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 However, the class trip certainly superseded any concerns I had about the class itself, being that it gave me the opportunity to travel to the eternal city.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.