Procedural Guide
for the graduate field of Medieval Studies
(revised August 2005)

Table of Contents

-- Select a subsection -- --------------------------------- Application and Admissions Process --------------------------------- The Program in Medieval Studies                          ******* - Character of the Program - First Days at Cornell - Special Committee - Fields of Concentration - Courses - Incompletes in Courses - Residence Requirement - Twinning Arrangements - Languages - A-Exam - Dissertation Proposals - Dissertation - B-Exam - Review of Continuing Students - Funding - Teaching - Applying for Jobs --------------------------------- The Role of the Director The Procedural Guide Appendix (Areas of Study)

THE PROGRAM IN MEDIEVAL STUDIES

Fields of Concentration

Students are required to select at least three field areas of concentration (one major and two minor). A student's major concentration and at least one of the minor concentrations must be drawn from the list of concentrations and/or sub-fields in Medieval Studies (see the Appendix below); any other concentrations can be drawn from accepted concentrations in other Fields of the Graduate School . (Some examples of acceptable concentrations in History are “ancient history” and “early modern European history”; in English Language and Literature , a student may declare concentrations in the subfields of “Old English Literature” and “Middle English literature,” for instance.) Students in doubt about whether what they want to study constitutes a “field/subfield of concentration” as recognized by Medieval Studies and the Graduate School should consult the Director.

Students have two options, depending on whether they are specializing in literature or in another discipline:

Students who are specializing in national literature X (Middle English, for example) would have to have at least one minor in a national literature that is not X (e.g., Old French), or in a non-literary discipline.

TRACK 2: OTHER

Students who are specializing in a discipline other than literature are required to have at least one minor field in another discipline. (Students who have a major specialization in history could select a minor in art history, philosophy, literature, philology and linguistics, etc.)

Students are urged to select two fields (one major, one minor) within a given national literature or a given discipline, in order to present themselves as attractive candidates on the job market. A candidate in Old English literature doing a minor in a non-literary discipline or another national literature or language might well pursue a minor in Middle English literature or Old Norse literature. A candidate in History would probably combine his/her medieval history major with either a classical or an early modern history minor, and then do another minor in a medieval studies field of concentration other than history.