On Wednesday 27 May 2020, UMGothic was formally launched with a Zoom meeting chaired by Professor Timothy Simpson (FSS). This one-hour symposium attracted an interdisciplinary audience of 40 participants from across the University and interest from other established scholars in the region and beyond. The facilitators of UMGothic, Professor Nick Groom and Professor William Hughes, both from FAH, discussed how their own research and publication profiles had benefitted through interdisciplinary collaboration and then suggested some possible ways in which UMGothic might develop as a body to assist UM faculty and graduate students to enhance their research profiles. Among the possibilities raised were online and physical conferences, reading groups, and the use of social media to publicise the University’s research profile, and the discussion ranged from neglected fields of comparative literature to the cultural dimensions of the current pandemic. UMGothic is a project that crosses faculties and departments, and scholars from all disciplines are welcome to participate in its activities. Further information on future activities can be found by following UMGothic on Twitter: @UMGothic
Click here to review the video of the seminar
