CJ Jones

CJ Jones is the Robert Conway Director of Medieval Studies and Professor of German Studies at the University of Notre Dame, affiliated with the College of Arts and Letters. They hold the William Payden Associate Professorship and are a Faculty Fellow of the Nanovic Institute for European Studies. Jones specializes in medieval German religious cultures, focusing on liturgy, gender, and Dominican reform. Their research bridges theology, music, and gender studies, with a focus on late medieval women's communities and liturgical practices.

Education includes a Ph.D. in Comparative Literature from the University of Pennsylvania (2012), an M.A. in Comparative Literature from Dartmouth College (2006), and a B.A. in European Studies and Music History from Mount Holyoke College (2005). Additional qualifications include a License in Mediaeval Studies from the Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies (2015).

Research interests center on how medieval women negotiated religious authority through liturgy, particularly in Dominican sister communities. Key publications include Fixing the Liturgy (2024), Ruling the Spirit (2018), and a translation of Johannes Meyer’s chronicle (2019). Jones’s work examines liturgical reform, medieval music, and the intersection of gender and spirituality.

Awards include the 2021 Faculty Senate Service Award, 2020 Outstanding Mentor Award, and multiple fellowships from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation and the Mellon Foundation. Their grants include support for projects on liturgical manuscripts and Roman liturgical studies.

Teaching spans German language and premodern literature, with courses on medieval German mysticism, liturgical music, and gender studies. Jones advises PhD students on topics like medieval manuscripts and Franciscan tertiary communities. They also lead initiatives in medieval studies pedagogy and interdisciplinary collaboration.

Service roles include co-chairing the Medieval Academy of America’s 2024 Annual Meeting, editorial work for German Quarterly, and leadership in the German Studies Association’s Religious Cultures Network. Jones actively promotes diversity in academia through initiatives like the College of Arts and Letters’ Anti-Racism Mission Statement committee.