Several UNM graduate students presented papers today informally in preparation for the upcoming Medieval Association of the Pacific conference, being held at UNM next week.

Here are the papers:

• Shelece Easterday on verbs associated with treasure in Beowulf.
  
• Douglas Ryan VanBenthuysen on the punctuation of line 1553b in the 4^th edition of Klaeber's Beowulf.
  
• David Lawrence on depictions of Chaucer's Wife of Bath
  
• Christine Kozikowski on Privacy in Chaucer's Troilus and Criseyde
  

The event was held in the Leon Howard Memorial Library on the 3^rd floor of the Humanities building.

Today Dr. Justine Andrews presented at the UNM Institute for Medieval Studies' Medieval Works in Progress Series. Dr. Andrews is currently working on a book on Medieval Cyprian Architecture, the fruits of her recent Fulbright grants to visit the island. The presentation, titled "Gothic Cyprus: Sources and Functions of 14^th Century Latin Architecture" considered two Cyprian Gothic churches: Santa Sophia in the central city Nicosia and St. Nicolas in the port city Famagusta. Her presentation not only discussed the architectural style of these two churches, which she characterized as demonstrating "memory of the Holy Land finding purchase in 14^th century Cyprus," but also their political function, as both sites served both as religious centers and political ones: both had served as coronation sites.

St. Nicolas, Famagusta

Santa Sophia, Nicosia

At the Medieval Academy of the Pacific (MAP) conference, which will take place at UNM from March 6-9, several scholars, organized by Prof. Michael Calabrese of California State University at Los Angeles, will be recording Piers Plowman. Dr. Anita Obermeier and I will be handling Passus 2-4 as a duet, with me playing the part of Conscience. (I can only assume I have been given this role because tale of my moral uprightness is far-flung!).

I will post more details about the MAP conference, including details about papers being presented by our own graduate students and faculty, as the date approaches.