Shutz lecture to delve into the mysteries of medieval archives
LAWRENCE — Misty Schieberle, Frances L. Stiefel Teaching Professor of English at the University of Kansas, is the 2025 recipient of the Byron T. Shutz Award for Excellence in Teaching. She will present “Medieval Mysteries: Archival Challenges and Classroom Discoveries” at 5:30 p.m. April 20 in the Big 12 Room of the Kansas Union.
The lecture is open to the public, and attendees may register to attend in person or via livestream.
In her presentation, Schieberle will showcase how analyzing archival materials — such as unique copies of literary texts and historical documents — can yield new, field-changing discoveries. She will connect these methods of inquiry to the classroom, demonstrating how literary and material evidence encourages students to discover what might otherwise remain unexplored.
The spirit of mystery and joy of discovery are central to Schieberle’s teaching philosophy.
“How do you know what medieval writers were reading, or whether a person grew up in a London merchant household or on a rural farm? The answers are in the archives, if you know where to start looking,” Schieberle said. “Old texts can show us a surprising amount of information about the people who wrote, copied and preserved them. They are also a tangible teaching tool to excite students about analyzing and investigating medieval literature and its historical contexts.”
Schieberle is the director of undergraduate studies in English. Her teaching style is inspired by literary history and the “ways later authors continue to draw on and reimagine previous textual traditions.” She received the University Scholarly Achievement Award for Humanities Research in 2022 and held a National Endowment for the Humanities Fellowship from 2021-2022.
Schieberle earned a doctorate in English from the University of Notre Dame. She also holds a master’s degree in English and a bachelor’s degree in English and Spanish from Texas State University. Her scholarly research focuses on how writers construct authority, English translations of French literature and the influence of woman writer Christine de Pizan on the English literary tradition.
The Byron T. Shutz Award was established in 1978 and recognizes excellence in teaching by a KU faculty member. Up to two awards are presented annually: one to a full-time tenured faculty member in business or economics and one to a full-time tenured faculty member in any discipline.