Class Reflection

Having returned from Italy, I can most definitely say this class was worth my time. If it wasn't for the expense, I would like to take a class like this every quarter. The problem based learning definitely took some getting used to, as I haven't worked in class groups since high school and I absolutely despise giving presentations. However, the class trip certainly superseded any concerns I had about the class itself, being that it gave me the opportunity to travel to the eternal city. Rome itself was more than I could have expected, and as a history buff, I was amazed. Our tours of the Theater of Marcellus and Ostia Antica left something to be desired, but none of had actually been to these places before, so it was to be expected. The trip was long enough that we could actually enjoy the experience, yet short enough to not drain our bank accounts. Hopefully when a class of this type assembles again, I will be alert enough to sign up.

PBL #2 Reflection

It went well. After much hurried preparation and an amount of worrying by myself comparable to that of a fat, caged turkey on the last Wednesday of November, the presentation went off fairly smoothly. The presentation was of course, about a hypothetical scenario involving various artifacts in the Theater of Marcellus, and our group's attempt to let PBS investigate further. This would lead to a new branch of the popular show, "History Detectives," this time based in Europe. Our decision to not film our findings, but rather present them in person seemed to go over well. We were able to display our knowledge of our individual artifacts and topics and none of the elements felt out of place, as often happens with video presentations. My personal knowledge was based on Vitruvius, as my artifact was a scrap of parchment with his name on it. Essentially my end of the presentation ended up as a rehash of the importance of Vitruvius to the architectural world, with particular attention paid to his chapters on theater construction. However, it turned out nicely, and should end up being graded much higher than the first PBL.

PBL #1 Retrospective

The first PBL assignment was a presentation on the ancient city of Ostia Antica. This city functioned as the main port for the Roman Empire for much of its history, before the nearby city of Portus claimed this role during the Roman decline. However, the significance of the city today is mostly due to its preservation as an archaeological site. The city was declared abandoned by the pope in the ninth century, and because of that, the site has not been built over by successive generations. This, much like the volcanic burial at Pompei, allowed ancient buildings and artifacts to be preserved in their natural state until recent archaeological excavations.
The presentation was done in the style of a travel agency showcasing the city as a destination. It was accompanied by a short video and the distribution of fast facts and cds containing common Italian phrases. The presentation itself was split into five sections for each of the five group members, art, culture, construction, excavation, and for myself, history. The other four group members handled their subjects very well and kept the audiences attention while simultaneously being informative. My end of the presentation more closely resembled Gary Powers' last U-2 reconnaissance flight over the Soviet Union, with a furious gaining of knowledge by the participant followed by respective phases of tumble, burn, and crash in the project's final moments. However, the presentations by the rest of the group more than made up for my failures and the project did achieve its objectives of being both informative and entertaining.

PBL #2

The second PBL assignment involves the Theater of Marcellus, but instead of simply being a report on different aspects of the theater, it involves a particular hypothetical scenario. A strange collection of artifacts surrounding a sarcophagus have been found in the subterranean depths under the Via Del Teatro Di Marcello. The PBS show, "History Detectives" is considering expanding their research overseas, and they are hoping to use this gather enough evidence on this find to produce the first of the overseas versions of the show. However, many questions remain about the find, most involving the objects and how they came to be there.

Solving this PBL is obviously going to require a lot more research on the theater itself, which will take place throughout the remainder of the quarter. More specifically, we need to find out about what makes this theater special its possible connection to Roman burial rituals. The group has been given some leeway on this project, and the method of presentation remains unclear as of this time. It is possible that we could present a hypothetical scenario of our own, involving what could have possibly happened, but closely linked to research of the subject and period. The television show itself does exist and appears to be devoted to projects similar to this one, involving artifacts that seem particulary interesting or out of place. More narrowing of pertinent ideas is necessary before an outline on our presentation can emerge.