The Noble Rank of English Scholar

We will be publishing on this blog stories and testimonials from Arts & Humanities faculty addressing issues surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic and Harvard's response to the crisis. Today we share "a moment of happy solidarity" among members of the course English 103G: Old English: Working with Manuscripts, led by Daniel G. Donoghue, the John P. Marquand Professor of English.

"Like many others I felt terrible for the seniors who had to leave campus abruptly and miss out on Commencement and all the activities leading up to it. So in my advanced Old English class we improvised a ceremony for seniors on the last day of classes before spring break. I created a certificate that said (in Old English) “This document affirms that [student] has been granted the noble rank of English Scholar in the year MMXX.” It was signed by their teachers. I dusted off my academic robes and during class called up each of the four seniors in turn in front of their classmates and presented their diploma. Big applause from the classmates. It was a brief moment of collective joy in a week full of uncertainty, anxiety, and a swirl of other emotions. The seniors appreciated the recognition."