The Annual Graduate Conference in Medieval Studies at Princeton University seeks proposals for papers that explore medieval perspectives on Nature. We invite participants from a breadth of disciplines (including but not limited to archaeology, art history, history, literature, music, paleography, philosophy, and religion) and a range of geographical specializations to present on topics relating to the fifth to fifteenth centuries.

This conference aims to shift the focus away from exclusive emphasis on the spiritual inclinations of medieval thought, and instead papers redirects attention onto medieval conceptions and conceptualizations of earthly phenomena. We welcome papers that range from considerations of the natural sciences, to literary representaions of Nature and the natural world, to the abiding anxiety over manifestations of the unnatural and the supernatural. Interested participants may consider such themes as:

• the natural sciences
• classical traditions
• medieval cosmology
• logic and the natural world
• magic and pseudo-science
• theology of human nature
• sexuality and marginal communities
• allegories of Nature and Genius
• Genre and literary verisimilitude

Deadline for 250-word abstracts is January 5, 2004,. Please visit the website for detailed information.