As director of the 36th 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 2 November

In conjunction with the MEMS program, there will be two associated events before the conference proper begins. In the mid-afternoon of Thursday 2nd, Rachel Koopmans (York University, Toronto) will lead a seminar for graduate students on the challenges that face scholars whose principal metier is written sources when they confront medieval material culture. All the graduate students registered for the conference are encouraged to attend. In the early evening Dr. Koopmans will deliver a lecture in MEMS’s Dorothy Ford Wiley Crossroads Lecture series. The title of her lecture will be “New Eyes, New Genitals, New Miracles: Eilward of Westoning and the Early Expansion of Thomas Becket's Cult.” All those attending the conference are warmly invited to come to this lecture. Precise details of the times and locations of both events will be posted in due course.

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 (3-4 Nov) 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.  On Sunday (5 Nov) our sessions will take place in the conference hotel. 

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.

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).

HB2

The Public Facilities Privacy & Security Act, commonly known as HB2, was passed by the North Carolina state legislature in March 2016. Much has been said and written about this highly contentious law. Some states reacted to it by introducing bans on the use of public funds to pay for travel to North Carolina. In March 2017, the legislature passed House Bill 142, which repealed and replaced the portion of HB2 regarding bathroom use based on gender assigned at birth. This partial softening of HB2, though it fell significantly short of addressing all the many concerns that the original law raised, persuaded several states to lift their travel bans. Some others have, however, kept their bans in force pending a full repeal of HB2. We, as hosts of the conference, have no control over the policies that various states choose to pursue. What we can categorically say, however, is that within the precincts of UNC and more generally in Chapel Hill and Carrboro, which are communities that pride themselves on fostering a particularly inclusive civic culture and cultural environment, the de facto impact of the provisions of HB2 is minimal-to-non-existent.

3-5 November

Registration now open! Get the Early Bird Discount before 20 October.

Featured Speakers

• William Purkis (University of Birmingham)
• Sarah Hamilton (University of Exeter)
• Constance Bouchard (University of Akron)

Thursday Extras (2 Nov)

Rachel Koopmans (York University, Toronto) is making two special presentations by invitation of MEMS.

• Graduate Seminar on Confronting Material Culture (for all graduate registrants)
• Dorothy Ford Wiley Crossroads Lecture (open to all conferees)

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

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.