#  Who We Are 

 



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The Standing Committee on Medieval Studies promotes and coordinates work on medieval subjects throughout the University, including at [Dumbarton Oaks](/dumbarton-oaks "Dumbarton Oaks") in Washington, D.C. and [Villa i Tatti ](/villa-i-tatti "Villa i Tatti")in Florence, Italy. Its members are drawn from Harvard's extensive medievalist faculty, ranging across a large number of departments and schools. As a program committee within the Faculty of Arts and Science, it offers a number of undergraduate and graduate courses each year, coordinates a [Secondary Field in Medieval Studies](/courses-curriculum "Medieval Studies Courses") for Ph.D. students and a [Secondary Field in Medieval Studies](/courses-curriculum "Medieval Studies Courses") for undergraduates, and collaborates with the Program in History and Literature to offer [a concentration field in "The Medieval World"](http://histlit.fas.harvard.edu/medieval-world). Although Harvard has no Ph.D. program specifically in Medieval Studies, the Committee does offer a special [Ph.D. Program in Byzantine Studies](/special-graduate-program-byzantine-studies "Special Graduate Program in Byzantine Studies"); it also can administer interdisciplinary ("ad hoc") Ph.Ds in liaison with a departmental program.

Working in collaboration with many departments and centers at Harvard--including the [Houghton Library](http://hcl.harvard.edu/libraries/houghton/), the [Aga Khan Program in Islamic Architecture](http://agakhan.fas.harvard.edu/icb/icb.do), the [Harvard Art Museums](http://www.harvardartmuseums.org/), the [Center for the Study of World Religions](https://cswr.hds.harvard.edu/), the [Center for Jewish Studies](https://cjs.fas.harvard.edu/), the [Center for Middle Eastern Studies](https://cmes.fas.harvard.edu/home)—a number of Graduate School of Arts and Sciences workshops, as well as the [Mary Jaharis Center for Byzantine Art and Culture](https://maryjahariscenter.org/) at Hellenic College Holy Cross, the Committee on Medieval Studies sponsors frequent events and activities of interest to medievalists. Among these are the meetings of the [Mahindra Humanities Center](http://mahindrahumanities.fas.harvard.edu/)'s [Medieval Studies Seminar](http://mahindrahumanities.fas.harvard.edu/content/medieval-studies), the biannual [Houghton-Medieval Studies Lectures and Workshops on Early Book History](https://medieval.fas.harvard.edu/houghton-medieval-studies-lectures-and-workshops-early-book-history), twice-yearly receptions for medievalists throughout the Boston area, an interdisciplinary graduate student workshop in Medieval Studies, and special seminars and conferences in Medieval Studies. The committee also maintains the [Medieval Studies Library](/courses-curriculum "Medieval Studies Courses") on the third floor of Widener Library.

The Standing Committee's chair in 2025-2026 is Elizabeth Papp Kamali, Austin Wakeman Scott Professor of Law. The Committee's curricular, research, and programming work is managed by three subcommittees: Strategy and Planning, Events and Reseach, and Curriculum and Student Affairs. In 2025-2026, the members of these committees are:

Strategy and Planning: Elizabeth Papp Kamali (Harvard Law School; chair), Josiah Blackmore (Romance Languages and Literatures), Suzannah Clark (Music), Sean Gilsdorf (Medieval Studies, *ex officio*), Jeffrey Hamburger (History of Art & Architecture), Hannah Marcus (History of Science), and Nicholas Watson (English)

Events and Research: Alexander Riehle (Classics; chair), Sean Gilsdorf (Medieval Studies, *ex officio*), Luis Girón Negrón (Romance Languages and Comparative Literature), Elizabeth Papp Kamali (Harvard Law School, *ex officio*), Christina Maranci (NELC and History of Art & Architecture), Michael McCormick (History), and Sofía Carbonell Realme (graduate student in English and Medieval Studies program assistant, *ex officio*).

Curriculum and Student Affairs: Sean Gilsdorf (Medieval Studies; co-chair), Brian FitzGerald (Medieval Studies and Religion, co-chair), Ambrogio Camozzi Pistoja (Romance Languages and Literatures), Eurydice Georganteli (History of Art & Architecture), Jinah Kim (History of Art & Architecture), Paul Russell (Celtic Languages & Literatures), Daniel Lord Smail (History), and Lauren Ehrmann (graduate student in History of Art & Architecture and coordinator of the GSAS Medieval Studies Interdisciplinary Workshop, *ex officio*).