oh. wow.

[highlyeccentric]

Just got this notification via the CMS mailing list:

CONVERSION AND CULTURAL TRANSFORMATION

FOURTH ANNUAL CONFERENCE OF THE AUSTRALIAN EARLY MEDIEVAL ASSOCIATION

UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY 26-28 SEPTEMBER
Keynote Speakers : Dr Andrew Gillett, Macquarie University : Gothic Conversion : Frameworks for Interpretation
Dr Antonina Harbus, Macquarie University : Transforming Concepts in Old English Translations of Latin Texts
Dr Jonathan Wooding, University of Wales, Lampeter : Baptising the Islands of the Ocean : Biblical Prophecy and the Historiography of Conversion

I didn't know Harbus was at Macquarie! here was me whinging to blackbuttoneyes that anglo-saxonists are thin on the ground in Australia, just the other day. i was basing that assumption on the fact that i'd been told that Usyd is the last place teaching medieval languages. (ie, i was talking through my hat) but i guess i hadn't thought about the quite obvious fact that one could teach something else and research anglo-saxon stuff. i don't mean i expect to be finding an anglo-saxonist under every rock, but it's a good reminder of how sydney-uni centric my experience is.
and squee, Transforming Concepts in Old English Translations of Latin Texts sounds like something which may be vr. useful for the essay i'm working on for David at the moment, due shortly after said conference.

Lis, this may put a hole in our holiday plans :( I had been planning to go home on the wed or thursday and come back saturday, but the conference is wed-fri. I'll see if i can rearrange my shift the preceding weekend so as to work friday and go home sat-sun-mon.
Come round this evening, i have a real Aussie ANZAC biscuit for you.

Comments

[goblinpaladin.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I'm in Brisbane for that. Which, needless to say, makes me very sad. In my pants. As it were. Um.

Yes! Anyway, USyd isn't the *only* place to teach Anglo-Saxon. Melbourne does as well, but their other courses didn't look as exciting as Sydney's, so I came here.

...actually, that should read Melbourne did. I don't know if they still do, what with the Big Changes and all.

[highlyeccentric.livejournal.com]

really? i swear MCR or Melanie told us in ASNC last year that we were the last ones in the country learning these things so we should appreciate it good :)

[goblinpaladin.livejournal.com]

When I was looking at places to transfer to, I checked Melbourne Uni. They had Anglo-Saxon (what I was looking to do), but not as many years as Sydney does. They also didn't have a "Medieval Studies" major, but a "Medieval and Renaissance Studies" major, which I saw as a flashing warning sign.

[blackbuttoneyes.livejournal.com]

Hurray! Glad something came round!!

[highlyeccentric.livejournal.com]

i'm all excitified. I've never been to a conference before- there were a few i was interested in here over the winter break, one on celtic studies and one on king arthur, but due to college being a poo-head, i can't stay here over the break so had to miss out. :(

[blackbuttoneyes.livejournal.com]

Boo! That stinks that they don't let you stay there over breaks, and that you had to miss some cool conferences because of that. I just submitted another proposal to one here at NYU. I'm not at all sure I'm ready to be conferencing but I'll find out soon enough!!

[highlyeccentric.livejournal.com]

well, there are upsides and downsides- i pay for three less weeks per year. normally one can apply at the last minute to stay back if something comes up, but this particular winter college was fully booked with conference guests from the day after exams ended.
it is a pity, since i could have got in free to at least one of them, and i might have got to wear a torc and play Guinevere to boot :)

oooh, what sort of conference? do tell!

[blackbuttoneyes.livejournal.com]

It's on Early English lit and language. It's the first conference in my field at MY uni, so it's pretty convenient. Just gotta see if I can tweek my Prester John paper to deal only with the English letters. =)

[highlyeccentric.livejournal.com]

*glares at the large masses of ocean separating her and interesting papers like that*

[blackbuttoneyes.livejournal.com]

What is with oceans anyway?! They're always...in the way...and stuff....yeah.