As director of the 37th Annual Haskins Society Conference, I am delighted to welcome you to Chapel Hill. The University of North Carolina has long been an active center for the study of the Middle Ages, and in recent years this tradition has been continued by our Medieval and Early Modern Studies [MEMS] program. In addition, we medievalists regularly collaborate with colleagues in our partner institutions in the Triangle area, Duke and NC State.

Events on Thursday 25 October

In conjunction with UNC’s Medieval and Early Modern Studies [MEMS] program, we are holding two events to complement the conference program. All conference delegates arriving on Thursday are warmly invited to attend. Both events are in Hamilton Hall, which is on the main UNC campus within easy walking distance of the principal conference venue. (A campus map is to be found on the back cover of the conference pack.)

 

At 3.00 pm, in Hamilton 569, Michael Staunton (University College, Dublin) will lead a seminar for graduate students on the subject of medieval historical writing. Specifically, the seminar will discuss various issues raised by one of the chapters in Peter Raleigh’s (UNC Chapel Hill) forthcoming doctoral dissertation on historical writing in England in the late twelfth and early thirteenth centuries. Details of how this chapter will be circulated in advance will be supplied in due course.

 

At 5.30 pm, also in Hamilton 569, Katherine Smith (University of Puget Sound) will deliver a lecture in MEMS’s Dorothy Ford Wiley Crossroads Lecture series. The title of her paper will be “The Road to Babylon: The First Crusade as Moral Performance”.

Thursday Evening Gathering

The traditional informal get-together for delegates on Thursday evening will be at Vecino Brewing Co, beginning around 8:00. Vecino is set back from East Main St. in Carrboro, between the ArtsCenter and Cat's Cradle. It is very close to the conference hotel, a few moments' walk. For those who attended last year's conference, Vecino is, in fact, in the same location as the equivalent meeting place in 2017, when it was called Yesteryear.

Saturday Reception

There will a reception for all delegates, hosted by the Society, on Saturday evening (27 Oct) between 6:10 and 7:20. This will take place in Hyde Hall's Incubator Room, which is on the upper floor.

Travel to Chapel Hill

The conference hotel has very good parking should you wish to come by car. The nearest airport is Raleigh-Durham International (RDU). In addition to numerous domestic connections, there are daily flights from London Heathrow and Paris CDG. In Terminal 2 (the destination for almost all flights arriving at RDU), the taxi rank is situated to the left as one exits the lower level, i.e., the baggage claim area. A taxi ride to Chapel Hill costs about $44.  Uber averages about $32. In good traffic, the journey to Chapel Hill takes 15-20 minutes.

Venue

The conference venue for Friday and Saturday (26-28 Oct) will be Hyde Hall, the home of UNC’s Institute for the Arts and Humanities. Hyde Hall is located in McCorkle Place, the university’s “front lawn” adjacent to E. Franklin Street, the principal strip for restaurants and stores in Chapel Hill. 

The hotel is a 15-minute walk to Hyde Hall. Parking close to Hyde Hall is limited and expensive for anything more than short stays.

The conference venue on Sunday 28 Oct will be the Smith Room in the Hampton Inn & Suites. The Smith Room is on the first [ground] floor, to the rear of the building beyond the lobby and breakfast area. Delegates whose travel arrangements require them to leave before the conclusion of the conference are advised to check out before the first session; there will be ample space at the back of the Smith Room to leave one’s luggage.

Chapel Hill as a Destination

The axis between our main venue and the conference hotel is W. and E. Franklin Street, meaning that you will have occasion to pass most of Chapel Hill’s many restaurants and bars. In addition, Carrboro, Chapel Hill’s sister town and the location of the hotel, is well known for its lively and eclectic mix of destinations. Look under our Local Info tab above for a comprehensive list of the restaurants and watering holes in Chapel Hill-Carrboro (with thanks to Allison Gose for compiling this very helpful document).

26-28 October 2018

Registration will open in the early Fall. Watch for the Early Bird Discount!

Featured Speakers

• William Chester Jordan (Princeton University )
• Alice Rio (King's College London)
• Theodore Evergates (McDaniel College)

Thursday Extras (25 Oct)

Graduate Seminar on Historical Writing (3:00)

• Michael Staunton (University College, Dublin)
  

Dorothy Ford Wiley Lecture (5:30)

• Katherine Smith (Puget Sound)
  

Mock Interviews: Also on Thursday, as part of the Society's ongoing commitment to aiding graduate students, we will continue our tradition of hosting mock job interviews by senior scholars.

Venue

Thursday: Hamilton 569

Friday-Saturday: Hyde Hall (McCorkle Place)

Sunday: Conference Hotel

New Research Forum

See the full program for a preview of these Friday morning "flash sessions" on up-and-coming scholarship.

Financial Support

Thanks to decades of ongoing generosity by members, the Keefe Fund continues to offset graduate expenses.  In addition, UNC is also offering a number of bursaries for eligible graduate students.

Bethell Prize

Papers by graduate students, untenured faculty, and independent scholars are eligible for the Denis Bethell Prize.