In a bold effort to bridge academic disciplines and challenge conventional understandings of medieval religious thought, Ave Maria University recently launched the Boethius Initiative with its inaugural symposium, “The Medieval Religious Experience: Unity in Diversity.”

Spearheaded by Dr. Thomas Maurer, Assistant Professor of History at AMU, this interdisciplinary gathering brought together scholars from across North America to examine topics ranging from the religious life of the laity to the theology of Aquinas and Bonaventure, the poetry of Dante, and the preaching of wandering prophets.

As Dr. Maurer explained, the goal of the symposium was to “bring the different academic disciplines into direct conversation.” Through examining the topic of medieval religiosity, symposium presenters were able to speak from their varying disciplines and highlight how the “general culture of the medieval Latin West was still the overarching framework for this medieval religious diversity.”  

Fr. Augustine Thompson, O.P., President of the Pontifical Institute of Medieval Studies at the University of Toronto, delivered the plenary address, and later expressed his newfound optimism from the symposium: “The breadth of the papers and their interdisciplinary focus was truly impressive … It was indeed a pleasure for an ‘older’ medievalist like me to see the enthusiasm and creativity of the generation of younger scholars present.”

The symposium gave undergraduate students a “view of what the ‘other side of the job’ is like for a professor,” noted Dr. Maurer. For someone in higher education, “lectures, grading, and assignments are all key roles, however, the other side of the equation is the production of knowledge, formed through intellectual discussion with colleagues.”  

Several students described the experience as enriching. Clare Purcell, a senior History major, valued the opportunity to engage directly with scholars and learn extensively about the religious experience of Medieval Europe. Seated next to various scholars, sophomore Isabela Briggs found herself in the “unusual yet inspiring position of not being the only one taking notes.”

The symposium represented a contrasting alternative to the increasing compartmentalization of academic disciplines. Dr. David Twetten of Marquette University praised the approach and noted that “the spirit behind this initiative can do a great deal to heal the division and self-interestedness in our universities, and I hope that the spirit will spread. When we share a common goal, how much unity we can achieve … without needing uniformity!”

Looking ahead, organizers plan to make the symposium a biennial event, with hopes that the Boethius Initiative will continue fostering connections between history, philosophy, theology, and literature through the lens of medieval studies. Or as Dr. Anthony Nussmeier from the University of Dallas puts it, the initiative “gathers up the ‘scattered leaves of the universe’ in a ‘single volume.’”

Through this inaugural event, the Boethius Initiative has established itself as a promising new forum for scholarship at Ave Maria University—one that honors medieval thought and beautifully bridges academic disciplines.

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