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Centers and Regional Associations of the Medieval Academy CARA @ Trent Conference Guest Speakers 'Teaching the "Hard Stuff" to Undergraduates' September 21 to 24, 2006
Out of the Classroom and into the Trenches: Teaching Undergraduate Students in the Field By: Jennifer Moore, Trent University Through my undergraduate-level archaeological field course in Tunisia, students gain hands-on experience in excavation, surveying, artifact registration and analysis, and specialist sub-fields. However, it is the unplanned experiences of participating in a project abroad that often prove to be the most valuable. Only by being displaced from one's native
'The Composition of a Foreign Landscape: Teaching Students The Many Aspects of Cultural Patrimony.' by Brian E. McConnell, Ph.D., Department of Visual Arts & Art History, School of the Arts, Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts & Letters, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, Florida, USA Teaching undergraduates about archaeology takes on as many forms as the field itself in the university context. While archaeological materials, whether they be large buildings or small objects, macroscopic stratigraphy or microscopic elements that can only be examined through scientific analysis, constitute a relatively universal, straightforward, and inevitable patrimony of humanity, the way in which academics approach them and teach about them is often conditioned by the theoretical frameworks of existing university disciplines. The contrast between Classical Archaeology and the interests of Anthropology is a good example, and the multiple ways in which one may approach medieval remains -- through the study of the History of Art and Architecture, as well as more excavation-oriented approaches that focus on the landscape and socio-economic issues -- can appear to the undergraduate as an intellectual hydra. The approach taken by the Florida Atlantic University foreign-study program in Southern France (Summer 2006) is a case-study focused on the holistic treatment of a region's cultural resources, its history, and its literary culture. Despite differences in time, cultural and environmental context, and the many ways in which scholars approach the evidence in the field today, the worlds of the Paleolithic Period, Greek and Roman Antiquity, and the Middle Ages are woven together in a tapestry that is intended to bring students in contact with the rich cultural patrimony that, as a whole, is an important part of present-day France.
Are You Sure This Isn't About Dinosaurs?: A Case for Palaeography in the Undergraduate Curriculum By: Carrie Benes, New College of Florida Paleography and codicology are often considered the poor cousins to academic research on the Middle Ages—“auxiliary disciplines” which must be mastered (chiefly by graduate students) to access the “real” data, be that literary, historical, or artistic. This narrow interpretation ignores manuscripts’ pedagogical potential as artifacts connecting students directly with the past. Based on the presenter’s experiences as a student and teacher, this paper will argue the need for a place for manuscript studies in the curriculum that is not merely ancillary, but rather emphasizes their role as material culture, illuminating the social relations, intellectual networks, and economic exchanges of medieval Europe.
Bringing Dead Animals to Life: Teaching Codicology in the Digital Age By: Erik Kwakkel, University of Victoria This paper is about perception. The discipline placed center stage, codicology or the study of the physical makeup of the medieval manuscript, is frequently labeled as a “hard topic” – an observation that is confirmed by the fact that it is featured at the current conference. Granted, it is easy to think of codicology as a difficult subject. After all, with its alien lingo, curious research methods, and atypical emphasis on technicalities, the field stands out among other disciplines in the humanities. Moreover, while in Europe codicology is frequently housed in its own department, here in North America it is usually “outsourced” to History or English, which increases the risk that it is perceived as an eccentric auxiliary discipline, homeless in the Arts Faculty. Fortunately, codicology is neither difficult nor peculiar, and this paper will discuss how this perception can be promoted to students using digital resources. Digital resources, such as the use of a data projector to present high-quality and moving images, and a dynamic website to provide a variety of information, can be useful pedagogical tools. This paper will focus on three ways in which digital resources can be employed when teaching codicology: class preparation by the student, the presentation of the course in the classroom, and the stimulation of class discussion. While to the undergraduate student medieval manuscripts may at first sight be nothing more than hides of dead animals filled with symbols that can only be read with great difficulty, a digital learning environment may help these objects come to life.
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How to Contact Trent's Conference Centre We'd be delighted to offer you more information about what Trent has to offer! Click here for a map and directions to Trent University. We look forward to having you as our guest. If you'd like to find out more, or if you have questions, please contact us: Mail: Trent University Telephone: Toll free: 1-866-290-6491 Fax: E-mail: Quick Links:
Transportation Information Conference Agenda
REFUNDS FOR CONFERENCE FEES WILL NOT BE PROCESSED AFTER SEPT. 8. 2006 |
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