Center for Medieval and Renaissance StudiesGraduate students may receive a formal Graduate Certificate in Interdisciplinary Medieval and Renaissance Studies upon successful completion of core program requirements. This certificate is indicated on the student transcript. The overall aim of the requirements is to involve students in interdisciplinary study, encouraging them to branch out beyond the walls of home departments and forge connections with scholars in complementary fields of study.
Requirements
The following requirements must be fulfilled to obtain the certificate.
1. Complete three Medieval and Renaissance courses outside of the major department. Courses must be taken for credit. In some cases, courses listed in the student’s major department may be counted, as for example when they are team taught by faculty from different disciplines, when they teach research methods or skills relevant to several disciplines, or when they are in a different discipline than that of the student. The DGS must be consulted in every such case.
2. Attend 12 events directly sponsored or co-sponsored by the Medieval and Renaissance Studies Program approved for the certificate. The purpose of this requirement is to encourage students, ideally before the dissertation-writing stage, to interact with students and faculty in disciplines beyond their own, and to become part of a broader Medieval and Renaissance Studies community at Duke and in the Triangle. Many options for involvement are offered each semester. See events approved for the certificate.
3. Present a research paper at Duke or another local venue for a medieval and early modern studies workshop, seminar, colloquium, or conference. Another way of doing this would be to organize a paper session on campus for two or three graduate students to present their work to faculty and graduate students. The audiences at these venues will be broad, requiring students to present their research in a way that is relevant to a cross-disciplinary audience.
4. Complete a dissertation on a topic in Medieval and Renaissance Studies (late antiquity through the seventeenth century, on any region, and in any discipline).
How to Apply to the Certificate Program
The applicant must submit two forms - one for the Graduate School, the other for the Medieval and Renaissance Studies Program:
Note that both forms should be submitted to the program’s associate director. Print off these forms, fill them out, and send them through campus mail or scan and email them to Dr. Michael Cornett. It is advisable to submit these forms as soon as you decide to work on the certificate, rather than waiting until you have completed all the requirements. As you complete the different requirements, that information can be added to your application form.
Medieval and Renaissance Studies Dissertation Fellowship
The program awards one full-year dissertation fellowship each year to support a student. The award includes Duke’s monthly stipend and covers tuition and fees for health and recreation. Note that the health and recreation fees are not included for students in their sixth year and beyond.
Any graduate student affiliated with the Center and writing a dissertation in the field may apply. Preference will be given to students needing fellowship support in order to complete the writing of a dissertation. No other funding, whether teaching or fellowship, may be received during the term of the award. Fellowship recipients are expected to participate fully in events sponsored by the program.
An announcement for the next academic year’s fellowship competition will be made to the graduate student email list in December, and the award will be made by mid-March.
The Graduate School offers a number of fellowships for continuing Ph.D. students, including fellowships that provide full support for the academic year, summer research fellowships, teaching fellowships, and research travel awards. See the Graduate School’s list of fellowships.