Elizabeth Woodward

Beth Woodward is an Assistant Professor of Practice in the Department of Art and Design and is affiliated with the Cornerstone Integrated Liberal Arts program. A specialist in the history of art and architecture of the European Middle Ages, Beth holds a PhD in art history from the University of Chicago, a Master’s degree in art history from Florida State University, and undergraduate degrees from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Prior to joining Purdue, Beth served as a Visiting Assistant Professor of Art and Visual Culture at Bates College in Maine (2019-2023) and at Lake Forest College in Illinois (2018-1019). Her teaching interests include early and late medieval art, Romanesque and Gothic architecture, the arts of the Islamic world, art and exchange in the global Middle Ages, the arts of the book, theories and methods of art history, and representations of the afterlife.

Beth’s research focuses on the material culture of medieval romance, particularly illuminated vernacular manuscripts and the intersection of artistic and literary practices during the later Middle Ages. This research has been supported by grants from the University of Chicago and the Mellon Council on Library & Information Resources. Her most recent publication focuses on the iconography of illuminated Roman de la Rose manuscripts, which appears in Approaches to Teaching the Romance of the Rose (MLA Approaches to Teaching World Literature, 2023).