Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies

Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies

President		Augustine Thompson, O.P.
Address	59 Queen's Park Crescent East , Toronto , Ontario , M5S 2C4 , Canada 43°39′56″N 79°23′28″W / 43.6656°N 79.3910°W / 43.6656; -79.3910
Campus	Urban
Colours
Website	pims.ca

The Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies (PIMS) is a research institute in the University of Toronto that is dedicated to advanced studies in the culture of the Middle Ages.

Governance

The

In 1964 the University of Toronto established the Centre for Medieval Studies as part of the School of Graduate Studies, for students pursuing a master's degree or doctorate in medieval studies. Teaching at these levels gradually passed from the institute to the centre. (The centre officially uses the spelling "medieval" while PIMS uses "mediaeval".) Students of the Centre for Medieval Studies have access to the PIMS building and library.

Up until 1958 the institute had its own charter. From 1958 to 2005, PIMS was a division of the University of St. Michael's College. The Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies Act of 2005 gave the institute academic autonomy from the university, with which, however, it remains affiliated.^[5] Under the act, PIMS is administered by a board of governors with its academic affairs vested in the Institute Council of the academic staff, consisting of fellows and associate fellows.

Postdoctoral Program and Licence in Mediaeval Studies

In 1998 the institute became an exclusively postdoctoral research centre, and it accepts students who have recently completed their doctoral studies and wish to conduct specialized research in medieval studies. PIMS offers a Licence in Mediaeval Studies (LMS) as a degree exclusively for students who have completed their postdoctoral studies there.^[6] (The application for the LMS refers to it as a "Licentiate" and not as a "Licence.")^[7] Unusually for a Pontifical licentiate, the degree is awarded after its bearer has already earned a doctorate, and not on the way to such.

Étienne Gilson Lecture

Since 1979 the institute has hosted an annual lecture from "a senior medievalist" in honour of its co-founder and his research interests. Previous lecturers include Jaroslav Pelikan, Mark D. Jordan, John F. Wippel, Peter Brown, and Francis Oakley. Lectures have been given on topics such as medieval philosophy, medieval art, medicine in the Middle Ages, and medieval historiography.^[8]

Library

The institute has its own

• Leonard Boyle (1923–1999), sometime Prefect of the Vatican Library
• Osmund Lewry (1929–1987), intellectual historian, specializing in philosophy
• Jacques Maritain (1882–1973), French Catholic philosopher
• John Marenbon (b. 1955), scholar of medieval philosophy
• Joseph Owens (1908–2005), scholar of scholastic philosophy
• Thomist
  philosopher and historian of philosophy
• C. J. Ryan (1943–2004), Italian studies scholar

References