CNU student to present paper at International Congress

News Release - March 27, 2007
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media contact:
Carolyn Cuthrell
Office of Communications and Public Relations
carolyn.cuthrell@cnu.edu
(757) 594-7331

(NEWPORT NEWS, Va.) — Christopher Newport University sophomore Nicole Justice will present her paper, “Malleus Maleficarum’s Dissemination of Misogyny Throughout European Society,” at the 42nd International Congress on Medieval Studies. The conference will be held May 10-13, 2007 at Western Michigan University. Justice is the only student from CNU attending.

“Next to the Bible, the Malleus Maleficarum was the second most popular book for 200 years. Its publication caused a shift in witch hunts that led to only women being considered witches,” Justice says. Her presentation at the Congress will focus on how the Malleus Maleficarum “shaped views that Europeans, and specifically European courts, had about women in their society for many years after its publication.”

Nicole Justice is enrolled in the Honors Program and is majoring in History and Interdisciplinary Studies. She is the vice president of Model United Nations, and a member of both the History and Anthropology clubs. She was also on the Dean’s List for the Spring 2006 semester. This summer, Justice will study abroad in Morocco for one month as part of the Tidewater-North Africa Cultural Exchange Program.  In the fall, she will travel to Cork, Ireland to study Celtic women’s history.

Last year, Justice presented papers at CNU’s Paideia Research Conference and two conferences at Villanova University. In addition to speaking at the 42nd International Congress on Medieval Studies, this year she will also present at the Popular Culture Association Annual Meeting in Boston, Massachusetts.

The International Congress on Medieval Studies at Western Michigan University is the largest annual gathering of medieval scholars. Events include over 600 papers presentations, panel discussions, roundtables, workshops, and performances.