Call for Papers for Session

The Middle Ages in the Modern Classroom

International Medieval Congress, Leeds, 6-9 July 2026

Due by 14 September 2025, 12:00AM BST

(13 September 2025, 7:00PM ET)

Despite the modern era’s fascination with the Middle Ages, teaching the medieval past to modern students remains a challenge. How do we, as teachers, academics, and educators share the love and enthusiasm we have for the period with our students?

This session invites proposals that explore how medieval material is taught in the contemporary classroom, at all levels of education.

• Pedagogical Approaches – innovative methods for engaging students with medieval content

• Digital Tools – use of digital tools, technologies and platforms in the classroom

• Making the Medieval Relevant – dispelling the ‘Dark Ages’ and other misconceptions

• Modes of Assessment – finding new ways to evaluate learning

• Teaching Medievalism – use, abuse, and appropriation of the Middle Ages in modern politics and culture

• Accessibility and Inclusion – creating inclusive learning spaces and teaching the Middle Ages with sensitivity to contemporary race, gender, disability and identity politics

• Decolonising and Diversifying the Curriculum – strategies for incorporating the Middle Ages into diverse curricula, as well as challenging Eurocentric perspectives

• And anything else relating to teaching the Middle Ages!

Please submit abstracts of up to 200 words by midnight 14 September (BST) to m.k.d.cobb@leeds.ac.uk and r.gillibrand@leeds.ac.uk. Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions or queries