Academic conference center, Jilská 1, Prague, November 6-7, 2014

Sponsored by Grant Agency of the Charles University in Prague (No. 1124413), Centre for Medieval Studies of the Czech Academy of Sciences and Institut für Mittelalterforschung of the Austrian Academy of Sciences

Organised by Jan Odstrčilík (Charles University in Prague and Austrian Academy of Sciences), Francesca Battista (Charles University in Prague) and Riccardo Burgazzi (Charles University in Prague)

The main research attention about the history of the Prague University was usually given to the disturbing time of the first decades of the 15th century with the pre-national conflicts and rise of the pre-reformation Hussite movement. We would like shift the focus on the first 50 years of the Prague University and answer at least some of these questions:

How did establishing the Prague University change the cultural and intellectual space in Central Europe? What were the influences from other, already established universities? How peculiar or common were the works of Prague masters and students? How do the new findings reshape our understanding of the university’s role during the first decades of its existence?

We have already collected interesting proposals dealing with these questions, however, there are still some specific topics we would like to have covered more profoundly. Therefore we are looking now for specific papers for these planned sessions:

• In the session on Prague masters – 2 papers (especially on the masters who were active in Prague and also at other universities, for example Heinrich Totting von Oyta)

• In the session on Czech and German vernacular texts – 1 paper (especially welcomed papers on the didactic texts connected with the university)

• Artes liberales at the Prague university (schoolbooks in use at the Prague university)

• Relationships between Prague and French and German universities (especially on the textual background)

We are also still happy to consider other topics connected to the Prague university (e.g. Latin didactic texts at the Prague university; specific works of their masters; reflection of the university by foreigners; philosophical discourse at the Prague university etc.).

The conference language will be English and papers should take 15-20 minutes. Selected participants will obtain partial bursaries.  

If you are interested, please send a ca. 300-word abstract and a short CV to Jan Odstrčilík at jan.odstrcilik[at]oeaw.ac.at by June 30. 

Jan Odstrčilík
Institut für Mittelalterforschung, 4.Stock
Wohllebengasse 12-14
1040 Wien, Österreich

Image: Seal of Charles University, Source: Wikimedia Commons

Jan Odstrčilík

Research assistant at Österreichische Akademie der Wissenschaften and Ph.D. student at the Charles University in Prague (short CV http://overmode.oeaw.ac.at/odstrcilik.php). My current projects are (1) Latin translations of the Czech Sunday Postilla of Jan Hus (main project); (2) Late medieval manuals for successful studying and (3) Prague Teacher Henricus Totting de Oyta in the Medieval Bohemical Manuscripts from Corpus Christi Library in Cambridge: An Analysis and an Edition of Selected Parts of His Works (collaborative project with my colleagues from the Charles University in Prague.) (see http://overmode.oeaw.ac.at/proj_odstrcilik.php )

More Posts - Website