Medieval Studies Doctoral Dissertations

PhD Dissertations on Medieval Topics at Fordham

Fordham students arrive in Spain to walk the Camino
with Dr. Richard Gyug (León, 2011).

The Center for Medieval Studies serves as an umbrella organization for all medievalists on campus, which include in any one year, thirty to forty PhD students in one of our associated doctoral departments (Classics, English, History, Philosophy, and Theology). The rich variety of medieval topics pursued by these doctoral students is evident in the list of completed PhD dissertations below. Those who have also completed a Medieval Studies Doctoral Certificate are noted with an asterisk.(*)

2017-2018

The Development of the Medieval Parisian Account of Formal Consequence
By *Jacob Wesley Archambault (2018)
PhD—Philosophy
Mentor: Gyula Klima

Lay Spirituality and Vernacular Theology in Late Medieval Literature
By Felisa Olivia Baynes-Ross (2018)
PhD—English
Mentor: Mary C. Erler

The Friar's Companion: A Franciscan Observant Vademecum in Late Medieval Italy
By Maria Christina Bruno (2018)
PhD—History
Mentor: Wolfgang Mueller

Repentant Readers: Reforming Body and Soul in Late Medieval England and Early Modern England
By Clarissa Ann Chenovick (2018)
PhD—English
Mentor: Heather Dubrow

The Coherence of Aquinas's Account of Divine Simplicity
By David K. Kovacs (2018)
PhD—Philosophy
Mentor: Brian Davies

The Dragon and the Cloister: History and Rhetoric in the Writing of Stephen of Rouen
By Elizabeth Grace Kuhl (2018)
PhD—History
Mentor: Nicholas Paul

Of Monks and Monsters: "Voluntary Eunuchs" and the Project of Male Celibacy in the Fifth Century
By Lindsey Carol Mercer (2018)
PhD—Theology
Mentor: Benjamin Dunning

Aquinas on Essence and Existence
By Turner Clark Nevitt (2018)
PhD—Philosophy
Mentor: Brian Davies

"The Substance of the Virtues": Deification According to Maximos the Confessor and the Transformation of Aristotelian Ethics
By Luis Josué Salés (2018)
PhD—Theology
Mentor: George Demacopoulos and John Behr

Recipes for Women’s Healthcare in Medieval England
By Kristen Uscinski (2017)
PhD—History
Mentor: Maryanne Kowaleski

The Hospitals of Mainz, 1236-1367 Legal Privileges and Social Functions
By Lucy Barnhouse (2017)
PhD—History
Mentor: Wolfgang Mueller

Through a Mirror Darkly: Mystical Metaphors of Sight from Paul to Gregory of Nyssa and Augustine of Hippo
By Emily Cain (2017)
PhD—Theology
Mentor: George Demacopoulos

Pastoral Education in England and Its Impact on Fifteenth-Century Literary Culture
By Samantha Sabalis (2017)
PhD—English
Mentor: Mary C. Erler

Immersive Reading: Dreamers and their Books in Late Medieval England
By Boyda Johnstone (2017)
PhD—English
Mentor: Jocelyn Wogan-Browne

Lay Spirituality and Vernacular Theology in Late Medieval Literature
By Felisa Baynes-Ross (2017)
PhD—English
Mentor: Mary C. Erler and Thoms O’Donnell

Knightly Male Bodies and Violence in Middle English Romance
By Steven Bruso (2017)
PhD—English
Mentor: Daniel Contreras

Medieval Problems of Secondary Causation and Divine Concurrence
By Zita Toth (2017)
PhD—Philosophy
Mentor: Giorgio Pini

The Development of the Medieval Parisian Account of Formal Consequence
By Jacob Archabault (2017)
PhD—Philosophy
Mentor: Gyula Klima

2015-2016

Re- Interpretation of the Power and Function of Late Medieval English Convocation
By Elizabeth Keohane-Burbridge (2016)
PhD—History
Mentor: Maryanne Kowaleski

Anxiously Pursuing Peace: Defining and Defending Christian Faith in Texts of Old English Reflective Wisdom
By David Pedersen (2016)
PhD—English
Mentor: Martin Chase, SJ

Female Suffering in Medieval and Early Modern Literature
By Allison Adair Alberts (2015)
PhD Dissertation – English
Mentor: Mary C. Erler

Embracing the Barbarian: The Syrians and Goths in the Pastoral Strategy of John Chrysostom
By Jon Stanfill (2015)
PhD Dissertation – Theology
Mentor: George Demacopoulos

Aquinas on Two Problems for Free Choice
By Brendan Palla (2015)
PhD Dissertation - Philosophy
Mentor: Gyula Klima

Must God Create a World? Aquinas' Answer and Kretzmann's Critique
By Eric Rapaglia (2015)
PhD Dissertation - Philosophy
Mentor: Joseph Koterski, SJ

A Hylomorphic Theory of Composite Material Substances
By Shane Wilkins (2015)
PhD Dissertation - Philosophy
Mentor: Gyula Klima

The Monastic Choir Books of San Sisto in Piacenza and the Production of Liturgical Manuscripts in Fifteenth-century Italy
By Joanne Filippone Overty (2014)
PhD Dissertation - History
Mentor: Richard Gyug

The Possibility of a Thomistic Personalism
By Paul Kucharski (2014)
PhD Dissertation - Philosophy
Mentor: Joseph Koterski, SJ

A Franciscan Inquisitor's Manual and its Compositional Context: Codex Casanatensis 1730
By Geoff Clement, O.S.F. (2013)
PhD Dissertation – History
Mentor: Richard Gyug

An Examination of Aquinas' Approach to Conscience
By Andrew W. Converse (2012)
PhD Dissertation - Philosophy
Mentor: Joseph Koterski, SJ

The Effects of the Origenist Controversy on the Pastoral Theology of Barsanuphius and John
By David Mezynski (2012)
PhD Dissertation - Theology
Mentor: George Demacopoulos

The Immateriality of the Intellect in Thomas Aquinas' Philosophical Psychology
By Adam N. Wood (2012)
PhD Dissertation - Philosophy
Mentor: Gyula Klima

Seizing Liberties: Private Rights, Public Good and Right of Marque in Medieval Marseille
By Christopher Beck (2012)
PhD Dissertation - History
Mentors: Maryanne Kowaleski and Daniel Smail

Between the Roman Empire and the Middle Ages: The Struggle for Ravenna in the Eighth Century
By Nicole Lopez-Jantzen (2012)
PhD Dissertation - History
Mentor: Richard Gyug

Between the Law and the Worlds: Defining Women's Religious Identity in the Later Middle Ages.
By Heidi Febert † (2012)
PhD Dissertation - History
Mentor: Wolfgang Mueller

Virtuous Vengeance: Anti-Judaism and Christian Piety in Medieval England
By Maija Birenbaum (2011)
PhD Dissertation - English
Mentor: Mary C. Erler

Creating the Medieval Reader: Old Media, New Media, and Textual Interactivity, 1380-1500
By Heather Blatt (2011)
PhD Dissertation - English
Mentor: Mary C. Erler

Mothers of Exile: Gender and Identity in Medieval Narratives of Foundation
By Rebecca June (2011)
PhD Dissertation - English
Mentor: Katherine Little

The Mystical Daydream: Fictive Being and the Motive of Evil
By Krik Kanzelberger (2011)
PhD Dissertation - Philosophy
Mentor: Joseph Koterski,SJ

A Commentary on Ibycus of Rhegium
By Raymond Lewis Capra (2011)
PhD Dissertation - Classics
Mentor: David Sider and Robert Penella
'De novo modo': The Birth of Fashion in the Middle Ages
By Laurel A. Wilson (2010)
PhD Dissertation - History
Mentor: Maryanne Kowaleski

Penitential Reform and Canon Law in Piers Plowman B and C Texts
By *Arvind Thomas (2010)
PhD Dissertation - English
Mentor: Eve Keller

'Carving Nature at its Joints': The Platonic Method of Division in Plato, Aristotle, and their Neoplatonic Commentators
By *Gary Gabor (2010)
PhD Dissertation - Philosophy
Mentor: Dana Miller

Creating the Medieval Reader: Old Media, New Media, and Textual Interactivity, 1380-1500
By Heather Blatt (2010)
PhD Dissertation - English
Mentor: Mary Erler

Virtuous Vengeance: Anti-Judaism and Christian Piety in Medieval England
By Maija Birenbaum (2010)
PhD Dissertation - English
Mentor: Mary Erler

Mothers of Exile: Gender and Identity in Medieval Narratives of Foundation
By Rebecca June (2010)
PhD Dissertation - English
Mentor: Katherine Little

Justice, Jurisdiction, and Choice: The Fifteenth-Century Church Court of Carpentras
By Elizabeth Hardman (2010)
PhD Dissertation - History
Mentor: Daniel Smail

A Matter of Time: Church, Civic Administration, and the Idea of the Hour in Medieval France
By Kenneth Mondschein (2010)
PhD Dissertation - History
Mentor: Richard Gyug

Politics and Emotion in Thirteenth-Century Iberia
By Jennifer M. Speed (2009)
PhD Dissertation – History
Mentor: Daniel Smail

Philipp Melanchthon and the Cappadocians: The Reception of Greek Patristic Soures in the Sixteenth Century
By H. Ashley Hall (2009)
PhD Dissertation – Theology
Mentor: Joseph Lienhard, SJ

Intellectus and Induction: Three Aristotelian Commentators on the cognition of first Principles, Including an Original Translation of John Buridan's Quaestiones in Duos Aristotilis Libros Posteriorum Analyticorum
By Ariane E. Economos (2009)
PhD Dissertation – Philosophy
Mentor: Gyula Klima

Spaces and Practices of Religious Reclusion in Medieval Studies
By *Allison Diane Clark (2009)
PhD Dissertation – History
Mentor: Richard Gyug

A Reappraisal of the Christology of St. Justin Martyr
By Carl F. Baechle (2009)
PhD Dissertation – Theology
Mentor: Joseph Lienhard, SJ

A Philological and Theological Analysis of the Ancient Latin Translations of the Vita Antonii
By Lois Gandt (2008)
PhD Dissertation – Theology
Mentor: Joseph Lienhard, SJ

Baptism and the Ideal of Unity and Universality of the Church in St Augustine’s Ecclesiology: An Exposition of his Theology of Baptism in Light of the Donatist Controversy
By Victor N. Mbanisi (2008)
PhD Dissertation – Theology
Mentor: Joseph Lienhard, SJ

Aristocratic Male Friendship in the Anglo-Norman World
By Rebecca Slitt (2008)
PhD Dissertation – History
Mentor: Maryanne Kowaleski

The Foundation of Universal and Necessary Propositions in Select Writings of St. Thomas Aquinas
By James Stone (2008)
PhD Dissertation – Philosophy
Mentor: Joseph Koterski, SJ

Aquinas, God, and Ontotheology
By Joseph G. Trabbic (2008)
PhD Dissertation – Philosophy
Mentor: Joseph Koterski, SJ

A Philological and Theological Analysis of the Ancient Latin Translations of the Vita Antonii
By Lois Gandt (2008)
PhD Dissertation – Theology
Mentor: Joseph Lienhard, SJ

The Foundation of Universal and Necessary Propositions in Select Writings of St. Thomas Aquinas
By James Stone (2008)
PhD Dissertation – Philosophy
Mentor: Joseph Koterski, SJ

Aquinas, God, and Ontotheology
By Joseph G. Trabbic (2008)
PhD Dissertation – Philosophy
Mentor: Joseph Koterski, SJ

Damsels in Distress or Partners in Crime? The Abduction of Women in Medieval England
By Caroline Dunn (2007)
PhD Dissertation - History
Mentor: Maryanne Kowaleski

Alexander Neckman's Encyclopedias: Work at a Juncture-Point in Medieval Intellectual and Social History
By Tomas Zahora (2007)
PhD Dissertation – History
Mentor: Richard Gyug
Prosper of Aquitaine: A Study of His Life and Works
By *Alexander Hwang (2006)
PhD Dissertation – Theology
Mentor: Joseph Lienhard, SJ

Prime Matter According to St. Thomas Aquinas
By Matthew Kent (2006)
PhD Dissertation – Philosophy
Mentor: Joseph Koterski, SJ

The Use of Maximus the Confessor's Writing on the Filoque at the Council of Ferrara-Florence
By A. Edward Siecienski (2006)
PhD Dissertation – Theology
Mentor: Joseph Lienhard, SJ

St. Thomas Aquinas's Confrontation with Neoplatonic Thought in Three Commentaries and in the Treatise on Separate Substances
By John Stefancyk (2006)
PhD Dissertation - Philosophy
Mentor: Joseph Koterski, SJ

Social Resources and Institutional Change in the Dominican Province of Aragon
By Michael Vargas (2006)
PhD Dissertation - History
Mentor: Richard Gyug

Of Ministers and Mistresses: Henry Bradshaw's Abbesses and the Hagiography of the Household
By *Christina Carlson (2005)
PhD Dissertation - English
Mentor: Jocelyn Wogan-Browne

Libido Dominandi: Augustine’s Genealogy of a Fallen World
By Brian Harding (2005)
PhD Dissertation – Philosophy

Chronicle and Community in Northern Italy, 1270-1360
by Laura Morreale (2004)
PhD. Dissertation – History
Mentor: Daniel Smail

Monarchy and Military Practice During the Reign of Alfonso XI (1312-1350)
By Nicolas Agrait (2003)
PhD Dissertation - History
Mentor: Joseph O'Callaghan

Urban Lordship in England: Lay Seigneurs in the West Midlands and Welsh March, 1066 - 1348
By Steven Spishak (2003)
PhD Dissertation - History
Mentor: Maryanne Kowaleski
St. Elizabeth of Hungary and the Franciscan Tradition
By Lori Pieper (2002)
PhD Dissertation - History
Mentor: Richard Gyug

Aquinas and the Free Will Defense
By W. Grant (2002)
PhD Dissertation - Philosophy
Mentor: Brian Davies

Aquinas on Human Survival After Death
By Silas Langley (2002)
PhD Dissertation - Philosophy
Mentor: Brian Davies, O.P.

Hospitality, Conviviality, and the English Gentry: Social Networks of the Landed Elite in Late Medieval Suffolk
By Elizabeth Kunz (2001)
PhD Dissertation - History
Mentor: Maryanne Kowaleski

The Power of Liturgy and the Liturgies of Power in the Eleventh and Twelfth Centuries
By Louis I. Hamilton (2000)
PhD Dissertation - History
Mentor: Richard Gyug

Social Commentary in the Works of Theodulf of Orleans: A Study of Carolingian Humanism
By June-Ann T. Greeley (2001)
PhD Dissertation - Classics
Mentor: John Clark

The Fontalis Plenitudo in Bonaventure as a Symbol for His Metaphysics
By Janet Kvamme (2000)
PhD Dissertation - Theology
Mentor: Ewert Cousins

Lyrical Dialectic as Historiographical Discourse in the Italian Dialogues of Giordano Bruni
By Gilmar Visoni (2000)
PhD Dissertation - History
Mentors: W. David Myers; H. Wayne Storey

The Heart of Christ at Helfta
By Paul Zarowny (2000)
PhD Dissertation - Theology
Mentor: Ewert Cousins

Transformation in the Thoughts of Martin Luther
By Peter Breitsch (2000)
PhD Dissertation - History
Mentor: Louis Pascoe, SJ

Sanctifying the World: Ritual Blessing and Lay Piety in Medieval Religion and Culture
By Derek Rivard (2000)
PhD Dissertation - History
Mentor: Richard Gyug

A Medieval Maritime Community in England: The Ancient Town of Winchelsea and the Cinque Ports
By David Sylvester (2000)
PhD Dissertation - History
Mentor: Maryanne Kowaleski

The Doctrine of Transcendentals in Thomas Aquinas and Meister Eckhart
By Robert Dobie (2000)
PhD Dissertation - Philosophy
Mentor: Joseph Koterski, SJ