Discussion 14: Another Best July 30 - Due August 3

COMMENT and at least a REPLY.

Here is what Kathryn had to say about the meaty topic or self-reflection.

Same as discussion 13.

1.         I was expecting the course to provide me with a cultural history of Italy. I had imagined history textbook-like readings of wars and tensions, art and architecture, and societal advances for which Italy is responsible . In reading that the course would be about the ‘ethnic experience’ I was expecting more modern readings and reports of life in Italy and how the society now flows amongst/is influenced by it’s history.

 

2.         I am now extremely curious about the birth of Roman society and how ancient Greece influenced the very beginnings of Italian culture. There was a glimpse of the overlap of worshipping many gods that was implemented in Julius Caesar when they celebrated many different gods and goddesses. I wonder if the belief that Emperors such as Nero, being ‘divine sons’ and a conduit to the gods, was indeed true. Or was it really just a ploy to stay in the most powerful position. Whatever the case, the desire to be a dictator that plays god while simultaneously being the head of state existed then as it does now. When a leader fears loss of power, they limit the powers of government.

            One thing that came up for me these past two weeks has been a deepening of my interest in the roots of Christianity. Though I would not currently claim myself as a Catholic, I did spend the first 18 years of my life being taught the church’s teachings. Quo Vadis spurred my emotional memory with it’s portrayal of Christian beginnings being utterly idealistic with it’s baseline belief in humans being giving and forgiving. There is such beautiful simplicity in the desire to live a moral life. But when a group comes into a belief system without any openness they become rigid and rejecting. Perhaps this rigidity lent itself ultimately to the implementation of the Inquisiton.

           

            I do feel a gap in my understanding of when Christianity was first starting and how it infiltrated, eventually getting to the point of the takeover by the Inquisition. From watching The Name of the Rose and reading additional material, the Franciscans really come across as the good guys to me that wanted to follow the moral compass. I took great interest in learning about the roles of monks and their time spent in scriptoriums recording knowledge so that it wouldn’t be lost forever. And the fact that the use of astrology and astronomy was heresy further demonstrates the fear of science disproving the church’s teachings. Were different orders and sects using the establishment and it’s spiritual insurance policies to justify their greed?

           

            Because of this deepening understanding of the history of Christianity and Catholicism, it has brought about embarrassment for the corrupt nature within the church. This was not my belief about the institution growing up. But embracing Boccaccio’s low-brow tales and the simple realism of life’s base desires in the Decameron completely flipped my experience. Nothing is sacred and All is sacred. We, including those who choose to be clergy, are all human animals. This positions me for a great release when entering the Renaissance.

 

3.         As a curious artist and builder with a growing passion for science and inventions, I myself am in a Renaissance. Of course I realize that one can only know that they living in a truly glorious moment if it is accompanied by the experience of something devastating to which it can be compared. Therefore, I am expecting the next phase of our learning to unfurl majestically with the subject matter while being aware of the inevitable downfall and corruption in history to follow.

Discussion 13: Best sample July 30 --- Due Aug. 3

COMMENT and at least one REPLY to a comment worth noticing.

 

compare your assignment JULY 30 to the work of Crystal.

 

How does your compare to this? If yours fell short of this standard, what are the reasons?

 

-      The film was amazing considering they devised some of the special effects they used with no comparisons or experience in full-length feature films. One of my favorite effects is when Virgil and Dante find Farinata where the heretics are buried in piles of fire (27:00). I enjoy everything about the scene from the red highlight, to the fire pits burning, and the exhaust from the smoke, it is all very theatrical. All of the combustibles that are exploding all around the three men create a fiery and unsettled environment perfect for the place you would imagine the heretics would be in hell. The moment when Farinata disappears in his pit and the whole scene becomes burning flames is very visually captivating. I also very much enjoyed the scene where Lucifer is eating the bodies of Brutus and Cassius (1:03:00). I enjoyed the special effects of Lucifer specifically in the close up shot where you can see him eating a man who is just flailing and kicking around as his is being eaten. It was a particularly fun scene because I understood the historical reference to betrayal that Brutus and Cassis committed against Caesar. The effects that the production crew used to manipulate the bodies was amazing considering the limited technology. There is one scene that demonstrates the body manipulation very well where Mohammed has his chest torn open (51:00). In the background you see men whose bodies parts are detached from itself. There is one man who has no leg and is limping across the screen and another man who walks into the scene carrying his own head! With a modern eye the standard is quite low you can clearly tell where the black-out method wasn’t 100% effective yet it still creates a vivid scene and it is still quite remarkable considering it was one of the first major motion pictures with limited resources comparatively speaking.

-      So far I am enjoying the course simply because the material is interesting and most are topics that I haven’t studied heavily before so it is all new for me. The movies have all been very different from each other but I noticed a running theme of religion, politics, and religious identity struggles in all of the films. For example in The Name of the Rose there is a battle of religious righteousness between the inquisition and any heretics. Any person who acted out against or believed opposite of the Church was punished with death. The clergymen in this film are supposed to act according to the word of God but some have sinned in unacceptable ways. Similarly, the temptations in The DeCameron seduce many of the characters in many episodes. For example, the young boy who pretends to be a deaf/mute so that he can have sex with all the nuns demonstrates the profane behavior of anyone stepping away from the Church. Also, political strife is common in most of the films, consider Bernardo in DeCameron and Brutus in Julius Caesar. Both characters have a great internal politic battles that overwhelms them and misleads them down a narrowing path. I would imagine that as we move forward we will continue to see the internal political battles and religiosity of the Italian people reflected in the movies and lectures. I am curious about what we will study going forward since the semester is short I would assume we will study the most interesting aspects of Italian history. The multi-platform structure of the class between the combination of the movies, video lectures, response assignments, and blog posts help to give the best understanding of the material. The interactiveness of the blog posts helps to have ongoing conversation with other students on their opinions and understandings of the material. Student’s perspective always gives great insight because you're in the minds of people who are like-minded and typically share the same understandings and if not can offer clarification or deeper meanings to the material.

Something like this?

 What's good and what's bad about a preview like this?

 

 



Discussion 12 DECAMERON July 27

About the video lectures.

I tend to expose my students to the original texts, with minimal guidance except for a few pointers  and a few questions, to let them free to explore what they watch/read and their own reactions - responses (sort of a Socratic method.)

What do you honestly think? Would you preferred a more structured approach, with an outline of relevant issues to help you navigate areas you were not exposed to before?

And in that case, would you prefer video lectures or readings (textbook-like) as introduction to the topics?

COMMENT and REPLY. 

Discussion 11 Videos on the Middle Ages -- due July 27

Thank you for your choices of videos on aspects of the Middle Ages. I put them on my playlist and, slowly but surely, I will go through them.

COMMENT 
Where you happy with your choice or, if you could go back, would you choose something different? It was a shot in the dark and, I assume, some of you may have not picked the best to suite your interests.

OR, you lucked out and now you are curious to find out more about that specific topic, or venture out and expand research on other, related issues.

Discussion 10: A good example -- due July 27

I picked Melissa's answer to the July 19 assignment to show how she handled the challenge of question 2:

 

Task 2:   Are you capable of writing an essay defending Bernardo's and his motives?

And here is her answer:

 

I am not capable of defending Bernardo and his motives in an essay because he is immoral and does not care about the truth. He resorts to punishing anyone who “disputes the verdict of an inquisitor” and deems them guilty of heresy.” The Inquisition is supposed to guide not punish. Instead, he is using the inquisition to further his own political and ideological agenda.

To promote his plan, he murdered Remigio and Salvatore by burning them. His past concerning William demonstrates the aforementioned political agenda.

The impoverished girl is also a victim of Bernardo’s wrongful judgments and eagerness for punishment. He does not care that she is unable to defend herself. Instead, he is quick to punish what he perceives as “heresy,” devil worship, and challenges to religious authority, using Remigio, Salvatore, and the girl as scapegoats.

Based on the past incident between Bernardo and William, where Bernardo accused William of heresy for having defended a man whose only crime was “translating a Greek book that conflicted with the holy scriptures.” William was put in prison and tortured. He stated that he later recanted, and the man was burnt at the stake. 

COMMENT honestly. 

Did you even consider answering the way she did, saying "no" I won't try to defend him...

Why?

 

What can this answer teach you (not the arguments themselves, but the kind of answer she gave?)

 

And REPLY to a sharp observation.

 

INTERLUDE (My apologies, I cannot resist)

I saw someone mention the infamous Da Vinci Code. Infamous, because it perpetrated several crimes on the history of culture.

First and unforgivable, it caused people to believe that da Vinci is Leonardo's last name. What horror.

Leonardo has always been Leonardo and nothing else. "Da Vinci" means "from the town of Vinci," the village where he was born. He was the out-of-wedlock son of Messer Piero da Vinci, a wealthy merchant, and one of his servants (name unknown.) This was not a rare event in those days. Leonardo, since he was "illegitimate" did not inherit his father's name, therefore he was only known as "Leonardo di Messer Piero da Vinci."  Whenever I see Leonardo mentioned simply as Da Vinci, my blood boils. I must have written half a million messages to newspapers and other publications to correct their mistakes. Waste of time. The sad, sad thing is that even in Italy now, I keep seeing the use of the spurious last name instead of the only correct name.

Amen.

 

Two: As someone acutely wrote, the Code is inarguably the most profitable novel ever written by a semi-literate author. The entire background story (Jesus, Mary Magdalene etc.) is stolen from a kooky book Holy Blood, Holy Grail by two British researchers/ authors.

The whole story, and its correlates with the history of the Knight Templars etc. is my favorite mental chewing gum. I roam used book stores looking for books about this subject. I have an impressive collection and I keep adding to it, although I don't have the time to read them all.

In the same vein, I am a rather serious semi-scholar of the period of the early Christianity, and in particular the process that led a branch of Judaism into transforming into a new religion.

I know some of the most reputable scholars in this area. One of them Elaine Pagels, at Princeton, worked very closely with a friend of mine, Marvin Mayer (died of skin cancer,) one of the world's greatest scholars of ancient Coptic language and texts. If you are interested in this subject, Elaine's books are the perfect starting point.

 

An aside: In Rose, the topic of the debate may appear superficial and vapid: dispute whether Jesus owned his clothes or not.

Yet, I remember years ago when, to show patriotism after one of our frequent military ventures, all college basketball teams started wearing an American-flag pin on their uniform (it was in the spring, no football) to show "support for our troops." A foreign student playing for some New Jersey team refused to do it. In short order, he could not stand the heat and packed his bag to go home.

 

I don't know how many hours of TV were wasted discussing this case in its most intricate symbolic significance. Wearing or not wearing a pin? It sounded like the foundation of the Republic itself depended on this existential question.

 

 

Discussion 9: The Name of the Rose -- July 23

The Name of the Rose was originally a novel by philosopher and intellectual Umberto Eco whose specialization was symbolism and the Medieval period (he wrote his Ph.D. dissertation - a monumental tome -- on the aesthetics of Saint Thomas Aquinas.)

COMMENT

Did you like the film? How likely is it that you may have liked the book? What is the most intriguing aspect of the film?

REPLY   reply to the person who posted a comment immediately AFTER your (you will have to come back.)

Add other replies if you find something particularly interesting.

Discussion 8 The Dark Ages -- due July 23

The assignment required you to search for a video online that discussed some particular topic related to the Dark Ages.

I hope you didn't all choose religion as a theme.

COMMENT
Tell your classmates what you found and at least one important piece of information that made you think and revealed something new and impressive.

REPLY: pick the comment that sounds most interesting and captivating.

Discussion 7: grading policy -- July 19

Your COMMENT is required.  REPLIES are welcome but not required.

 

Do not address me directly: you are talking to your classmates, not me.

 

To All:

I am committed to fairness to all and treating everyone by the same standards.
This is the fundamental reason why I don't make exceptions to the rules I set out.
In the Western culture, in general ,negotiating with and challenging authority is
considered a valuable skill and a sign of character.

By negotiating I mean requests such as: "Could you please?"

By challenging I mean reactions such as: It's unfair to take away points for this little mistake";
and: "What does that have to do with learning the content?"

There are many students who come from cultures where this is simply unthinkable.
Moreover, because of different social codes, women in particular
are discouraged from advocating for themselves,
even when they have a legitimate case.

As a teacher living in the XXI century in multicultural USA
I am ethically required to be mindful of this WONDERFUL
NEW reality and opportunity to do my part to educate the future
leadership of the country.

Second, and less important but still relevant:
if I were to accept excuses and grant exceptions,
I would never see the end of it. I would spend the rest
of the semester dealing with a shower of messages
with all sorts of requests for delays, make-ups, revisions,
second versions, better versions, correct versions, etc.

The situation is even worse in online courses.

I am not, however, unreasonable or infallible.
If you have a legitimate case that you can document,
just provide proof right from the beginning.
Do not force me to ask you to prove that your grandmother
or cousin really died (surprisingly I never never had one single
grandfather die in decades of teaching.) 
Nobody likes to be put in the position to sound callous
and insultingly uncaring.

Discussion 6: Nero - July 19

Isn't Nero a fascinating character? (Repulsive, of course, with his megalomaniacal malignant narcissism, but at the same time perversely irresistible.

 

Can you get over your disgust and find in yourself the fascination and curiosity for this pathological psychopathic personality?

COMMENT and REPLY to an intriguing comment.

Discussion 5: Christianity in Quo Vadis - July 19

 

Screen the video and COMMENT.

 

Choose a detail or piece of information that piqued your curiosity and you may want to know more about, just for the sake of satisfying your interest. It doesn't have to be a major theme, indeed a small detail would be even better.

 

Do not repeat something that has already been chosen by classmates before you.  Find something new.

 

REPLY to a comment about a different topic, especially the topic you wanted to choose but that was already taken.



 

 



 

 

 

 

WARNING

Do not post as Unknown or with a handle (Everything Relevant, who are you?)

I need to see your names to evaluate your contribution to the discussions.
 

Discussion 4: What can you learn from this example? July 19

Here are the notes on Julius Caesar by your classmate Nick (thank you, Nick.)
I haven't gone through all the assignments yet, so there may more that are just as good.
I am posting them here for you to comment on what you can learn from them.

COMMENT
How does your note taking FOR THIS SPECIFIC TASK compare to this example? What kind of improvements (if any) can you make for the next assignment?



REPLY to a comment that brings up an interesting point you had not thought about.

●       Cassius is jealous of Caesar, him being treated like a god

●       Brutus agrees with Cassius

●       Mark Antony tells Caesar that Cassius is dangerous

●       Casca tells Brutus and Cassius about Caesar denying the crown multiple times and then fainting

●       Casca joins Cassius to bring down Caesar

●       Brutus joins Cassius believing the only way to save Rome is to kill Caesar

●       Cassius wants to kill Mark Antony

●       Brutus decides against it

●       Caesar's wife has a dream that he will die

●       Caesar will not go to the senate

●       One of the conspirators convinces Caesar to go

●       They stab caesar

●       Mark Antony finds them around Caesar

●       Mark Antony shakes all their hands

●       They agree to let Mark Antony speak at Caesar’s funeral

●       Mark Antony vows to avenge Caesar

●       Brutus addresses the crowd outside the capital

●       Brutus tells the crowd he loved Caesar but he loved Rome more

●       Brutus says they either die slaves as Caesar lives or they live free as Caesar dies

●       Mark Antony praises Caesar for how much he cared about Rome while making it sound like Brutus made a mistake for killing him

●       Mark Antony reads Caesar’s will which reads that Caesar left his wealth to the people of Rome

●       The crowd has turned against the conspirators

●       The crowd riots and go to push Brutus and Cassius from the city

●       Brutus and Cassius are now out of Rome with armies of men

●       Rome is under the control of Marc Antony, Octavius, and Lepidus

●       Brutus and Cassius fight

●       Brutus reveals his wife has killed herself

●       Caesar’s ghost tells Brutus he will see him in Philippi on the battlefield

●       Mark Antony and Octavius lead troops to Philippi

●       Cassius’s troops lose and Cassius orders someone to kill him with the dagger he used to kill Caesar

●       Brutus throws himself onto his sword and kills himself

●       Mark Antony standing over Brutus’s body praises him for his dedication to the welfare of Rome

Discussion n. 3: YOUR cultural heritage Due July 16

WARNING: You cannot participate in the blog discussions until you complete the preliminary requirements.


In two separate paragraphs:

COMMENT

1) What is the aspect of YOUR cultural heritage you are most proud of?

2) And what aspect of you cultural heritage makes you most uncomfortable?

REPLY: reply to the comment that had the deepest effect on you, and explain why.

Discussion n. 2: some adjustments on the fly

1) Do not post as anonymous or with handles. Nobody will know who you are and I will not be able to give you credit for your comment.

 

2) I am and I will keep deleting comments that do not address the topic at hand. Read the prompts carefully and think before you start writing.

Discussion 1: Intellectual Autobiography (due July 12)

Write your mini intellectual autobiography (two paragraphs, unless you have much more to say.)

 

AVOID anything that has to do with your "academic" work (major, courses, professors etc.) and "the-most-important-person-in-my-life" type of rhetoric. Most of all, stay away from "achievements" and self-adoration.

 

Focus on the experiences that contributed to shape your mind such as-- if you want - personal struggles; travels; books or other forms of art that forced you to think about yourself in relation to your life.

 

Every good writing is about the meaning of life. But there is a difference between "the meaning of life" and "the meaning of your life".

 

COMMENT and REPLY to one of your classmates.

The first 2 comments will earn 1 extra credit equivalent to 1 assignment.

 

REPLIES: pick a comment that has not received a reply yet.