Committee on Centers and Regional Associations (CARA)
ANNUAL MEETING 2008
The Catholic University of America
Washington, D.C.

Travel to Washington, D.C. | Conference Hotel | 2008 Meeting Program | Future Fall Meetings | 2008 Information and Registration Form in .PDF | Guidelines for CARA Meetings

The annual meeting of CARA will take place at The Catholic University of America (CUA) in Washington, D.C. on October 2-4, 2008.  Below is information about travel, the conference hotel, and the program for the meeting.  Special events this year include visits to the Walters Art Gallery in Baltimore and to Dumbarton Oaks in Washington.  The conference hotel is located just a short walk from the National Gallery of Art with its superb medieval and Renaissance collections.

Click here for a .PDF version of the program for the 2008 CARA Annual Meeting, which includes the registration form.

Information about Travel to Washington, D.C.
Washington is served by three airports and all the major airlines: National Airport (DCA), Dulles International (IAD), and Baltimore-Washington International (BWI).  When searching for fares on airlines choose one airport and check the “within 80 miles” box for neighboring airports.  National airport provides the least expensive and easiest access to campus by ground transportation but does not always have the best air fares.  There is a Metro Station at National Airport (Yellow and Blue lines).  CUA has a Metro station on campus and is served by the Red Line.  The Yellow Line intersects with the Red Line at the Gallery Place station and the Blue Line at Metro Center.  It is necessary to transfer to the Red Line in the direction of Silver Spring/Glenmont at both stations.  The one-way fare is $2.75 from the airport.  A cab from the National Airport to campus would cost ca. $20.00.
Dulles and BWI are approximately 35 miles outside of Washington.  Cab fare from Dulles to CUA would be between $60 and $70 (including tip) and ca. $90 (including tip) from BWI.  It is possible to take a Washington Flyer bus to the nearest Metro station (West Falls Church on the Orange Line) from Dulles ($10 one way and $18.00 round trip).  Take the Orange Line train in the direction of New Carrollton.  At the Metro Center Station it is necessary to transfer to the Red Line and take the train in the direction of Silver Spring/Glenmont (the sixth station after the Metro Center Station).  Travelers with more than carry on luggage would find the bus/Metro trip trying.  The fare from Falls Church one way to the CUA station is $3.85.  There is a bus from the BWI terminal to the Amtrak/Marc railroad station. The rail fare to Washington’s Union Station is between $12 and $32, depending on train and class of service.

Conference Hotel
The conference Hotel Phoenix Park, is next to the Union Station (the main train station in Washington), which is the third stop from Metro Center and the third stop from the CUA/Brookland Metro Station.  The Phoenix Park prides itself as a center of Irish Hospitality, that combines Celtic charm with an ideal Capitol Hill location. The Phoenix Park Hotel's  Dubliner Restaurant and Pub is one of Capitol Hill's celebrated bars. The Pub is a favorite for Washingtonians and travelers alike and is known throughout the city for its free-flowing spirits as well as its in-house brewed Irish spirit.  The Dubliner offers pub fare, live Irish entertainment 7 nights a week, along with a selection of beers and ales- including our very own brew, Old Dubliner Amber Ale.”   We have reserved a block of 30 rooms at the Phoenix for October 2-4, 2008 at a price of $169 per night  (regular rate $309 per night) for a single or for two persons in a room with a queen or a king bed.  A room with two beds will be $199.  You can book your reservation on the hotel website at http://www.phoenixparkhotel.com/, then click on “Reservations.”  Please use Group Code 12468 when booking online or when calling the Phoenix Park at 202-638-6900. The address of the Hotel is 520 North Capitol Street, N.W. Washington, DC 20001

Program
CARA Meeting
The Catholic University of America
Washington, DC
October 2-4, 2008

Thursday, October 2 

Reception  7:00-9:00 PM  May Gallery,  Mullen Library

Friday, October 3 

Breakfast  7:15 AM

Executive Committee Meeting 8:30-12:00:  Pryzbyla Center
Tour of National Gallery of Art, Washington  9:30-12:00
Lunch:   12:00-1:30

Excursion to the Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore
Private Showing of Medieval Manuscripts 1:30-5:00

Banquet 6:00-9:00:  Happel Room  Caldwell Hall

Saturday, October 4

Breakfast  8:00 AM  
Panel Presentation  9:00-11:30 Teaching Medieval Church History with Texts and Media
Moderator:  Ken Pennington
Thomas Turley, Santa Clara; Nancy van Deusen, Claremont; Annemarie Weyl Carr, Southern Methodist University

Lunch 12:00-1:00 
Grab Bag Sharing Session 1:00-3:00
Excursion to Dumbarton Oaks 3:00-6:00

Dinner  6:00-9:00  Vincent P. Walter Jr. Board Room  Curley Hall

Future CARA Fall Meetings:

2008 Catholic Univ., October 2-4 (program and registration form in .PDF)
2009 Ohio State Univ. TBA
2010 Notre Dame, TBA

CARA was founded by the Medieval Academy in 1969 to serve as a forum for those who are concerned with teaching; with the administration of institutes, graduate centers, undergraduate programs and committees, and research libraries; and with the organization of regional and local groups of medievalists. CARA assists institutions and individual medievalists in meeting the challenges that face medieval studies in the classroom, the library, and other institutional settings locally and nationally. It supports those who work to develop special projects and programs of instruction, local and regional networks of medievalists, and centers of research and institution in medieval studies. It is concerned with pedagogy at all levels.

CARA sponsors an annual meeting each fall in support of its goals. The 2005 meeting, scheduled for 29 September to 1 October, will be hosted by Saint Louis University. In addition, CARA sponsors a plenary session at the Medieval Academy's annual meeting and two sessions at the annual International Congress on Medieval Studies, Western Michigan University. Materials presented at CARA sessions are occasionally posted on this website for general distribution.

CARA offers Tuition Scholarships for students participating in summer Latin programs at the University of Notre Dame and the University of Toronto. CARA also offers the Leyerle-CARA Prize for graduate students conducting dissertation research in Toronto collections.

CARA compiles and disseminates information about its constituent institutions as part of the CARA Data Project. Institutions and individuals who wish to support and enhance medieval studies are invited to join CARA and participate in its meetings and programs. Annual membership in CARA is available at four levels:

Regular membership for institutions, programs, and organizations = $50
Regular membership with a subscription to Speculum = $80
Reduced rate for new programs and organizations = $25
Individual rate for medievalists whose institutions are not CARA members = $25

To join CARA, send a check for the appropriate dues level to:
CARA
Medieval Academy
104 Mt. Auburn St., 5th Floor
Cambridge, MA 02138.

CARA Meeting Guidelines in .PDF