Elaine Treharne in Wales

Professor Elaine Treharne, a native of Wales, joined the Stanford faculty in 2012 in the School of Humanities and Sciences as a professor of English. In 2022, she became the Senior Associate Vice-Provost for Undergraduate Education. She is the director of Stanford Text Technologies and the former director of Stanford’s Center for Spatial and Textual Analysis and of the Center for Medieval and Early Modern Studies. Her main research focuses on early medieval British manuscripts, Medieval English religious poetry and prose, and the history of handwriting. Included in that research is her current project, reappraising women scribes in the high Middle Ages; and writing a new book on working with early manuscripts. In 2021, she published Perceptions of Medieval Manuscripts: The Phenomenal Book with Oxford University Press.

Regarding our program through Wales, Professor Treharne says, “I am thrilled about this very special walking tour in my home country. It will take us to some of the most memorable, startling, and moving landscape and vistas—second to none. These places reveal the stories of an ancient land, peopled by a diverse community that takes pride in its culture and language; a people who have shown resilience and hope through centuries of colonization. We shall experience, first-hand, castles, rocky islands and mountain passes; cathedrals, abbeys and sites of extraction; traditions, songs and literature that speak to the heart. This will be a unique experience in which I’m delighted to participate!” On our program, Professor Treharne will discuss many aspects of Welsh society, geography and culture to show how important this land is not only to the Welsh themselves, but also much more broadly, highlighting the country’s national and global connections through time and space. She also promises to sing the Welsh national anthem and teach it to determined travelers!

At Stanford:

• Roberta Bowman Denning Professorship in the Humanities, School of Humanities, since 2013

• Professor by courtesy of German studies, since 2013

• Professor of English, since 2012

• Director, Stanford Text Technologies, since 2014

• Co-director, Center for Medieval and Early Modern Studies, 2013–16

• Director of the Center for Spatial and Textual Analysis, 2016–19

• Fellow of the science, technology and society interdisciplinary program, 2014–18

• Fellow of the Clayman Institute for Gender Studies, 2021–2022

• Senior Associate Vice-Provost for Undergraduate Education, since 2022

Other Roles and Positions:

• President of the Teachers of Old English in Britain and Ireland, since 2021

• Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries, since 2007

• Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, since 2008

• Fellow of the English Association, since 2016

• Fellow of the Learned Society of Wales, since 2020

• National Library of Wales, Trustee, since 2021

• At University of Leicester: affiliate faculty, 2009–2018; professor, medieval literature, 2002–2009; dean, faculty of arts, 2006; Head of Department of English, 2000–2004; co-director, medieval research center, 1998–2006

• Professor, Early English and Text Technologies, 2007–2012, Florida State University