Medieval Institute

Medieval Institute
Western Michigan University
Kalamazoo MI 49008-5432 USA
(269) 387-8745

Current Graduate Students

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Students pursuing the Master of Arts in medieval studies at Western Michigan University come to the Medieval Institute from a variety of educational backgrounds and from throughout the United States. Meet our current students and find out more about their research interests below.

Graduate students also have the opportunity to join the Goliardic Society and connect with their medievalist peers at WMU.

Our Current Students

If you are applying to the M.A. program and would like to be in touch with currently enrolled students, please contact us.

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Spencer Bennett

B.A., religious studies and philosophy, University of California, Santa Barbara
Interests: old Nordic religions; medieval Icelandic literature; mythology; theory and methodology in religious studies; hermeneutics 

 

 

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Andrew Borre

B.A., history with minors in classical civilization and medieval and early modern studies, University of Michigan
Interests: medieval warfare and strategy; Norse and Celtic mythology; royal/imperial families and governments; biographies of influential figures; medieval women and marriage patterns

 

 

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Alex Corpuz (they/them) 

B.A., German languages and literatures and medieval and Renaissance studies, The Ohio State University
Interests: Germanic languages; historical linguistics; book history; material culture; daily life in medieval Scandinavia; gender theory; history of identities

 

 

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Oliver McKay (he/him)

B.S.S., European cultural history, Cornell College
Interests: graffiti and spatial interactions; forms of writing; Classical influence on medieval culture; queer history; everyday life 

 

 

 

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Melanie Olmstead (she/her)

B.A., history and religious studies with a minor in museum studies, The College of Wooster 
Interests: medieval Christianity; late medieval England; materiality; popular material culture; popular religion; pilgrimage and pilgrim badges; changes in religious life brought by the Reformation

 

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Sophie Smith (she/her)

B.A., English literature and classical languages, Wheaton College (IL)
Interests: language and literature of early medieval England; interaction of pre-Christian and Christian beliefs; Germanic philology; concepts of heroism; historical textiles

 

Goliardic Society

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The Goliardic Society is an independent social organization run by the graduate students of the Medieval Institute. The mission of the society is to facilitate camaraderie among students, faculty and friends while enhancing the academic environment of the Institute and the medievalist community of Kalamazoo through various donations, volunteer work and scholarly activities. It is open to any graduate student with an interest in medieval studies, including but not limited to students at the Institute, the English department and the History department. Reach out with any questions to @email.