and as Vice-President for Academic Affairs (1977-79). He returned to the faculty as a Distinguished University Professor in 1980 and taught until his retirement in 1986. He passed away on 24 October 1998 at the age of 82.
Offices and dates do not reveal the crucial role Cornie played during his career in the promotion and support of early studies on the campus of Western Michigan University. He was present at the creation of both the Medieval Institute and the Institute of Cistercian Studies. He was a strong supporter of what has become the International Congress on Medieval Studies, and his efforts as Dean and as Vice-President for Academic Affairs enabled Medieval Institute Publications to develop into the vital enterprise it has become.
It is safe to say that were it not for Cornelius Loew's wisdom and counsel at crucial stages in its growth Medieval Studies at Western Michigan University would not have become the vital and distinguished academic enterprise that it is. His commitment was unflagging. His enthusiasm was infectious. His guidance was firm, and generous, and kind. For all his services we thank him, and we remember him by continuing this series of lectures in his name.
Archive of Loew Lectures
(in reverse chronological order)
Sinners, the Moral Body, and the Motif That Dare Not Speak Its Name
Martha Bayless, Univ. of Oregon
March 19, 2008
in connection with English 5550, Chaucer, taught by Eve Salisbury
From Bride of Christ to Devil's Concubine: The Sponsa Christi and Her Fall into the Body
Dyan Elliott, Vanderbilt Univ.
April 5, 2006
in connection with Comparative Religion 5000, Historical Studies, taught by Kevin Wanner
The Theme of Creation in the Commedia
Piero Boitani, Univ. di Roma "La Sapienza")
November 17, 2005
in connection with English 5550, Dante, taught by Eve Salisbury
Food for the Gods in Late Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages
Danuta Shanzer, Univ. of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
April 7, 2005
in connection with Latin 560, Medieval Latin, taught by David Kutzko
The Bigger the Book: The Archeology of the Oversize Manuscript
George D. Greenia, College of William & Mary
October 12, 2004
in connection with Spanish 660, History of the Spanish Language, taught by Pablo Pastrana-Pérez
The Mythological Paradigm and the Opening of Plato's Phaedrus
Francis Newton, Duke Univ.
March 10, 2004
in connection with Medieval 600, Codicology and Latin Paleography, taught by E. C. Teviotdale
How Scaldic Verse Works: The Case of the Extended Metaphor
Roberta Frank, Yale Univ.
November 13, 2003
in connection with English 597, Old Norse, taught by Jana Schulman
New Wine in an Old Bottle: Reconceptualizing the Medieval Aristocratic Family
Amy Livingstone, Wittenberg Univ.
March 12, 2003
in connection with History 612, Medieval France, taught by Robert Berkhofer
North and South in the Medieval Mediterranean: The View from the South
Abraham L. Udovitch, Princeton Univ.
November 21, 2002
in connection with History 550, Medieval Islam, taught by Adam Sabra
Which Rome, Which Jerusalem? Apocalyptic Prophecy and Ottoman Imperialism in the Mediterranean, 1453-1550
Cornell Fleischer, Univ. of Chicago
March 28, 2002
in connection with Religion 500: Shi'a Islam, taught by David Ede
Why Do We Have Alcuin's Letters Anyway?
Donald A. Bullough, Univ. of St. Andrews
November 12, 2001
The Lovesick Deacon and the Crucified Peasant: Two Cases of Medieval Popular Religion
John Shinners, St. Mary's College
March 19, 2001
in connection with Religion 500, Christian Theology to 1500, taught by Jaclyn Maxwell
Piers Plowman and Urban Culture in Medieval England
Andrew Galloway, Cornell Univ.
November 16, 2000
in connection with English 530, Medieval Literature, taught by Eve Salisbury
The Medieval and Renaissance Origins of Civility
Edward Muir, Northwestern Univ.
April 4, 2000
in connection with History 550, Studies in Late Medieval and Early Modern Europe, taught by James Palmitessa
Required Opposites: Women and Men in Twelfth Century Thought
Constance Bouchard, Univ. of Akron
November 8, 1999
in connection with History 612, Medieval France: 10th-12th Centuries, taught by George Beech
The Mint of Venice in the Middle Ages
Alan Stahl, American Numismatic Society
April 13, 1999
in connection with History 550, Medieval Archaeology, taught by Deborah Deliyannis
Dante, Francis, and the Circle of the Sun
William Cook and Ronald Herzman, State Univ. of New York College at Geneseo
November 11, 1998
in connection with English 555, Dante, taught by Thomas Seiler
Confessions of a Committed Translator: The Lost Literature of the Middle Ages
David Staines, Univ. of Ottawa
March 19, 1998
in connection with Medieval 600, Chrétien de Troyes, taught by Molly Lynde-Recchia
On the Road: The Pilgrimage to Compostela
Linda Davidson, Univ. of Rhode Island
November 6, 1997
in connection with Spanish 600, Don Quixote, taught by Robert Felkel
The Medieval Author and His Works
Richard Sharpe, Univ. of Oxford
March 25, 1997
in connection with Medieval 560, Medieval Latin, taught by Timothy Graham
Gerard Horenbout and Associates: Illuminating Activities in Ghent, 1480-1521
Robert Calkins, Cornell Univ.
November 13, 1996
in connection with Medieval 600, Medieval Manuscript Painting, taught by Joyce Kubiski
Augustine in Cyberspace: Confessions of a Global Schoolmaster
James J. O'Donnell, Univ. of Pennsylvania
March 18, 1996
in connection with Latin 560, Medieval Latin, taught by Rand Johnson
Begin the Beguin: Medieval Heresy and its Significance
Robert E. Lerner, Northwestern Univ.
November 6, 1995
in connection with History 620, Heresy and Dissent in Early Modern Europe, taught by Larry Simon
