VMNS Graduate Students 2023-2025

Medieval Icelandic Studies & Viking and Medival Norse Studies orientation meeting August 18, 2023. — See also our graduate students in Medieval Icelandic Studies.

	Andrea Guttormsen Wetzler (Norway) Comparative Literature, BA, Boston University, 2023 Nordisk, course work, Universitet i Bergen, 2019 Studying classical Persian and German for my bachelor’s, I am fascinated by the impact of translation, intersections of the Islamic and Christian worlds, and the reverberations of medieval literature in the more modern. For my honors thesis, I therefore analyzed Goethe’s West-östlicher Divan and how his poetry demonstrates a uniquely perceptive understanding of the 14th-century Persian poet Hafiz, whose poetry in German translation had first reignited Goethe’s lyrical spark. In Iceland, I look forward to the wealth of comparative possibilities the Old Norse literary corpus offers, especially eddic and skaldic poetry, riddarasögur, and konungasögur.
	Anna Barbariol (Italy) Archaeology, MA, University of Bologna, 2023 Cultural heritage, BA, University of Bologna, 2020 I first approached archaeology during my bachelor studies, and I am looking forward to continuing to study it into the VMNS master’s program. My interests lie in Scandinavian and Viking age archaeology, human resilience and geoarchaeology.
	Ariya Theprangsimankul (Tailand) Drama, BFA, Thammasat University, 2015 History, course work, Ramkhamhaeng University I have background in theatre and performing arts and have been immersed in the field of rituals and ritual performances linked to folk magic traditions in Thailand. I am eager to delve into the ritual performances and magico-religious practices of pre-Christian Scandinavia and Old Nordic religion, utilizing performance studies as an approach to understanding them better.
	Caitriona Spratt (Ireland) History, BA, Trinity College Dublin, 2022 For my undergraduate degree, I studied single honours history. While history is my primary focus, every element of this course greatly interests me. During my time here, I am particularly excited about exploring the role of women and slaves in this society and period.
	David Gregory Damas (Canada) History, BA, Carleton University, 2022 As an undergraduate, my primary focus was history with a particular interest in the Viking Age. I am now looking forward to developing my skills in Old Icelandic as it will unlock a whole new world for my historical studies and pave the way for future study in Old English.
	Edward Michael Dougherty (US) History, BA, Western Connecticut State University, 2021 My undergraduate degree was in history with an interest in Viking studies, which was intensified by a study abroad program in Denmark with Professor Stephen Mitchell. My personal passion is Norse mythology and folklore, which I hope to teach one day as a professor.
	Emily Sarah Cremins (England) English, BA, University College London, 2022 Previously, I have focused on Old English poetry, particularly female power within confinement that stems from a refusal to conform to social and semantic binaries. I am eager to explore further the relationship between semantics and physical text, and their employment as vessels for supernatural power in Old Icelandic works.
	Emily Patricia Paulus (US) Anthropology, BA, University of Minnesota Twin Cities, 2021 In my undergraduate work, I concentrated on the funerary archaeology of the Vikings and the variety of rituals practiced. I am eager to learn more about rune stones from the Viking age and the interconnection between the Icelandic sagas and archaeological sites.
	Eric Van Hoose (US) Globalization Studies, BA, State University of New York at Albany, 2023 In my undergraduate work, my focus was on Globalization Studies. However, I later found greater interest in the study of Medieval Scandinavia. In the future, I hope I can use what I have learned to help share this interesting subject with others around the world.
	Eva Margaret “Mags” Knepper (US) Art History, BA, Skidmore College, 2022 In my undergraduate work, I dabbled in archaeology/anthropology, classics, and gender studies work, starting with a primary interest in Ancient Greek archaeology and architectural history. After studying abroad in Copenhagen, Denmark, I was able to apply the methods from those disciplines into study of Early Medieval Scandinavia in a course called Nordic Myth. I aim to study concepts of gender (and sexuality) in Norse culture, separating Viking Age Norse culture from the Christianised worldviews of previous scholarship to access Norse self-image on their own terms. The archaeology of domestic life in the Viking Age, and cultural variation across Scandinavia also contribute greatly to my interests and research strategies, and I also draw heavily from Carol Clover’s work in the area of Norse ideas of gender and social roles.
	Evan Anthony Gilbert (US) History, BA, Eastern Washington University, 2023 My background is in history, and I hope to be able to understand better and appreciate Old Norse/Icelandic culture and religion by the end of the program.
	Freya Alethe Schlaefer (US) Classics, BA, Reed College, 2023 As an undergraduate, I focused on intertextuality in archaic Greek poetry, particularly with regard to eating as a status and identity marker. I am looking forward to working on Old Icelandic literature and what these texts can tell us about medieval Scandinavian constructs of self and world.
	Giacomo Viggiano (Italy) Language and Literature, BA, University of Genoa, 2023 My background is in Scandinavian languages and literatures.In this programme, I hope to expand my knowledge of the Scandinavian world by studying more historiography, philology, archaeology and Old Norse language. I will also try do develop an interdisciplinary method to connect all those fields together.
	Igor Glushanets (Russia) Japanese Language and Culture, BA, University of Iceland, 2023 Theory and methodology of teaching foreign languages and cultures, diploma, Barnaul State Pedagogical University, 2008 I have a background in linguistics, mainly in the theoretical aspect. I am eager to continue my research with a shift towards literary theory in Old Norse literature.
	James Lydia Kleerup (US) Classics, BA, Scripps College, 2022 In my undergraduate studies, I focused on the themes of women and gender in Greco-Roman myths and literature. I am excited to continue exploring those themes in addition to examining the role of honor in Old Icelandic sagas and myths and how it morphed under Christianity.
	Johnathan Garceau (Canada) Anthropology, BA, Concordia University, 2022 As an undergraduate student at the University of Concordia, I chose to go into anthropology. I quickly learned that my interests were in history and historical linguistics. Every elective I chose was history classes, where I mostly focused on Old English. I hope to pursue work in History and archeology.
	Kristie Marie Grillasca Gonzalez (Puerto Rico) Humanities, BFA, University of Puerto Rico, 2022 Audiovisual Communications, Second Concentration, University of Puerto Rico, 2022 Literature in English, Second Concentration, University of Puerto Rico, 2023 .
	Lonny Franklin Coots (US) Italian Language and Literature/East Asian Studies, Japanese Language Emphasis, BA, University of Arizona, 2022 As an undergraduate, I worked with sundry languages such as Japanese and Italian. I hope to enrich that education with detailed investigation of Old Icelandic and other medieval languages, engaging diachronically with all aspects of them, from phonology to syntax.
	Marine Kuhn (Switzerland) French Language and Literature and English Language and Literature, BA, University of Geneva, 2023 In my undergraduate studies, I focused on the literary analysis of Old, Middle, and Modern English and French texts. I am eager to learn the Old Icelandic language and dive into the Old Norse literature. I hope to broaden my knowledge and make links to my previous studies.
	McKelvie Rose McMurray (US) History/English, BA, Truman State University, 2023 In my undergraduate studies, I majored in English and History. I am interested in folklore and how women work in societies. I want to see how myths create and impact cultures, especially in Viking and Medieval societies, where women are sometimes found in the historical background. Studying how belief structures impact cultural norms and how they are documented in art from the period is also a topic I have found very fascinating in my undergraduate work.
	Noah Richard Kaczmarek (US) History/ Environmental Science/Public History, BA, Niagara University, 2022 In my undergraduate work, I studied History and Environmental Science. Here in Iceland, I look forward to developing my knowledge of Icelandic and Viking History to provide a solid foundation for a future in archaeology. Upon completion of the Masters in Viking and Medieval Norse Studies, I plan on applying to the Masters in Historical Archaeology at the University of Iceland.
	Pauline “Nena” Pralle (Germany) History, BA, University of Stirling, 2023 Following a visit to the Viking Ship Museum in Oslo, I have developed a strong interest in Viking History. This led me to write my Bachelors Thesis on Carolingian defences against Viking attacks in the 9th Century. I am in this programme to gain a deeper understanding of various aspects of Norse Culture and History.
	Sarah Ann Hancock (US) Painting, BFA, Salisbury University, 2023 As an undergraduate, I received my Bachelor of Fine Arts in illustration and pottery with a minor in art history. Intrigued by the Old Icelandic literary corpus for creative inspiration, I now look forward to investigating gender and queer dynamics in literature as well as possibly looking into the relevant contexts of stave church design and construction.
	Sarah Jean South (US) English and Writing Professions, MA, Eastern Kentucky University, 2023 English, BA, North Carolina State University, 1997 I have an MA in English and Writing Professions. In my graduate thesis, I explored the mechanisms that guide the creation of liminal discourses. I am interested in examining the Norse corpus to understand further how different cultures construct grief narratives and the spaces in which grief practices take place.
	Valerio Punzi (Italy) Archaeology and Art History, MA, University of Basilicata and École pratique des hautes études, 2022 Cultural Heritage, BA, University of Basilicata, 2019 I come from archaeological background primarily focused on Viking and Medieval Scandinavia. In both my BA and MA thesis, I worked on Norman, Scandinavian and North Germanic traces in Italy and France. My interest now primarily lies in a multidisciplinary approach which matching modern technologies with runology, architectures, topography, manuscripts, excavation field activities and so forth, and I am looking forward to learning more about Icelandic and Scandinavian archaeology.
	Xinran Li (China) English Language and Literature, BA, Peking University, 2023 As an undergraduate, I studied both English linguistics and English literature. Now I am looking forward to exploring Old Norse language and literature, as well as the fields of onomastics, palaeography and codicology.