Professional Career Development Workshop: 'Ad Futuram Rei Memoriam': Using Ecclesiastical Sources - Papal and (Archi-)Episcopal Registers in Research and Teaching - A Wokshop with IMC Leeds
CARMEN discussions on fostering professional careers were seminal in the development of the new professional career development tool organised within the framework and by the International Medieval Congress in Leeds for the first time this year. This workshop has been developed in conjunction with CARMEN with the aim of developing courses for established scholars and early-career researchers alike. The workshop takes place at the end of IMC Leeds on Friday 4 July 2013 in the Parkinson Building: Room 1.08. More information on http://www.leeds.ac.uk/ims/imc/IMC2013/events.html.
Most medievalists find themselves using ecclesiastical sources at some time during their career, and the registers of bishops, archbishops, and popes provide a mine of information on all aspects of medieval life. However, using these sources is not always entirely straightforward and the seemingly simple nature of the information contained in the registers can be deceptive. This workshop will therefore provide participants with the chance to explore some of the theoretical and practical issues involved in working with (archi-)episcopal and papal registers. The basis for the discussion and exercises will be the registers of the Avignon popes (1305-1378) and the archiepiscopal registers of York (1225-1646). Some of the topics of discussion will include papal and episcopal administration, the types of material found in the registers, the role of recipients and procurators, and the question of the survival, transmission, and the availability of editions. The session will give participants a better understanding of the workings of papal and episcopal administration and therefore of the value of ecclesiastical sources for their own areas of research. The workshop will also provide a chance for participants to learn more about the York Archiepiscopal Registers Project.
The topics, as here, have been chosen for their suitability in developing professional careers in Medieval Studies. They offer exposure to research areas or skills that may be tangential to a scholar’s main research, or which may be in research areas that are taught in few postgraduate centres. The benefit to the medievalist may be in acquiring new research skills, or familiarisation with an area that might feature in one’s present or future teaching.
Tutors: Melanie Brunner, Institute for Medieval Studies, University of Leeds and Paul Dryburgh, Borthwick Institute for Archives, University of York