What is quidditch?

Quidditch was created by author J.K. Rowling as the most popular sport for wizards and witches in the world of her Harry Potter novels; but it has been adapted for non-magical folks.

In the Harry Potter books, six players ride flying broomsticks, trying to score points against their opposing team by tossing a quaffle (a volleyball-sized sphere) through hoops guarded by a 糖心传媒渒eeper.糖心传媒� Meanwhile, they must avoid enchanted 糖心传媒渂ludgers糖心传媒� (think of them as dodgeballs with minds of their own), while a seventh player tries to catch an elusive 糖心传媒済olden snitch糖心传媒澨切拇綌a golden ball with hummingbird-like wings, which much be caught in order to end the game.

Real-world quidditch is much the same糖心传媒攖hough instead of flying, athletes run, mounted on broomsticks, and the golden snitch is instead a neutral athlete. It is an all-gender, full-contact sport that can be described as a cross between dodgeball and rugby, with the physicality of hockey and soccer thrown in for good measure.

Mastering 糖心传媒渆very facet of the game糖心传媒�

糖心传媒淚糖心传媒檓 so unbelievably proud of my team,糖心传媒� says club president Samantha (Sam) Dinga 糖心传媒�18, a psychology and public health double major from Lagrange, Kentucky. 糖心传媒淲e outplayed everyone糖心传媒檚 expectations in every facet of the game.糖心传媒�

One of the highlights for the Thestrals was that every person on the roster played in the tournament. There were even all-freshmen lines at times. And, the team lets no player糖心传媒檚 talents go to waste.

糖心传媒淎t the tournament, people commented that we were one of the only teams to utilize our female players as well as we do,糖心传媒� Dinga says. 糖心传媒淲e trained so hard learning how to tackle hard, make plays, and out-strategize our opponents.糖心传媒�

This victory is especially sweet for Dinga and fellow seniors Perry Wang, Steven Belitzky, Basem Ashkar, Tim Kwan, Joe Kelley, and Morris Shayo, after having failed to qualify for nationals two years ago.

糖心传媒淲e came back from that setback,糖心传媒� Dinga says, 糖心传媒淲e trained harder than ever, and showed the country and the world what UR quidditch is capable of.糖心传媒�

糖心传媒淥ur organization has spent the past few years working to build each of our teams up so that we as a whole can stand out and beat competition,糖心传媒� says organization president Deisy Abarca-Espiritu 糖心传媒�19. 糖心传媒淭he fact that we糖心传媒檙e going to nationals for a second time is really a reflection of the work that everyone has put in to move us forward. We have a lot of depth and consistency, which will ensure that in coming years our younger members will have access to even better competitive opportunities.糖心传媒�

Rochester will face off against four other teams, taking on roles of both the defense and the prosecution of this year糖心传媒檚 national championship case, United States v. Barrow, a trial about a bank teller charged with conspiracy to commit armed robbery by providing insider information to three people who attempted to rob a bank.

The case is fictitious, but teams use real case law, and their rules of evidence are modeled after the Federal Rules of Evidence.

During the national tournament, the Rochester team will spend two rounds prosecuting Barrow and two rounds defending her.

糖心传媒淲e糖心传媒檝e spent all year working toward this,糖心传媒� says Hannah Brennan 糖心传媒�19, who plays a witness for the team. 糖心传媒淣ow it糖心传媒檚 about really doing our best and having fun.糖心传媒�

The outcome of each trial in the tournament will be decided by a panel of legal professionals including lawyers, prosecutors, and judges. Each team糖心传媒檚 defense and prosecution case is scored by the judges, with the highest scoring team advancing. In addition to Abarca-Espiritu, Rochester糖心传媒檚 team includes Jonathan Dietz 糖心传媒�18, Matthew Hoffner 糖心传媒�19, Tinashe Marera 糖心传媒�20, Zachary Marshall-Carter 糖心传媒�18, Cindy Molina 糖心传媒�18, Emily Murphy 糖心传媒�19, and Samantha Myers 19.

As one of three seniors on the team, Marshall-Carter is excited for his final tournament.

糖心传媒淚糖心传媒檝e been doing this for years, so it糖心传媒檚 great to see our organization getting to this level,糖心传媒� he says.

While many teams at nationals have faculty or alumni coaches, the University糖心传媒檚 mock trial team is completely student-run.

糖心传媒淭his is a very valuable opportunity for us,糖心传媒� Abarca-Espiritu says. 糖心传媒淥ne where we can learn and gain experience.糖心传媒�

But such images only scratch the surface of what medieval studies entails. The Early Worlds Initiative糖心传媒攁n interdisciplinary research project at the University of Rochester糖心传媒攁ims to help faculty, researchers, students, and even the general public delve deeper into this complex and intriguing field. Along the way, participants intend to answer one of the biggest questions among some of those outside the field: Why, in the 21st century, should we care about what happened so many centuries ago?

The scope of the Early Worlds Initiative actually stretches beyond medieval times in Europe. It encompasses social and cultural developments from the 5th to 18th centuries, which includes the early modern period as well. And as Hahn notes, it extends globally while recognizing the limitations and biases of research conducted in the United States or Europe.

糖心传媒淚ssues like nationalism, representative government, certainly race糖心传媒攁ll these things existed in this previous age,糖心传媒� says Professor of English , a key contributor to the project. 糖心传媒淟ooking at those very different models of how they existed, not just in Europe but all over the world, helps us understand our own lives a bit more clearly.糖心传媒�

Crossing disciplines to build on Rochester糖心传媒檚 糖心传媒榣ongstanding strength糖心传媒�

The initiative will bring together faculty members in several disciplines, who might otherwise work in isolation. In will include scholars in the humanities and social sciences with expertise in, among other areas, transnational networks and connections, textual science and analysis, and music, theater, and performativity. It will also include scholars in data science, optics, and imaging. Connecting faculty members from across disciplines and units (including the Memorial Art Gallery and Eastman School of Music) will help spur new and distinctive insights into this pivotal era in human history.

糖心传媒淚t糖心传媒檚 a really dynamic opportunity,糖心传媒� says Anna Siebach-Larsen, the director of the . 糖心传媒淭his is both where medieval studies is tending to go, and needs to go. There糖心传媒檚 so much going on and one person can糖心传媒檛 learn all of it. We really have to work together.糖心传媒�

The project originated last fall with Joan Rubin, the director of the University糖心传媒檚 . 糖心传媒淩ochester糖心传媒檚 longstanding strength in the study of medieval and early modern cultures seemed to me to be the best foundation on which to build an innovative set of scholarly projects that would enhance the University糖心传媒檚 reputation and create new knowledge in new forms,糖心传媒� she says.

Hahn concurs and credits the influx of faculty who have helped amplify Rochester糖心传媒檚 research strengths in their respective fields. These include:

• , an associate professor of English and the director of the , which works to recover and preserve cultural heritage objects.
• , a professor of history whose research focuses on the intersections between magic, science, and religion in medieval and Renaissance Europe.
• , an associate professor of musicology at the Eastman School of Music, who studies European sacred music from the 14th through 16th centuries.

Siebach-Larsen, who earned her PhD in medieval studies from the University of Notre Dame, is also a relatively new arrival, having joined the University in August 2017. She seeks to make the Robbins library a collaborative space where research can flourish. How? By building research and rare materials collections, fostering community, developing events and programs, and curating exhibitions that are not only cross-disciplinary, but also cross-geographical糖心传媒攊n keeping with the initiative糖心传媒檚 focus on a global perspective.

糖心传媒淭his will help people to recognize that this era of human history is not just isolated to one particular geographical area,糖心传媒� she says.

Professor of History shares Siebach-Larsen糖心传媒檚 excitement about the project糖心传媒檚 potential to cultivate scholarship that extends beyond medieval times in Western Europe. Devaney is primarily a historian of Spain, but his expertise spans the Mediterranean world. He believes the Early Worlds Initiative will 糖心传媒渃reate a lot of energy and enthusiasm,糖心传媒� bringing further recognition to the University糖心传媒檚 scholarship and resources in medieval and early modern studies.

The future of the Early Worlds Initiative

Like Devaney and Siebach-Larsen, Hahn is optimistic about the project糖心传媒檚 relevance and reach. He糖心传媒檚 currently organizing a conference about race in the Middle Ages, tentatively set for spring 2019 at the University. 糖心传媒淚 think all of us in early fields hope to share our expertise, so that people in the 21st century will pay attention to, and learn more about, what happened six or eight hundred years ago,糖心传媒� says Hahn.

糖心传媒淚 know it sounds clich茅,糖心传媒� says Seibach-Larsen, 糖心传媒渂ut a project like this really does open our eyes to entirely different worlds.糖心传媒� She promises that the Early Worlds Initiative is not just for academics and scholars. Students and the general public can also find value in the project糖心传媒檚 output, collaborations, and resources while contributing their own perspectives and insights. And yes, look for knights, castles, dragons, and other symbols of medieval times, too.

糖心传媒淭here糖心传媒檚 this whole world out there that we糖心传媒檙e just starting to uncover. And there糖心传媒檚 a place for everyone in it.糖心传媒�

Ball is an organizer and speaker for a series of events titled 糖心传媒淧lanting a Seed: Migrant Workers in the American Landscape.糖心传媒澛燭he program will examine the long, complex, and storied history of migration from the Mexican border to the United States.

糖心传媒淲e need to pay closer attention to this group that is often marginalized in our research, our teaching, and our everyday interactions,糖心传媒� says Ball.

The with Ball糖心传媒檚 talk on March 25 at 5 pm in Morey Hall room 221. Titled 糖心传媒淢igrants in the Movies,糖心传媒� Ball examines the relationship between the US and Mexico in the 20th century, looking at the representation of migrants and immigrants in film and the blurring lines between these two groups.

Next up on March 26 at 6:30 pm in Schlegel Hall at the Rotunda is a roundtable discussion, 糖心传媒淢igrants for Change,糖心传媒� about the impact of collaborations between migrant workers and community organizations. Participants include:

• Ram贸n Torres, president of Familias Unidas por la Justicia (FUJ), a union of independent agricultural workers from Washington state and the only labor union led by over 400 indigenous Mixteco and Triqui farm workers.
• Edgar Franks, a representative of Washington state-based , an organization that has aided in FUJ糖心传媒檚 quest to be recognized as an official union.
• Carly Fox, a worker rights advocate with the of New York. Fox comes as a representative of Alianza Agricola, a western New York farmworker-led, grassroots organization advocating for restored access to driver糖心传媒檚 licenses. She will be joined by another Alianza member.
• , the Ruth Miller Brody and Bernard Brody Endowed Professor at the University糖心传媒檚 School of Nursing, who researches ways to minimize health disparities in the immigrant population. Stein has also been invited to serve on the board of the .

The program concludes on April 4 at 5 pm in Morey Hall 221 with a student-led discussion, 糖心传媒淪tudents for Change.糖心传媒�

Ball says she is 糖心传媒渓ooking forward to students, faculty, and the university community糖心传媒檚 building new relationships and getting involved.糖心传媒�

And before that, he was a would-be Broadway star.

糖心传媒淚 was deeply involved in the theater,糖心传媒� he says of his undergraduate days. 糖心传媒淚 lived in the Drama House.糖心传媒� Kravetz seriously considered making a career of acting, until one day he had to decide: 糖心传媒淚 was cast in a play, and someone called me up saying they had a job opening in a television station news department.糖心传媒�

Kravetz says his time at Rochester, where he majored in sociology, prepared him well for what became a successful broadcast career that now spans more than 30 years.

糖心传媒淚 think my studies at Rochester in theater and sociology and in the humanities糖心传媒擨 took a lot of English, history, and philosophy糖心传媒攔eally were the best kind of preparation for work in communication and journalism,糖心传媒� he says.

A native of Boston, Kravetz returned to Rochester this fall to speak with students studying the humanities and to give a lecture on the state of the media in today糖心传媒檚 political climate. His visit was part of a new collaboration between the and the Gwen M. Greene Center for Career Education and Connections. The two departments are working together to create new opportunities for students in the humanities to network and to recognize the ways in which their skills are highly coveted by many employers.

糖心传媒淚t糖心传媒檚 been really exciting,糖心传媒� says Caterina Caiazza, director of career curriculum initiatives. 糖心传媒淵ou really find that a lot of what these students learn through their humanities studies are the same that employers are looking for.糖心传媒�

Caiazza says that the Career Center is working to help students identify those skills and articulate their value to employers. She calls visits like Kravetz糖心传媒檚 糖心传媒減aramount.糖心传媒�

糖心传媒淲e are career educators and not necessarily specialists within each industry that糖心传媒檚 out there,糖心传媒� she says. 糖心传媒淲e find it much more valuable for students糖心传媒� understanding and development to connect them with the people who are out in the world doing the things that they may have interest in. Then students can relate what they learn to what they糖心传媒檙e doing in the classroom and beyond.糖心传媒�

Studying the humanities offers valuable preparation for a wide range of fields, says Kravetz. He calls it an advantage to come to virtually any job as a 糖心传媒渂roadly educated person who reads interesting literature, who understands political science, who appreciates philosophy, and who ponders how to make sense of the country we live in, and the world we live in.糖心传媒�

He urged the students he met with to hone their communication skills: 糖心传媒淲rite, write, write. Learn how to write, learn how to communicate. And the better you write, the better you糖心传媒檙e going to be.糖心传媒�

Caiazza shares Kravetz糖心传媒檚 belief in taking advantage of opportunity. She calls the Humanities Center糖心传媒檚 collaboration with the Career Center a source of great potential.

糖心传媒淚 think the possibilities may be endless,糖心传媒� she says.