Three Bemidji State University students presented at the annual 2013 Southeast Medieval Association conference, held Oct. 3-5 at Appalachian State University in Boone, N.C.

BSU graduate student Sarah Barott and juniors Meagan Brault and Rachel Munson were invited to attend the conference by Dr. Larry Swain, chair of BSU’s Department of English. Swain and the students seek to develop a strong medieval studies program on campus and travelled to the conference to share methods they are using to build interest in the medieval period.

On Oct. 5, the group presented a roundtable discussion entitled “Teaching Anglo-Saxon Language, Literature and Culture to Undergraduates.”

“It was intimidating, for sure, but this time period is one that I am very passionate about and was very confident in the efforts that we are putting forth to help foster this program at Bemidji State,” says Munson, a history and humanities double-major, with an English minor, from Bemidji. “Overall, it was a blast and the positive feedback was definitely encouraging.”

Swain has been at Bemidji State for four years, and in that time he has offered many courses that are specific to those who want to study the Middle Ages. The wide range of courses, from medieval languages to medieval monsters, was a defining point of the presentation.

“We made a splash at SEMA,” Swain said.

The team also discussed the creation of the Bemidji State University Medieval Club and how they use the club to appeal to their peers in hopes of creating a larger following of medieval studies.

“The club’s presentation at the conference was strong,” said Barott, who graduated from Bemidji State in the spring of 2013 with a bachelor of science degree in history. “We discussed how to teach medieval literature to undergrads, and found that the program we have started at Bemidji State is an inspiration to other professionals in the field. We want to show that medieval studies can apply to all walks of life and be applied to any area of study. I think we achieved this goal.”

For more information please contact Dr. Larry Swain, lswain@bemidjistate.edu, or Sarah Barott, sbarott@bemidjistate.edu.

Students listed below in order of hometown.

MINNESOTA
Bemidji |56601| Rachel Munson, junior, history
Bemidji |56601| Sarah Barott, graduate student, history
Braham |55006| Meagan Brault, junior, English