In 1453, the last remnant of the Roman Empire was destroyed by the Islamic armies of the Ottoman Empire. As a result of this conquest, Christians were forbidden from travelling the traditional trading routes between Europe and east Asia that passed through the now-Islamic controlled region of modern-day Turkey. In the following years, European traders were forced on a circuitous route around Africa. Eager to find a shorter path, explorers such as Christopher Columbus sought a western sea-route. This decision opened the new world to European explorers and helped to spread the culture of Spain and Portugal to much of South and Central America.
Watch: The Fall of Constantinople
Here are some examples of music from the age of exploration. Imagine listening to the following while travelling across the Atlantic Ocean.
Listen: Two Spanish Songs
As the Spanish and Portuguese Empires expanded they brought enormous wealth back to their homelands. This wealth kicked off a period of growing prosperity and cultural development both in Europe and in the colonies. Here are a few examples of the music of Spain's golden age.
Listen: Music from the Spanish Golden Age (1600-1700)
For more information on Spanish America, please consult the following website.
Explore: When Worlds Collide Website
Mr. Parker,
ReplyDeleteJust wanted to clarify what we need to complete for homework by our next class. By week 1, Sep 3-5, would you like us to complete the assignments listed underneath for that week of class? Or are those assignments to be completed after that week of classes? Also, are we supposed to do the homework both on the blog and on our syllabus? Because there is some discrepancy. Thank you!
Hi Cassie,
DeleteI'm sorry that this wasn't more clear! Assignments will work in the same way as last year. Any assignments on the syllabus or the blog are due BY the class period for which they are assigned. So, the week one assignments should be completed THIS WEEK.
The blog should always be where you start your work. Anything on the blog that differs from the syllabus will trump assignments on the syllabus. However, you still need to do both assignments on the blog AND assignments on the syllabus. UNLESS the blog indicates that a syllabus assignment has been cancelled or changed. Hope this helps!
Mr Parker,
ReplyDeleteAre there any other ways to prepare for the Harkness discussion, besides doing the homework and taking notes on the reading?
Hi Caitlyn,
ReplyDeleteThere's already a lot of reading for you to digest. However, if you have time, beyond taking notes, practice discussing the readings with friends and family. Have a nice cup of tea and try to explain what you have read and how you feel about it. Try thinking about perspectives. Each of your readings has an author, who had a perspective. What do you think the authors of each text were trying to express? If you really have a lot of time, do some research on the topics mentioned in the readings, and try to see if there are different perspectives on what we are learning about. If there are contrasts between our readings and the narratives you find in other sources, think about why that might be.
Mr. Parker,
ReplyDeleteI wanted to clarify what the topic is for the Harkness disscussion. Are we disscussing what we read in the history text, the government text, or both?
Hi Nicole,
ReplyDeleteWe'll be learning the method this week, but it will likely cover most (if not all) of our readings as well as the info from the blog.
Hi, can you please elaborate on the "chapter summary" for "A Midwife's Tale?" Is this something we are supposed to write, or read? Thank you!
ReplyDeleteHi Cassie,
ReplyDeleteSorry if the syllabus wasn't clear. It should be a:
"brief, one paragraph summary of the chapter being read that week from A Midwife’s Tale. It should simply be used to summarize the gist of the chapter, highlight any key events, and include a short statement of personal perspective. These will be used to guide your memory during discussion time. It will also form the core of the plot summary in your book report. Chapter reviews will be checked in class each week."
Hope this helps!
Mr. Parker, do you want our chapter reviews for history and government to be type or can we just write them on notebook paper?
ReplyDeleteAlicia
Hi Alicia,
DeleteHere are the guidelines from the syllabus:
"Assignments checked in class [note: such as the chapter reviews] may be handwritten, with the proviso that they are written in black ink, legible, double-spaced, and neatly presented on lined-paper. Illegible writing, torn-edges, and non-standard paper will not be accepted."
Mr. Parker, do we need to bring our history and/or government textbooks to class? If you don't get his by tomorrow I will assume we don't have to.
ReplyDeleteNicole:)
Hi Nicole,
DeleteYou do not need to bring your textbooks to class! Just your homework!
For Week 2, "complete chapter review" is listed twice. Which is the second one referring to?
ReplyDeleteIt is a typo.
ReplyDelete