What is UCLA-CMRS?

The UCLA Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies (CMRS) was founded in 1962-63 under the guidance of Lynn White, Jr., the distinguished historian who spearheaded the initiative and served as the Center’s first director. CMRS’s mission is to promote interdisciplinary and cross-cultural studies of the period from late antiquity to the mid-seventeenth century. These studies deepen human understanding of cultural, artistic, social, religious, political and related issues rooted in the deep past which still resonate in our contemporary world.

To accomplish this mission, the Center has three primary goals: 1) To stimulate and support the scholarship and research activities of its affiliated faculty, associates, students and scholars; 2) To foster and prepare the next generation of scholars and researchers by providing educational opportunities, financial, and other support; and, 3) To disseminate knowledge, encourage intellectual exchange, and promote Late Antique, Medieval and Renaissance Studies at the campus, local, regional, national, and global levels.