Chronica XI - April MMXXVI

Message from the Associate Director: Renée Trilling
Conference - Transmission Adaptation and Variation in Early Medieval English Literature: Tristan Major, Megan Cavell, Matthew Reid
Work In Medieval Studies: Sam MacPhee, Seán Stewart, Susan McElcheran, James Nowak, Morgan Moore, Jamie Collings
Alumni Profile: Faith Wallis
In Memoriam: Danielle Joyner, by Tuija Ainonen
Alumni Programme: 2026-2027 Programme, MST 1003, Celebrating Alumni, MAA 2027
Photos
Community Updates
Publications
Summer Latin

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Message from the Associate Director

In April, the pace of life at the Centre for Medieval Studies begins to change as classes wind down, papers and exams are written, grades are marked, and students and faculty alike begin to drift off to their summer plans. We’ve just had our final lectures and receptions for the academic year and are preparing for the new rhythms of research and study outside of term time. 

Conference travel is taking us all over the world. CMS will have a sizable contingent at the International Medieval Congress in Kalamazoo, including graduate students Zina Uzdenskaya, Matthew Reid, Sam MacPhee, Morgan Moore, Thomas Kalil, Claudia Graniero, Martha Culshaw, and Jamie Collings. Rebecca Onken will represent us at the Canadian Society of Medievalists’ annual meeting in Nova Scotia, and Bard Swallow will do the same at the John Gower Society in Alicante. Kara Gaston, Sebastian Sobecki, Renée Trilling, Dorothea Kullmann, and Wynn Martin will stake CMS’s claim at the New Chaucer Society in Freiburg, while Brianna Daigneault and Dorothea Kullmann are taking Professor Kullmann’s SSHRC-funded project, Books of Hours in Canada, to a conference in Leiden. In Rome, Martin Pickavé will share work on “Thomas Aquinas as Philosopher”, and Riccardo Macchioro will do the same for medieval sermon studies in Nijmegen. Rui Xu is headed to St. Louis for the Annual Symposium on Medieval and Renaissance Studies, and Cillian O’Hogan is off to the Celtic Conference in Classics in Maynooth. Many are combining these conferences with time in archives and museums, or running workshops and symposia with collaborators abroad, in Italy, France, Austria, Switzerland, England, and Wales. 

And, there is plenty of knowledge to be gained closer to home, too. Once again, CMS will be hosting its Summer Latin Program, to be held entirely online this year. Students from all over will build up their competencies in medieval Latin through Beginning Latin and Latin Level One and Two. Professor O’Hogan is running a Jackman Humanities Institute Scholars-in-Residence project on Prudentius, training the next generation of undergraduates to become effective and capable humanities researchers through an intensive and highly selective four-week fellowship program. Renée Trilling and Tristan Major will host a two-day conference on Transmission, Adaptation, and Variation in Early Medieval English Literature at CMS in mid-May, and the Canadian Society for Patristic Studies, featuring Riccardo Macchioro, will come to Toronto at the end of May.

This is just a sampling of the kinds of activities that our members will be up to this summer, but it’s a good indication of why the Centre can boast such a vibrant intellectual community. These summer pursuits prime CMS faculty and students to bring their experiences into our classes and conversations here in Toronto all year long, and we can’t wait to see what we’ll learn when we’re all together again in September.

- Renée Trilling
CMS Associate Director / Angus Cameron Professor of Old English

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Transmission

Tristan Major, Reference Manager and Associate Fellow, PIMS / Adjunct Professor, CMS on the SSHRC-Funded Transmission Adaptation and Variation in Early Medieval English Literature Conference

 

As with many Canadian universities in the early 2000s that employed faculty originally trained at CMS, the small institution where I undertook my undergraduate studies offered a robust range of courses on medieval topics. It was there that Dr. Michael Treschow

(CMS PhD 1999) led me through my first steps in Old and Middle English. But more importantly, he taught me how to conduct medieval studies through a multi- and interdisciplinary lens that interprets the Middle Ages as a holistic, intertwined, though very complex, period of intellectual history. In hindsight, medieval studies at Okanagan University College (now University of British Columbia Okanagan) had become a kind of provincial offshoot of Étienne Gilson’s original program in Toronto. Naturally, when I came to CMS, I continued my studies in a similar vein, never really thinking of myself as an “Anglo-Saxonist,” but always a “Medievalist,” who happened to focus on how the Old English and Latin literature of England informed and was informed by much broader European intellectual and cultural developments.

Years later, when I first sat down with Renée Trilling for coffee one morning soon after her arrival, I assumed we would spend most of it gossiping, but Renée has a tendency to bring out the best in people, and after about an hour, we had already hashed out a few general ideas for a conference we were now determined to organize. The multi- and interdisciplinary spirit of CMS guided most of our thinking, as we put forth ideas on multilingualism, translation theory, the question of genre, cross-Channel interactions, networks, and paratexts, among others.

But a lot of our discussion also focused on the recent self-reflections currently happening among scholars of early medieval England. The fundamental terminology of the field was being reassessed, as was its geographical and chronological scope. It was becoming increasingly difficult to see medieval England as isolated in its culture, history, inhabitants, and even languages. Perhaps due to this new uncertainty among scholars of a traditionally clearly classified field, there was far less public activity presenting and addressing these new problems, even if scholarship had begun to adopt much more outward-looking perspectives. We decided that the time was ripe for a conference of international scholars to come together and discuss early medieval England as a period of transmission, adaptation, and variation. 

Over the following months, Renée and I were able to put together a cohesive conference proposal that would attract some of the best scholars in the world working on early medieval England in this new era. Our call for papers was readily received and from the accepted abstracts, we were able to shape a program that, thanks to a SSHRC Connection Grant, will exhibit some of the most exciting work on pre-Conquest intellectual history being done around the world today. After the conference, we will also be publishing a volume of collected essays by the speakers, based on the papers presented. Our hope is that this conference and the subsequent publication will be a turning point that reflects the state of the field and promotes a more malleable understanding of the period for future research.

Although this conference was the result of that first morning coffee (and of many afterwards), we have many other exciting plans that will contribute to and enhance the study of early medieval England at Toronto, especially as the forefront for understanding the Middle Ages through that multi- and interdisciplinary lens that first brought me to my studies of the period.

- Tristan Major
Reference Manager and Associate Fellow, PIMS; Alumnus / Adjunct Professor, CMS

 

As an undergrad studying English, I quickly realized that I wanted to be a medievalist. I signed up for all the medieval courses on offer and filled my optional credits with Icelandic sagas and Latin. It felt inevitable that I’d end up at CMS for my MA. There, I was

welcomed into a cohort of enthusiasts who were as enthralled with Old English poetry and as determined to become fluent in Latin as I was. Apart from Toni Healey’s wonderful Beowulf course and many chocolate-fuelled writing sessions, my MA is now a blur, but I was very lucky to return for my first academic job as a SSHRC postdoctoral fellow. My office was across the hall from Fabienne Michelet, who took me under her wing as we organized the inaugural Toronto Old English Colloquium together. My postdoc went by far too quickly, and I haven’t been back to the Centre since before the pandemic. 

I’m truly delighted to be returning for Renée Trilling and Tristan Major’s conference in May. My research on Old English poetry has long since developed into a fascination with Latin riddles, which I work on with Jennifer Neville (another U of T alumna). At the conference, we’ll be speaking about the Latin riddles of Boniface and especially the way this 8^th-century writer adapted poetry by his role model, Aldhelm, to create a collection of riddles voiced by allegorical women. I’m looking forward to talking with the other delegates about everything from Latin philology to adaptation theory because CMS is uniquely good at bringing together the old and the new. I can’t wait to be back!"

- Megan Cavell
Associate Professor, University of Birmingham
CMS Alumna

 

My research focuses on the reception of late antique Latin poetry in early medieval England. I am interested in thinking about reception as a dialogic activity. My dissertation uses Mikhail Bakhtin’s critical vocabulary and theoretical framework of dialogism to show how different modes of reception—translation, genre, intertexts, glosses—can be reinterpreted through such a lens. This aligns well with many of the themes of the conference, especially around transmission and adaptation. I will be talking about the glosses on Prudentius’ Contra orationem Symmachi in a Durham Cathedral Library manuscript and how the manuscript page itself facilitates a two-way dialogue. Typically, glosses are read for how they impart meaning or learning to a reader, whereas my approach reverses this relationship and asks, "how does the manuscript page and its glosses change the meaning of the text by resituating it in a new dialogic context?"

I am hopeful to learn from so many excellent scholars in the field. The scheduled talks cover a wide range of topics on the conference’s theme, which should make for a fruitful and intellectually stimulating experience. I do hope to receive some good and challenging critical feedback after my talk, especially since I am now working on the dissertation chapter directly relevant to it.

- Matthew Reid
CMS PhD Candidate

Transmission Adaptation and Variation in Early Medieval English Literature

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Work In Medieval Studies

 

"The WIMS (Work In Medieval Studies) Committee is a student-run forum where any graduate student in the University can sign up to present their research on the Middle Ages. The audience is comprised only of peers, with no professors in sight. Many students

use WIMS as a low-stress, low-formality way to prepare for conferences, or simply to practice their public speaking. Works in progress are welcome and even encouraged. Snacks are always provided, too!

I joined the WIMS Committee because I believe we're at our best when we support each other. Presenting one’s research to the scholarly community can be intimidating or even nerve-racking, so it is valuable for students to have a place to practice where the stakes are lower and the faces more familiar. Besides, even if you're a natural public speaker, presenting at WIMS allows you to hear feedback from a diverse body of student medievalists. 

My favourite aspect of WIMS is learning more about my peers’ areas of expertise. The beauty of an interdisciplinary program like CMS is that we’re united by passion rather than prerequisites (well, other than Latin!) For example, I study the Renaissance humanists, but from this year's WIMS sessions, I’ve learned about English Brut chronicles, Wolfram von Eschenbach, the Catalan Civil War, The Cloud of Unknowing, how laypeople prepared to die in late-medieval Tournai, Nicholas of Cusa’s use of polyphony, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, and more. I can't wait to see what next year's WIMS has in store!"

- Samuel MacPhee
CMS Student

"I joined the WIMS Committee first and foremost out of curiosity, to know what my fellow graduate students are up to, especially in areas of inquiry very different from my own. I felt that I could help younger graduate students develop the skills to effectively communicate their research to an interested but uninformed listener like myself. Having attended and spoken at a number of conferences over the years, both online and in person, I have a good idea of what makes a presentation engaging, beyond merely reading an article at the audience.

The most important aspect of WIMS, for me, is that it has the lowest possible stakes. There are no professors or supervisors, and (probably) few to no experts in the specific topic of the presentation. We are all there to listen and provide support and a bit of constructive feedback. Further, welcoming graduate students from outside the CMS community extends our range, allowing us to meet and build connections with people in other graduate units that a Latinist like me otherwise would, in all likelihood, never meet."

- Seán Stewart
CMS PhD Candidate

"I saw a notice about WIMS in the CMS newsletter. I was interested because my dissertation relates a 14^th-century text, The Cloud of Unknowing, with issues in the study of intellectual disability. I was warmly welcomed, enjoyed the discussion, and was invited to

present at the next meeting. I found the group asked helpful questions and gave constructive feedback that helped me in preparing my paper for a conference. Altogether a great experience!"

- Susan McElcheran
PhD Candidate, Regis St. Michael's Faculty of Theology

Last fall, I wrote a paper for Professor John Haines' Medieval Liturgy seminar, which eventually turned into two conference presentations, exemplifying how the collective knowledge and goodwill at CMS propelled and enriched my own thinking. After writing the paper, I

noticed calls for graduate conferences in the CMS newsletter, so I submitted some abstracts. They were accepted to the Vagantes Conference on Medieval Studies (at Rochester this year) and the Princeton Medieval Graduate Conference. 

To prepare, I presented at WIMS, getting significantly helpful feedback. I presented a “workshop” version at Princeton, made revisions, and then read a much-improved paper a few weeks later at Vagantes. I was truly surprised by how much fun I had at the conferences and how helpful it was to converse with other graduate students.

I could not have written the paper without the support available at CMS: Professor Haines encouraged my initial interest and helped me to pursue a topic I’d never studied before. Colleagues in the Medieval Liturgy seminar discussed the idea, as did other students in the Great Hall and at WIMS. The librarians at the Faculty of Music aided in locating texts when a major database went down, and PIMS Mellon fellow Alessandra Ignesti helped me find digital images of the Trent Codices. Finally, the CMS email newsletters alerted me to the conference in the first place. I’d heard before that grad students should aim to turn their seminar essays into conference papers; the environment at CMS naturally helped me do that."

- James Nowak
CMS Student

Special thanks to James Nowak for suggesting this story for the Chronica!

This May, I will be attending the 61^st International Congress on Medieval Studies at the University of Western Michigan in Kalamazoo, known by most medievalists as "Kalamazoo", one of the two big annual conferences in our field. I'm excited, because while I've been before, this will be my first time giving a paper. It's going to be the biggest conference where I've ever presented, and I’ll have the chance to meet different medievalists from all over the world!

I'm presenting work from the last chapter of my dissertation, so preparation has been very helpful in narrowing it down and finding arguments that will be most interesting and valuable to other scholars of medieval performance. I've participated in WIMS, and will be presenting again at the next meeting. I'm drawing on work I've done with Professor Matt Sergi, in my translation and staging of the medieval Welsh play The Strong Man this past fall, and on many hours of conversation with my supervisor, Professor Will Robins, on manuscript materiality and rolls, in connection with the Middle English Dux Moraud manuscript.

Participating in conferences is great. It's always a boost for my research, having to focus on communicating my ideas effectively and clearly to an interested audience. It gives you the chance to see people you may have known for years, but only rarely get to see. It's also an excellent way to make connections and learn about new research!

- Morgan Moore
CMS PhD Candidate

I’ll be delivering a piece on the Cistercian Art History panel at Kalamazoo, a more refined version of my Convivium lecture last November, entitled “Tiles and the Role of Geometricity in Later 12th- and 13th-Century

Cistercian Spiritual Practice”. Then, I visit Dublin in June to present a paper on spiritual neutrality in Cistercian accounts of the Norman conquests of the British Isles called, “On both sides of the fence: spiritual neutrality in twelfth-century Cistercian narrative”.

I hope that both conferences will give me the chance to have my ideas tested and refined even further by experts in the fields. Our own CMS faculty are world-class, but medieval research is often so intensive that your field is related only genealogically to that of your peers and colleagues; conferences are a good way to find people who work either on identical subject matter or use interdisciplinary methods which can be applied to your own. I think of conferences as a testing ground for one’s luck: an unusual critique, a friendly expert, or an enjoyable conversation can save you months of pondering and research.

- Jamie Collings
CMS PhD Candidate

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Alumni Profile

My "academic journey" is really a cascading series of experiences of love at first sight. For my twelfth birthday, my aunt gave me Constance Hieatt's children's adaptation of the Canterbury Tales. I was instantly captivated by the illustration accompanying the Introduction, based on the folio of the Ellesmere Chaucer that depicts Chaucer on horseback, pointing to the Tale of Melibee. I was smitten. I read everything I could about the Middle Ages and was not discouraged even when my own attempt to produce an illuminated manuscript ended, as might have been predicted, in failure. 

A second big love-at-first-sight moment came while leafing through M.E. Evans' Medieval Drawings in my early days at PIMS. There I discovered "Byrhtferth's Diagram", an unusual 12th-century schema showing the elements, seasons, cardinal directions and stages of human life, all surrounded by the months and signs of the zodiac. I rushed to the office of Fr. Boyle and breathlessly announced that I wanted to write my dissertation on the Diagram. Fr. Boyle calmed me down and quietly suggested that I should find out something about the manuscript context of this image, so I ordered a microfilm of the codex. I shall never forget the evening I spent in front of the ancient microfilm reader in the basement of Massey College, scrolling through the dozens of incomprehensible tables, schemata, maps and texts in this 12^th-century "album of science". Fr. Boyle was, of course, absolutely correct; I had to understand the ecology of knowledge in which the Diagram was embedded. So, I taught myself computus by translating Bede's De temporum ratione, and wrote my dissertation on Oxford, St John's College MS 17 as an exemplary representative of the widespread genre of computus compilation. But there were also medical materials in the manuscript, so on my weekends home in Montreal, I went to McGill’s Osler Library for the History of Medicine to research their origins and contents. And this was love-at-first-sight number three, for I was totally captivated by this rich and unique library. After I received my doctorate, I became head librarian of the Osler Library for the first seven years of my career. The pull of medieval medicine proved irresistible, and here I am, in love again.

My experience at PIMS and the Centre for Medieval Studies had an incalculable impact on my growth as a scholar. The interdisciplinary training gave me confidence that I could read any medieval manuscript set before me; that I could, with a good library and perseverance, trace any quotation or allusion; and that I could grasp the cultural, historical, and intellectual milieu in which a manuscript or a text was created. It also taught me

how to teach. One day, I went to Fr. Jeauneau's office to ask for his help in locating a sentence ascribed to Augustine. Instead of just telling me what to do or where to look, Fr. Jeauneau put on his cap and overcoat and escorted me over to the PIMS Library. He then proceeded to solve the problem himself, by walking me from reference work to reference work, talking all the time about what he was doing and why. In the end, of course, he found the source. But I found something more precious: the incomparable value of modelling (rather than simply prescribing) the research process for one's students.

- Faith Wallis
Professor Emerita at the Department of History & Classical Studies / Department of Social Studies of Medicine at McGill University / CMS Alum (PhD 1985)

 

 

 

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In Memoriam

Danielle Joyner

I met Danielle when I arrived in Toronto in the summer of 1999. In my first class (Latin!) I mentioned that I needed to find accommodation, as I only had a place arranged for my first three weeks. Danielle was looking for a housemate at the same time and was quick to

offer me a space. We ended up sharing the house at 210 Ashworth for the first year of our PhD studies, until in summer 2000, when she informed me that she’d be leaving Toronto (with great regret, she commented) to follow her professor to Harvard.

Sharing academic life with Danielle for me was inspiring, and all about Latin—together, separate, in groups, at home, at the library, in the Centre for Medieval Studies’ lounge at 39 Queen’s Park Crescent East. Our interests were different, but we both shared the determination and desire to improve our Latin to the high standards of CMS. 

As housemates in 210 Ashworth, we shared a house that was slowly falling apart. Danielle impressed me with her good humour and practical mind in the face of adversities (think of raccoons ripping away the roof, an uninsulated kitchen in Toronto winter, a blocked sewage drain, etc.). I could rely on her to know what to do, who to contact, and get the issue fixed. She was an easy-going person, ready to laugh and never cross with me—even when she was facing the Mystery of Disappearing Bananas. She could not bake any banana bread until she gently mentioned that she wanted to over-ripen the bananas deliberately!

Vagantes Conference started from an idle discussion about not wanting to lose touch after her move to Harvard. Danielle’s infectious energy ensured that we got a critical mass on board at CMS, committed to donating time and effort to get the conference off the ground. Danielle took her energy to Harvard, and soon enough, we had the first three conferences planned. We met for the first time at Harvard in 2002 with Danielle as Conference Chair, then Toronto 2003 and Cornell 2004, by which time the conference took off its current independent life, just as we had envisioned. 

Danielle, you gave me a home in Toronto, you took me in as a friend and showed me the fun and joy of sharing. We learned together that receptions at private residences rely on punctuality, but we ought to postpone our arrival at least half an hour from the stated time. I remember your beautiful piano-playing, us chilling on the couch, talking about the future and our hopes and dreams, the softball fields, and our house party with the worry over the devilled eggs and cold enough drinks. You left us too soon, but I am consoled by the knowledge that you were living your hopes and dreams."

Sit tibi terra levis.

- Tuija Ainonen
Corpus Christi College, University of Cambridge

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Alumni Programme

The 2026-2027 Alumni Programme is open for registration! Stay connected with CMS through mentoring, guest speaking, and networking opportunities. Open to all Centre graduates of both the MA and PhD programs, those working in or outside of academia, the Alumni Programme offers a platform for promotion, collaboration, and new learning opportunities and exchanges.

2026-2027 Alumni Programme

We look forward to hearing from you and working together to shape the future of medieval studies!

MST 1003

The MST 1003 Professional Development course allows students to make the most of their PhD, preparing them for the transition from university to post-graduation reality. Interested Alumni may be invited as guest speakers, providing an overview of non-scholarly skills, from funding and academic challenges to career alternatives, all with a focus on the uncommon difficulties faced by students in this interdisciplinary field of study. 

Thank you to this year’s Alumni who participated in the program:

• Laura Moncion (PhD 2024) Coping With Academic Stress
• Andrew Dunning (PhD 2016) Funding, Grants, Bursaries, Fellowships
• Hannah Weaver (MA 2014) The Academic Job Search
• Talia Zajac (PhD 2017) Postdocs
• Lochin Brouillard (PhD 2021) The Teaching Portfolio
• David Gugel (PhD 2016) Careers beyond the professoriate in the public and private sectors

Celebrating Alumni

• Mary Dzon (PhD 2004) received the 2026 Bonnie Wheeler Fellowship Award and was appointed the Visiting Fellowship at Clare Hall, University of Cambridge.
• Kirsty Schut (PhD 2019) was appointed Assistant Professor of History (tenure-track) at St. Mary's University in Southern Alberta.
• Cameron Wachowich (PhD 2024) was elected a Fellow-Commoner at Magdalene College.
• Hilary Wynne (MA 2005) was elected as Dean of Degrees at Kellogg College, University of Oxford.

MAA 2027

Hosted by the Centre for Medieval Studies, in partnership with the Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies and the Canadian Society of Medievalists, the 102nd Annual Meeting of the Medieval Academy of America will take place on the campus of the University of Toronto, April 15-17, 2027.

The Program Committee welcomes innovative panels that cross traditional disciplinary boundaries or that use various disciplinary approaches to examine an individual topic. Especially encouraged are papers on Asia, Africa, the Middle East, or Eastern Europe, and the networks and exchanges between East and West, and proposals from graduate students.

Submit your paper or session proposal by June 1, 2026

MAA 2027 submissions

The MAA 2027 Program will be announced in September of 2026.

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Photos

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Community Updates

Happy Retirement!

• Professor Deborah Black retires this summer after a scholarly road through U of T, completing her BA in Philosophy and Medieval Studies at Trinity College, earning her MA at the Centre for Medieval Studies, and her PhD jointly through Philosophy and CMS. After an appointment at Loyola University of Chicago, she returned to Toronto for a Fellowship at PIMS, joining CMS and the Department of Philosophy, with cross appointments to the Departments of Near & Middle Eastern Civilizations and Religion, as well as a member of the Collaborative Specialization in Ancient and Medieval Philosophy (CSAMP).

 

• Receiving his PhD at Princeton University, Peter King was appointed Professor at the Department of Philosophy and the Centre for Medieval Studies at U of T after serving many years at Fordham University, University of Pittsburgh, and The Ohio State University. With research focusing on the history of philosophy, particularly ancient and medieval, Professor King was also a member of the CSAMP Community. He is retiring this summer after 23 years with the University of Toronto.

 

Faculty Accolades

• Elisa Brilli (Italian / CMS) was elected a voting member of the Dante Society of America Council.
• Yolanda Iglesias (IPSLAS / CMS) has been awarded the Officer’s Cross of the Order of Isabella the Catholic by the Government of Spain.
• Cillian O’Hogan received funding from Jackman’s Scholars-in-Residence program for his project, Manuscript Traces: Tracking a Latin Author across the Middle Ages, which will allow student RAs to work with medieval manuscripts and early printed books.

 

Congratulations, CMS Students!

• Alexandra Atiya successfully defended her dissertation, "Economic and Spiritual Conflict in Medieval East Anglian Drama," on January 20, 2026. She has also recently accepted a postdoctoral fellowship at the Department of English, working on projects related to the Old Books New Science Lab (OBNS) and the Records of Early English Drama (REED).
• Jamie Collings was awarded the Doctoral Research Grant from the Centre for the Study of France and the Francophone World.
• Samuel MacPhee was awarded the CMS Publication Prize for his article, The Conciliatory Strategy of Jean de Roquetaillade's Apocalyptic Alchemy, 1349–1350, which appears in Volume 83 of the Franciscan Studies journal.
• Eva Plesnik received her PhD on January 16, 2026, by successfully defending "In the Shade on Parnassus: Places of Otium in Renaissance Humanism", her dissertation on humanism and classical reception in Central Europe.
• Rebby Onken received the CMS Publication Prize for her article, Battle of the Bruts: A Comparative Reading of MSS 224 and 253 at the University of Chicago, which was published in Comitatus: A Journal of Medieval and Renaissance Studies Volume 56.
• Zinaida Uzdenskaya successfully passed her Final Oral Exam with a thesis titled, "Portable objects, travelling subjects: The development of the Iconography of canterbury pilgrim souvenirs in comparison to St. Thomas Becket’s imagery in other media 1170–1538" on February 3, 2026.
• Rui Xu was awarded both the CMS Doctoral Completion Fellowship and the SGS Doctoral Completion Award.

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Publications

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Summer Latin

The Centre for Medieval Studies at the University of Toronto offers a Summer Latin Program, consisting of three levels of study, facilitated by senior CMS graduate students who are thoroughly proficient in Latin and experienced Teaching Assistants (TAs). 

Beginning Latin, Level I Latin, and Level II Latin are open for registration until May 1, and students outside of Toronto will be pleased to know that all three levels of Latin instruction are now taught exclusively online, virtually via Zoom. Students around the globe are welcome to register and spend the summer learning Medieval Latin! Students admitted to CMS MA or PhD programs can attend any of these summer courses, at the appropriate level, for free.

Those who attend courses regularly and complete all assignments will be provided with an official letter detailing the course content and their participation. Students outside of CMS may take the Latin examination(s) externally. If successful, they will be given a ‘Statement of Proficiency’ certificate that spells out the meaning of a Level I Latin or Level II Latin pass.

Beginning Latin: An introductory intensive course for those with little or no previous exposure to Latin.
May 11-July 3; Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday; 10:30 am-12:30 pm
"Latin can be a gateway to exploring much of the history of humanity in Europe, or an end in itself. Either way, a fun challenge!"
- Seán Stewart, Beginning Latin Instructor

Beginning Review: A supplemental reading course for Beginning Latin students at no extra cost.

July 7-July 23; Tuesday, Thursday; 10:30 am-12:30 pm
"Latin need not be intimidating: it can be understood on its own terms, and the process is immediately rewarding, while opening a world of riches." 
- David Weiler, Beginning Review Instructor

 

Level I Latin: Readings encompass texts of various periods, areas, and disciplines, with emphasis on grammatical commentary and analysis.
May 19-June 26; Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday; 10:30 am-12:30 pm
"Learning Latin is like learning to skate. You’ll fall down at first, but once you get the hang of it, you’ll feel like you can fly."
- Samuel MacPhee, Level I Latin Instructor

 

 

Level I Review: A free two-week intensive grammar review for students entering Latin Level I.
May 5-May 14; Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday; 10:30 am-12:30 pm
"I teach Latin by meeting students where they are and helping them build confidence to read texts they find interesting as they go on to acquire the skills to enjoy them."
- Diego Espinoza Bustamante, Level I Review Instructor

 

 

 

Level II Latin: Intended for students who have already passed the Level I Latin Examination or have a thorough knowledge of Latin grammar and a basic working vocabulary.
July 2-August 7; Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday; 10:30 am-12:30 pm
"Latin is my passion, and through my teaching, I aim to show students that learning it is no more difficult than learning any other modern language."
- Álex Bermúdez Manjárres, Level II Latin Instructor

 

 

Questions? Email gradadm.medieval@utoronto.ca

Registration Deadline MAY 1