Center for Renaissance Studies at the Newberry Library

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Center for Renaissance Studies at the Newberry Library

The CRS promotes engagement with the Newberry’s collection of medieval and early modern books and materials by scholars and the general public.

The Center for Renaissance Studies works with an international consortium of universities in North America and the United Kingdom. It offers a wide range of scholarly programs and digital and print publications based in the Newberry collection, and provides a locus for a community of scholars who come from all over the world to use the library’s early manuscripts, printed books, and other materials. Faculty and graduate students from consortium institutions may be eligible to apply for Newberry Renaissance Consortium Grants to travel to the Newberry to attend programs or do research. Through our reciprocal arrangement with the Folger Institute in Washington, DC, which also works with a consortium of universities, Institute seminar fees are waived for faculty and graduate students at Newberry Center for Renaissance Studies schools upon acceptance of application, in accordance with Folger policy and our agreement. Participants may be eligible to apply to their home institution to use Newberry consortium funds to travel to the Folger for programs or research, with authorization from their school’s Newberry committee.

14/10/2026

CRS is pleased to announce that proposals are now being accepted for the 2027 Multidisciplinary Graduate Student Conference in Premodern Studies, which will take place at the Newberry January 28-30, 2027. The deadline to submit proposals is tomorrow, October 15, 2026.

This annual graduate student conference, organized and run by advanced doctoral students, has become a premier opportunity for emerging scholars to present papers, participate in discussions, and develop collaborations across all fields of medieval, Renaissance, and early modern studies. Participants from a wide variety of disciplines find a supportive and collegial forum for their work, meet future colleagues from other institutions and disciplines, and become familiar with the Newberry and its resources.

We invite proposals for papers from students in Masters or PhD programs on any humanities topic relating to material before 1800. We encourage submissions from disciplines as varied as the literature of any language, history, classics, anthropology, art history, music, comparative literature, theater arts, philosophy, political science, religious studies, transatlantic studies, disability studies, and manuscript studies. All papers must be given in English.

Preference is given to proposals from students at member institutions of the Newberry Center for Renaissance Studies Consortium, as well as students who did not present at the 2026 conference. We also welcome proposals from students of the Folger Institute Consortium. The deadline to submit a proposal is Thursday, October 15, 2026 at 11:59pm Central Time.

For more information and instructions on how to submit a proposal, follow the link below.

A congenial and generative conference for the next generations of premodern scholars.

08/10/2026

CRS is pleased to announce that proposals are now being accepted for the 2027 Multidisciplinary Graduate Student Conference in Premodern Studies, which will take place at the Newberry January 28-30, 2027. The deadline to submit proposals is October 15, 2026.

This annual graduate student conference, organized and run by advanced doctoral students, has become a premier opportunity for emerging scholars to present papers, participate in discussions, and develop collaborations across all fields of medieval, Renaissance, and early modern studies. Participants from a wide variety of disciplines find a supportive and collegial forum for their work, meet future colleagues from other institutions and disciplines, and become familiar with the Newberry and its resources.

We invite proposals for papers from students in Masters or PhD programs on any humanities topic relating to material before 1800. We encourage submissions from disciplines as varied as the literature of any language, history, classics, anthropology, art history, music, comparative literature, theater arts, philosophy, political science, religious studies, transatlantic studies, disability studies, and manuscript studies. All papers must be given in English.

Preference is given to proposals from students at member institutions of the Newberry Center for Renaissance Studies Consortium, as well as students who did not present at the 2026 conference. We also welcome proposals from students of the Folger Institute Consortium. The deadline to submit a proposal is Thursday, October 15, 2026 at 11:59pm Central Time.

For more information and instructions on how to submit a proposal, follow the link below.

A congenial and generative conference for the next generations of premodern scholars.

07/10/2026

CRS is pleased to announce that proposals are now being accepted for the 2027 Michael Lieb Newberry Milton Seminar, which will take place Friday, April 30, 2027 at the Newberry. For this seminar, we invite paper proposals addressing Milton from advanced graduate students and scholars, including independent scholars, not in tenured or tenure-track positions. Please submit a 3-4 page abstract and 1-2 page resume through Slideroom by December 1, 2026. Follow the link below to submit a proposal.

Apply to The Newberry Library. Powered by SlideRoom.

05/10/2026

CRS is pleased to welcome applications for “Scholars Making Comics: An Introduction,” a research methods workshop that will take place Friday, April 2, 2027, from 9:30 am-4:30 pm at the Newberry. The application deadline is November 1, 2026.

Led by Patrick Murphy (Miami University), participants will consider and practice the art of scholarly comics. How might making comics serve our professional goals as scholars and teachers of premodern studies? In particular, how might comics help make premodern cultures more accessible for audiences in academia and beyond? Participants will explore these questions through discussions and hands-on activities with Newberry collection materials while being introduced to the basics of cartooning, sequencing, and composing in text and image. Although we will be handling nibs and pens, no prior experience in drawing is expected!

This workshop is free and open to all, but space is limited. Priority will be given to applicants from CRS Consortium institutions. Consortium members may also be eligible to receive Consortium Grants to help defray travel costs. For more details, consult your local consortium representative. See the link below for more details.

A workshop exploring how making comics can serve scholars and teachers of premodern studies.

02/10/2026

CRS is pleased to promote and support online language and paleography courses at the University of Warwick. In the 2026-2027 school year, Warwick will offer courses on Latin for research, Ancient Greek, and English paleography. All classes are taught online and are not for credit, although attendance certificates are available at the end of the course.

Members of CRS consortium institutions may be eligible to use Consortium Grants to cover the fees for each course. Consult with your local Consortium Representative for more details.

Places in each course are limited, selection will be determined by the details in your application. Applications will close as soon as the course is filled. Please direct all questions to the Centre for the Study of the Renaissance at [email protected], or contact the tutor directly about course-specific detail. For more information, follow the link below.

From Latin & Greek for Research, to English, Latin and Italian Palaeography, the Centre for the Study of the Renaissance here at the University of Warwick is your gateway to linguistic excellence. All classes are taught online and are not for credit, although attendance certificates are available at...

01/10/2026

CRS welcome applications for “Emerging Pedagogical Approaches to PCRS,” a research methods workshop that will be held at the Newberry Friday, February 26, 2027, from 9:30 am-4:30 pm. The application deadline is November 1, 2026.

Led by Joanna Huh (University of Cincinnati), Montse Li (Independent Scholar), and Willnide Lindor (SUNY Cortland), this workshop invites graduate students and scholars teaching on race and race-making before 1800 to explore exciting pedagogical approaches in Premodern Critical Race Studies. Through pre-circulated readings, lively discussion, guided pedagogical activities, and engagement with the Newberry’s rich archive, participants will expand their teaching toolkit to engage with premodern texts and materials through the lens of critical race theory. How do educators teach racial histories while also cultivating an alternative imagining of that past that challenges what we know? How can we expand our approaches to teaching race in premodernity that reflect, refract, and differ from the ways we understand race in our contemporary moment? How can we adapt the new approaches, theories, and discoveries taking place in PCRS scholarship to the classroom context in approachable and accessible ways?

This workshop is free and open to all, but space is limited. Priority will be given to applicants from CRS Consortium institutions. Consortium members may also be eligible to receive Consortium Grants to help defray travel costs. For more details, consult your local consortium representative. Follow the link below for more information.

A workshop inviting graduate students and scholars to explore exciting pedagogical approaches in Premodern Critical Race Studies.

29/09/2026

Applications are now being accepted for “Representing Textiles in Renaissance Culture,” a research methods workshop that will take place 9:30 am-4:30 pm on Friday, January 22, 2027 at the Newberry. The application deadline is November 1, 2026.

Led by Sophie Pitman (University of Wisconsin Madison) and Timothy McCall (Villanova University), this workshop explores Renaissance textiles, particularly varieties of silk, and their representation in both word and image. Participants will be asked to come with a question or source (textual, visual, or material) for us to work through, as we pay close attention to distinctions in sensory effects, weaves, surfaces, and other material aspects of precious textiles. We will gain first-hand knowledge of textiles while also exploring their visual and literary representations, attentive to the confusions, contradictions, and opportunities that representation affords.

This workshop is free and open to all, but space is limited. Priority will be given to applicants from CRS Consortium institutions. Consortium members may also be eligible to receive Consortium Grants to help defray travel costs. For more details, consult your local consortium representative.

Click on the link below for more information and a link to apply.

A workshop exploring the materiality and representation of Renaissance textiles.

28/09/2026

CRS is pleased to announce that applications are now being accepted for “Digital Humanities and Premodern Studies: An Introduction,” a 10-week graduate course that will meet on Thursdays from January 14 to March 18, 2027, from 1:00-4:00 pm. The class meetings will be online via Zoom, with one mandatory in-person meeting at the Newberry on January 21, 2027. The application deadline is November 1, 2026.

Led by Christopher Fletcher (Newberry Library), this course will introduce you to methods, approaches, uses, and challenges of digital humanities with respect to the study of the premodern world. We will discuss the ways in which digital humanities shape premodern studies, consider the advantages and disadvantages in the increasing use of digital tools in the classroom, and learn the ins and outs of digital projects from the scholars creating them. We will also familiarize ourselves with some basic tools, approaches, and platforms available for the creation of digital resources, and learn how to use them by engaging with medieval and early modern materials from the Newberry’s collections.

For more information and a link to submit an application, follow the link below.

A graduate course introducing the methods, approaches, uses, and challenges of digital humanities for studying medieval and early modern cultures.

24/09/2026

CRS is pleased to spread the word that applications are now open for the 2027 Rome Archive Seminar organized by the University of Notre Dame, which will take place June 1-25, 2027 in Rome. The application deadline is November 13, 2026.

This seminar is designed to introduce Ph.D. students from across the humanities to the unique primary sources available in Rome. Working hands-on with materials in the city’s archives and libraries, students will be exposed to the rich potential of a wide range of sources produced from the Middle Ages to the present. Seminar meetings will be held at the Vatican Apostolic Library, the Biblioteca Nazionale, and the Archivio di Stato, and elsewhere. The seminar will also include a series of presentations by senior scholars who will discuss how they have collected and interpreted Roman primary sources in their own research.

For more information and a link to the application, follow the link below.

The Center for Italian Studies is pleased to announce that applications are now open for the 2027 Rome Archive Seminar. This seminar is designed to i...

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