Pepperdine University Hosts Medieval Association of the Pacific’s Annual Conference

Pepperdine University hosted the Medieval Association of the Pacific’s annual conference this summer, where 75 participants gathered to enjoy 51 presentations given by medieval scholars and academics from the West Coast and Canada.

“I wanted to help Pepperdine get on the radar of the medieval studies world,” says Jennifer Smith, Pepperdine University’s associate provost and an associate professor of English at Seaver College, who organized the event. “These conferences are typically hosted at either the University of California, Los Los Angeles; or Loyola Marymount University; and I wanted to demonstrate that we have really wonderful resources as well.”

Smith serves as the media officer for the Medieval Society of the Pacific, and when Pepperdine was nominated to host this year's annual conference, she helped make the idea a reality. Smith showcased the numerous academic outlets Seaver College has at its disposal while developing the format for this year’s function. 

Held at the Calabasas campus, attendees presented papers, took part in roundtable discussions, and received a keynote address from Elizabeth Morrison, the senior curator of manuscripts at the J. Paul Getty Museum, which culminated in a behind-the-scenes tour of the Los Angeles attraction.

Beyond the off-campus opportunities, Smith recruited Lucy Perrin, the director and archivist of the Rushford Center for Research and Churches of Christ Heritage Collection, and Helen Holmlund, assistant professor of biology, to introduce participants to Pepperdine’s varied resources. Perrin displayed  a selection of rare books that Pepperdine houses within Payson Library at the conference, while Holmlund took participants outside and guided them through a walking tour of Malibu Creek State Park.

Four Seaver College faculty and staff members participated in the event. In addition to Smith; Carissa Conti Elias, a visiting assistant professor of International Studies and Languages; John Kern, assistant professor of Great Books and religion; and Sebastian Provvidente, a humanities professor based out of the Buenos Aires international campus; each provided contributions to the conference either as an organizing committee member or scholarly presenter..

“To the extent that the sciences are often about understanding the material world, the humanities are often about understanding an interior or spiritual world,” says Smith. “Medieval studies is very much part of that equation. I think it's really important that Pepperdine exhibit that we are a venue for humanistic study and the liberal arts.”