Spring 2004

Dr. Rosanne Fleszar Denhard,
Department of English/Communications

About the Course

This Tier 2 Creative Arts course is unique in having a two-week travel component as part of the class schedule. The course explores medieval and Renaissance British arts, history, and culture, culminating in a 14-day trip. The course contextualizes the arts within the historical and cultural heritage experienced onsite during travel and on campus through class study and research. At our base locations of York, Cambridge, and London, and during day trips to other cities and towns, the class experiences the culture of medieval and early modern Britain--and its contemporary legacies--through exploration of natural and human-made landscapes/cityscapes, museums, cathedrals, castles, and historic sites, attendance at performing arts events, and active participation in workshops and activities involving theatre, music, visual arts, design, and dance.

The Arts of Medieval & Renaissance England in 2005

Plans are underway for the Spring 2005 version of this course. Enrollment will be limited to 15 students in order to ensure the optimal experience for all, so it is advisable for those interested to contact the instructor early for information on next year's course and specifics of the travel component, including information on pre-registration and depositing. In the past, this course has filled early, well in advance of the official registration period.

A Message from the Instructor

Welcome to these webpages celebrating the studies and travel of CCCA 301: The Arts of Medieval and Renaissance England. Our journey began months before the class's actual travel, with weekly classes to preview the trip and to discuss a wide range of artforms and artworks in historical and cultural context. In this integrated approach, students experience a sampling of several centuries of the arts of England--literature, music, theatre, visual arts, architecture, design, and dance--with a sense of living history that can only be experienced through travel. The class read widely in medieval and early modern texts, covering a span from the early medieval Beowulf through a play by 17th-century writer Margaret Cavendish, Duchess of Newcastle, using these texts as a way to connect with voices from England's past. The class also studied background readings focused on framing a basic history of England and its architecture, art styles, and music. Again in 2004, we were fortunate to participate in a lively theatre workshop led by distinguished British National Teaching Fellow Prof. Gweno Williams at York St. John College on Margaret Cavendish's Convent of Pleasure.

After many weeks of preparation, it was finally time to set off on our travels, and we were busy indeed! Our journey took us to sites ranging from York's Jorvik Viking Centre, a stunningly lifelike recreation of a thriving 10th-century Viking City, to the cathedrals, castles, museums, and performance venues of York, Durham, Cambridge, and London. And by popular request, we visited Edinburgh, Scotland for a wonderful day-trip along the Royal Mile.

The student projects introduced below explore topics chosen by the students during our travels. In keeping with the focus of the Creative Arts domain, a number of projects encompass aspects of both traditional academic research and original creative work. Student Melissa Williamson, an English major from the class of 2004, is responsible for the editing and construction of this webpage. Andrew Wood, experienced traveler, seasoned student, and former R.A., served as our Teaching Assistant, helping to ensure that things went smoothly before and after travel. Andy continuously enriched our experience with information gleaned from his voracious reading.

In addition to our stimulating joint workshop with Prof. Gweno Williams and her students at York St. John, we paid particular attention to Shakespeare. In London we toured the reconstruction of the Globe Theatre and had the pleasure of attending the Royal Shakespeare Company's magnificent production of All's Well that Ends Well that featured Dame Judi Dench. In England we also had the opportunity to hear magnificent music of the middle ages, Renaissance, and beyond. We attended the Evensong program at York Minster, hearing the choir of men and girls singing in a setting that has presented liturgical music for close to 1,000 years. In York, we attended a rousing concert of mostly traditional music by the visiting Scottish Fiddle Orchestra. In London, I had the pleasure of sharing my passion for traditional dance with the group when we experienced a high-energy Ceilidgh at Cecil Sharp House, home of the English Folk Dance and Song Society.

The National Gallery, National Portrait Gallery, Royal Banquet House, Tower of London, and Westminster Abbey in London; York Minster, Clifford's Tower, the Castle Museum, Barley Hall, and Jorvik Viking Center in York; King's College Chapel in Cambridge, this was also a trip rich in splendid visual art and architecture.

Student travel is always a "hands on" approach to learning that operates on multiple levels of the academic and the personal, the public and the private. And once again this year, "real life" political events affecting the world came face-to-face with our academic travel. The Madrid bombing that occurred while we were in Britain was brought even closer to us when security on public transportation was increased. Particularly in the more diverse cities of Cambridge and London, we were encouraged to view the U.S. from a different perspective. For those who wanted to, there was ample opportunity to explore British and international responses to the global crisis without the intervention of the U.S. media. A lengthy conversation with a grandfatherly Syrian grocery store owner was a priceless lesson in intercultural understanding as he patiently explained some of the concerns of the Arab world before sending us on our way with a small gift of sweets.

There was also plenty of opportunity to experience daily life wherever we went: many spontaneous moments of the simple pleasures of experiencing the city centre marketplaces, the local shops, parks, and pubs--and meeting the "locals" wherever we went. From chance encounters while traveling by rail to conversations with shopkeepers to late night ramblings with some of the York St. John students, students learned about the Britain of today.

With Thanks

Many people on both sides of the Atlantic contributed to the success of this course, and we are grateful to all of them. In particular, we thank Vice President of Academic Affairs Dr. Stephen Green and the staff of Academic Affairs; Academic Dean Dr. Monica Joslin; the staff of Administration and Finance; English/Communications Department Chair Prof. Bob Bishoff; Associate Dean of Students Ms. Charlotte Degen; Creative Arts Core Domain Leader Prof. Mark Miller and Prof. David Langston. We are especially grateful to Prof. Gweno Williams and her students, as well as the administration and staff of York St. John College. And finally, we thank our welcoming hosts and staff at the Blue Bridge Hotel, York; Warkworth House, Cambridge; and Columbia Hotel, London.

We hope you enjoy sharing the experiences of the Arts of Medieval and Renaissance England with us through these webpages.

Rosanne Fleszar Denhard, Ph. D.
Department of English/Communications
rdenhard@mcla.mass.edu

Our Travelers:

Melanie Aldrich, Sonja Ashton, Sonya Boesse, Diana Cardoso, Patricia Charles, Kassy Gallup, Jess Latimer, Josh McLain, Nick Muscato, Courtney Shapiro, Cyndi Roper, Melissa Williamson, Andy Wood (T.A.), and alumna, Victoria Abair.

Pictures from top to bottom: River Cam, Cambridge; Tower Bridge, London; Clifford's Tower, York; Edinburgh landscape from Edinburgh Castle, Scotland; Rosanne at Edinburgh Castle, Scotland