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Programming

The following are possible options for programs. Other programs can be developed on request. These options also may be combined in various ways.

Academic Presentation

"Cultural Heritage and Engaging the Skeptic of Pre-Modern Studies" 
Students and teachers of the pre-modern are often asked to engage with the question of the relevance of these subjects, particularly with skeptics who might doubt such relevance exists. Relevance, however, has certain connotations. In particular, it infers a focus on the modern, indeed sometimes to the point of excluding anything that seemingly doesn’t have a “purpose” in modern life. Due to that bias, I turn the conversation away from relevance to the more productive conversation of significance. Instead of considering whether the study of the pre-modern is “appropriate,” rather we should think about its “worthiness” and “meaning.” Cultural heritage presents a method and philosophy for addressing these concepts.

Teaching and Learning Presentation or Workshop

"Cultural Heritage and the Student of the Premodern"
By drawing cultural heritage parallels, we can emphasize with our students those connections and the shared need for preservation and the study of the past. Participants in this session will rethink the pedagogical implications of the concept of cultural heritage and consider the benefits of bringing instructor hobbies/passions into the classroom. More important, however, is the development of projects based upon active/authentic pedagogical principles that ask students to become collaborators in the photography exhibit as curators and researchers. In this way, they are both learning to connect their local cultural heritage to global cultural heritage and communicating what they learn to local communities, empowering them in terms of their world context and in terms of their relevance to their own environments. 

During this presentation, participants will:

  • consider the motivation of students to invest in courses;
  • rethink the pedagogical implications of the concept of cultural heritage;
  • consider the benefits of bringing instructor hobbies/passions into the classroom;
  • explore methods to encourage investment in students;
  • design materials and resources to use with cultural heritage in mind.

Community Presentation

"Local Cultural Heritage and the Ancient to Medieval" (broad topic only, titles will vary)
In each of these presentations, cultural heritage will be defined and its significance sketched out for the audience, especially with exciting stories of heritage protection and destruction. Pairings between local and pre-modern cultural heritage will be tailored to the location in which the presentation is given, focusing on "finding the pre-modern in the local." Audience members will be actively involved in suggesting pairings and contributing reactions to pairings for the digital exhibition. 

Community Workshop

In each of these workshops, participants will be guided through contributions to the digital and physical exhibitions. These workshops can be tailored to any age level! With permission of the participants, their work will be added to the exhibitions. 

Potential activities:

  • Adult/College: research and/or archival work on local or pre-modern heritage, creation of exhibition notes, reactions to pairings, telling of local stories, photography
  • Middle and Secondary School: age-appropriate research, creation of exhibition notes, photography, book club centering on such books as The Librarian of Auschwitz
  • Elementary School: drawings/paintings reflecting reactions to pairings of photographs, story writing inspired by pairings (either in groups or individuals), (for older elementary) short exhibition notes from research provided to them, book read-alouds including such books as Hands around the Library: Protecting Egypt's Treasured Books or When Jackie Saved Grand Central

Project Presentation or Workshop

"Transforming Perceptions of Cultural Heritage through Image"
This type of presentation or workshop would be for anyone (graduate students, student/community photographers, etc.) interested in helping with or contributing to the project.