Profile
Ronald Stansbury is a historian specializing in medieval history and the ancient and medieval church. He brings a depth of expertise in the religious and cultural life of the Middle Ages, with particular focus on medieval popular religion, monasticism, heresy, and the history of preaching. His scholarship explores how ideas and movements shaped the lives of everyday people during some of the most formative centuries in Western history.
Dr. Stansbury’s published work includes Pastoral Care in the Late Middle Ages: 1200–1500 (Brill, 2010), a significant edited volume, along with numerous studies on medieval sermons and ecclesiastical reforms. He regularly teaches courses on Western Civilization, the Ancient World, medieval church history, and figures like St. Francis and St. Clare, drawing students into the complexities of spiritual life, power, and belief across time.
Courses Taught
- HIST 1200 Western Civilization I
- HIST 1400 Western History in Global Context
- HIST 2210 The Ancient World
- HIST 2230 Early Modern Europe
- HIST 3200 The Western Church in the Middle Ages
- HIST 4200 Seminar: The World of Sts Francis and Clare
- HIST 4200 Seminar: Harry Potter and the Middle Age
Education
- Ph.D. in History | Ohio State University
- M.A. in History | Ohio State University
- M.Div. | Westminster Theological Seminary
- B.A. | Cedarville University
Sample Publications
Pastoral Care in the Late Middle Ages: 1200-1500, ed. (Leiden: Brill Academic Publishers, 2010).
“The Rise of Medieval Universities” in Exploring the European Past, Thomson Press, 2003.
“Adtendite a falsis prophetis: Pseudo Predicators and the Preaching Reforms of the Late Twelfth Century” 37th Annual World Congress on Medieval Studies, Kalamazoo MI, Spring, 2002.
“A Preliminary Manuscript Catalogue of the Sermons of Ralph Ardent” in Studi Medievali, 3rd Series (December, 2001): 875-895.