Medieval studies fans rejoice! Texas A&M University-Texarkana will attend the 50th International Congress on Medieval Studies at Western Michigan University.

According to a press release,

A&M-Texarkana’s History program enthusiastically announces that its panel proposal was accepted for the 50th International Congress on Medieval Studies at Western Michigan University.

The Congress will convene in Kalamazoo, Michigan May 14th-17th, 2015. The International Medieval Congress is the largest conference on medieval studies world-wide with over 3,000 scholars attending. These scholars come from around the world and have widely varying interests, including history, literature, art, architecture, and religion. In addition to the panel discussions, scholarly societies, publishers, and professionals in those fields come to Kalamazoo to collaborate and exchange research.

The A&M-Texarkana panel this year is entitled "Chivalry and Violence in Medieval Society." Chivalry was a vital part of medieval society, and was a major factor in the development of the institution of knighthood. The panel features scholars from Princeton University, the University of Rochester, Western Michigan University, and an alumna of Texas A&M University-Texarkana, Ms. Courtney (Greig) Hubbart, who is currently pursuing a Master’s degree at Texas Tech University. The panel will be moderated by Dr. Craig M. Nakashian, Assistant Professor of History, from Texas A&M University-Texarkana.

The papers presented will cover a wide range of topics, and Mrs. Hubbart’s paper will address the necessity of violence in a chivalric society. While most modern observers assume that chivalry was a mechanism to restrain violence and to impart “good manners” onto knights, in fact it was a supported by a need to demonstrate one’s violent abilities in warfare (such as bravery and skill with weapons) in order to gain honor.

If you would like more information on the topics, the conference, or the Texas A&M University-Texarkana History program, please contact Dr. Craig M Nakashian at craig.nakashian@tamut.edu.

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