Scholars@Duke
David Aers

David Aers

James B. Duke Distinguished Professor of English
English
aers@duke.edu
Box 90015, Durham, NC 27708-0015
402 Allen Bldg, Durham, NC 27708
Office hours

Selected Presentations & Appearances

Milton & the Revolution · 2024 Invited Talk King’s College, Cambridge
What Happened to Enemy Love · 2022 Invited Talk Harvard University, Cambridge, MA
Langland’s Reformations · 2015 Invited Talk University of Colorado, Boulder, CO
The Lollards' Christ - International Medieval Congress · 2015 Invited Talk
Chaucer's Lyf of St. Cecile: Religion and Politics · 2014 Invited Talk University of North Texas, Denton, TX
Medieval and Reformation · December 7, 2010 Lecture Medieval Academy
Medieval and Reformation · 2010 Invited Talk Medieval Academy
Langland’s Piers Plowman · 2009 Invited Talk Princeton University English Department, Princeton, NJ
Salvation and Sin in Piers Plowman · 2006 Invited Talk Northwestern University, Evanston, IL
Conversion in Augustine: Theology and Politics - Conference on Conversion · 2005 Invited Talk Harvard University, Cambridge, MA

Plenary lecture
Chaucer and the Church - Revisiting Chaucer and Christianity conference · July 2003 Invited Talk Canterbury Cathedral International Study Centre
Problems about Church and Community in the Canterbury Tales - Chaucer and Christianity Conference · July 2003 Invited Talk Canterbury
Quarrels about Grace - 2003 International Langland Conference · July 2003 Invited Talk Birmingham, England
Wyclif, Poverty and the Poor - International Medieval Congress · 2001 Invited Talk Kalamazoo
Piers Plowman and the Sacrament of the Altar · 2000 Invited Talk Kalamazoo
Home and Sanctification · 2000 Invited Talk Ohio State University, Columbus, OH
Piers Plowman, Medieval Colloquium · 1999 Invited Talk Harvard University , Cambridge, MA
Wyclif and Christian Discipleship: some contradictions?, · 1998 Invited Talk Kalamazoo
Exploration of Faith in Piers Plowman · September 1997 Invited Talk Southeastern Medieval Association
Faith and Chaucer's Clerk's Tale · November 1996 Invited Talk SAMLA
Faith and Ethics: Reflections on Chaucer and Current Readings - Schick Lecturer · October 1996 Invited Talk Indiana State University , Terre Haute, IN
Faith: St. Thomas and Chaucer · 1996 Invited Talk International Medieval Congress, Kalamazoo
Spirituality and Economics and Langland, Chaucer and the Court (two lectures) - Chaucer/Langland NEH Institute · 1995 Invited Talk University of Colorado , Boulder, CO
Organized and chaired session, What difference does history make? · 1995 Invited Talk Conference on What Difference Does Gender Make?, , Chapel Hill, NC
Organized and introduced session on Chaucer's poetry, Christian traditions and late fourteenth culture · August 1994 Invited Talk New Chaucer Society
Christ's humanity in Julian's Revelations · May 1994 Lecture Julian of Norwich Lecture, Norwich
The body in medieval art and literature · February 1994 Lecture IMA Conference, Chicago, IL
Julian of Norwich · 1994 Invited Talk Religion Department, Pennsylvania University, Philadelphia, PA
Chaucer and the Problem of Justice · November 1993 Invited Talk Oxford University
Altars of Power: reflections of Duffy's Stripping of the Altars · July 1993 Invited Talk Hagiography Conference, York, England
Representations of Christ's humanity: some contexts for Piers Plowman · July 1993 Invited Talk International Piers Plowman Conference, Cambridge University
Gower's responses to late fourteenth-century political and ecclesiastic conflicts - International Medieval Congress · May 1993 Invited Talk Gower Society, Kalamazoo
Individual salvation and ideas of society in the late Middle Ages - The Colegate Seminars · April 1993 Invited Talk Norwich
Chaucer, the Canon and Justice · November 1992 Invited Talk Anglia University, Cambridge
Social Chaucer and Langlandian Justice · August 1992 Invited Talk New Chaucer Society Conference
Lecture on Piers Plowman · May 1992 Invited Talk University College, Dublin
Post-Plague England, Justice and some puzzles for Langland · January 1992 Invited Talk University of York
The Self Mourning: Reflections on Pearl" and "Reading Religious Texts of the Later Middle Ages · December 1991 Invited Talk MLA Conference, San Francisco, CA
Lecture on Pearl · November 1991 Invited Talk Oxford University
The interpretation and dreams: Freud, Milton and Chaucer · 1991 Invited Talk University of Kent
Piers Plowman: some questions about reading its politics - Conference on Piers Plowman · 1991 Invited Talk University of Nottingham
Medieval subjectivities - International Medieval Congress · 1991 Invited Talk Medieval Studies Institute, Kalamazoo
Medieval subjectivities · 1991 Invited Talk Medieval Studies Institute, University of Notre Dame
Deconstruction and medieval literature: critical versions of the transition to the early modern · 1990 Invited Talk Cambridge University
Lecture to medieval postgraduate and staff seminar · 1990 Invited Talk Bristol University
Critical reflection on deconstruction and medieval literature · 1990 Invited Talk New Chaucer Society, Canterbury
What Do We Teach When We Teach Chaucer? and Reflections on the History of the Subject · December 1989 Invited Talk MLA Conference
The 'History' of the Subject and Renaissance Criticism - Postgraduate Seminar · 1989 Invited Talk University of Kent
The Future of Literary History - Conference on Contemporary Culture · 1988 Invited Talk Foreign Office, Wilson Park
Lecture in series, Rewriting the Middle Ages · 1987 Invited Talk Duke University
Troilus and Criseyde: Gender and Romance · 1986 Lecture Melbourne University
Masculine Identity in Troilus and Criseyde · 1986 Invited Talk Manchester University
The Politics of 'Historical Criticism' · 1986 Invited Talk Higher Education Teachers' Conference

Plenary session lecture

Plenary Session Lecture · 1986 Invited Talk Australia and New Zealand Medieval and Renaissance Society Conference, Melbourne
The Politics of 'Historical Criticism' · 1984 Invited Talk Theorizing Historical Criticism at New Chaucer Society Conference, York
Allegory and Ideology · 1983 Invited Talk Postgraduate Society , University of York
Margery Kempe and Representations of Women · 1983 Invited Talk New Hall, Cambridge
Chaucer, Margery Kempe and Marriage · 1983 Invited Talk Newcastle Poly
Allegory and Piers Plowman · 1983 Invited Talk English faculty at Cambridge University , Cambridge University
Chaucer and the Profit Economy · 1982 Invited Talk MLA Conference, Los Angeles, CA
Literature and Revolt · June 1981 Invited Talk Cambridge Board of Extra-Mural Studies Day School on Peasants' Revolt 1281, Norwich
Representation of the Third Estate around 1381 - Conference on the Peasants' Revolt of 1381 · April 1981 Invited Talk University of Kent, Cambridge, UK
Piers Plowman and Problems of Poverty - Birmingham Medieval Society · April 1981 Invited Talk University of Birmingham, Birmingham, England
Paper given with J. Cook, D. Punter, T. Elsasser and R. Clark · 1981 Invited Talk Essex Conference on Sociology of Literature '1789'
Milton in English Cultural History - Westminster Abbey at International Milton Symposium · 1981 Invited Talk
Lectures and seminars on the late medieval world - International Graduate School · 1980 Invited Talk University of Kent, Cambridge, UK
Historical process, individual and community in Milton's early prose, - Essex Conference on the Sociology of Literature '1642' · 1980 Invited Talk

(paper with G. Kress)

Love, Sex and Marriage in the Canterbury Tales · 1979 Invited Talk University of York , York, England
Chaucer and Utopianism · 1979 Invited Talk Centre for Medieval Studies, University of York, York, England
Piers Plowman - Faculty of English, Cambridge University · 1977 Invited Talk Cambridge University, Cambridge, England

Lecture to Faculty of English

Service to the Profession

Director - Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies · 2019 Editorial Activities
Member, Executive Committee : Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies · 2008 Other
Co-editor · 2008 Editorial Activities Reformations
Co-editor : Reformations · 2008 Other Notre Dame UP and from 2024 Brewer Press
Editor - Journal of Medieval and Early Modern Studies · 2008 Editorial Activities Duke University Press
Co-Editor - Journal of Medieval and Early Modern Studies · 2006 Editorial Activities
Editorial Board - Speculum: A Journal of Medieval Studies · 2001 - 2005 Editorial Activities
Director - Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies · 1996 - 2003 Editorial Activities
Editorial Board - Church History · 1996 - 2001 Editorial Activities
Trustee - New Chaucer Society · 1995 - 2000 Committee Service
Editorial Board - Yearbook of Langland Studies · 1994 - 2007 Editorial Activities
Consulting Editor - Literature and History · 1994 - 2002 Editorial Activities
Co-editor - Journal of Medieval and Early Modern Studies · 1994 - 1997 Editorial Activities
Co-editor - Assays: Critical Approaches to Medieval and Renaissance Texts · 1994 - 1996 Editorial Activities

Service to Duke

Chair’s Advisory Committee (Department) · 2014 - 2015 Committee Service Duke English
Director . Graduate Studies in English · 2012 - 2013 Event/Organization Administration Duke University
Chair’s Advisory Committee (Department) · 2010 - 2011 Committee Service Duke English

Academic & Administrative Activities

Doctoral Thesis Directed

  • Witten, Derek (2020-2025)
  • Li, Shirley (2015-2023), co-directed with Sarah Beckwith
  • Fry, Chandler (2014-2021)
  • VanderHart, Hannah (2013 - 2019), co-directed with Sarah Beckwith
  • Hamman, Grace (2013-2019), co-directed with Sarah Beckwith
  • Larre, Lindsey (2013-2018), co-directed with Sarah Beckwith
  • Hines, Jessica N. (2011-2017), co-directed with Sarah Beckwith
  • Bell, Jack (2010-2016)
  • Revere, William (2008-2014) 
  • Sirko, Jill M (2008-2011)
  • Giugni, Astrid (2007-2013)
  • Deagman, Rachael (2004-2010)
  • Mathews, Jana (2003-2008)
  • Long, Rebekah (2001-2006)
  • Hersh, Cara (2000-2005), co-directed with Sarah Beckwith
  • Crassons, Katherine (2000-2004) 
  • Cole, Andrew (1997-2002) 
  • Armstrong, Susan Dorsey (1997-2001)
  • Little, Katherine (2001)
  • Knapp, Ethan (1999)
  • Nolan, Maura (1999)