Curriculum Units from the 2006 Grant Cycle
Curriculum units on Europe are available from the Institute's 2006 grant cycle for teachers and others to download free. They are directly aligned with New York State Department of Education learning standards. The complete set of units is also available free on CD-ROM upon request; please contact the outreach coordinator at 607-255-7592.
Politics and Society in late 19th Century France through the Eyes of Artists
For Grades 9 – 12
By Janet Bowman, French and Spanish teacher, Ithaca High School, New York
Overview of Content
Coming by fall 2007
Course Objectives
Coming by fall 2007
Misericords: An Introduction to life in the Middle Ages, a period of emerging literacy
For Grades 9 – 12
By Eileen Bach,English Teacher, Ithaca High School, NY, Maryterese Pasquale-Bowen History Teacher, Ithaca High School, NY and Carol Hockett, Herbert F. Johnson Art Museum, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY
Overview of Content
The Middle Ages was a time of emerging literacy, beginning with an illiterate populace and clergy learned in Latin, later finding the vernacular fostered with the production of the printing press at the close of the Middle Ages. In the early Middle Ages, the illiterate populace ‘read’ about their culture, especially the religious underpinning, through the artistic expression most evident in the cathedral. The misericord is a means of ‘reading’ about this era that incorporates a broad spectrum of life in the Middle Ages, for more of the carvings represent secular subjects than purely religious compositions (Laird 9). The symbolism of secular subjects was valued, “so that the minds of men should be led from commonplace sights to the contemplation of exalted mysticism” (Anderson 27).
Course Objectives
The study of the misericord leads to an examination of those who made them, artisans seen through the lens of the craft guilds. Related areas of study that are a natural transition include the study of stained glass, medieval tiles, illuminated manuscripts and Gregorian chant, all touched upon in this unit. Think of this in terms of the misericords being the center of a wheel with other aspects being spokes that radiate from the center.
How to Read Medieval Cathedrals
Materials Used in Manuscript Illumination
Offerings at The Johnson Museum
Identity and Diversity in the Context of the African Diaspora in Germany
For Grades 9 – 12
By Mary Bronfenbrenner, German Teacher, Grades 9-12, Ithaca High School, New York
Overview of Content
While not widely recognized, Germany is a rich multiethnic society. Foreigners comprise almost 10% of the population, encompassing more than 200 different groups. Between 200,000 and 300,000 Afro-Germans are estimated to be living in Germany. The unit will challenge students to learn about Africans in the German-speaking world, and to compare and contrast their experiences with those of African-Americans, Africans and other recent immigrants to the U.S., and to discuss the role of ethnicity of our global society. To quote from the book, Showing Our Colors: Afro-German Women Speak Out, edited by May Opitz, Katharina Oguntoye, and Dagmar Schultz. “What can we learn from our connected differences that will be useful to us both, Afro-German and Afro-American?”
Course Objectives
Students will be encouraged to recognize and value cultural differences, challenge assumptions and stereotypes of his/her own and foster inquiry into the interconnectedness of international and domestic events. Some of the issues examined will include: what defines personal identity and national identity; what triggers distribution and migration of human populations; assimilation (how does one reinvent oneself to accommodate society); tensions between church and state; the role of art, humor and music as vehicles for resistance and resilience; individual rights and power. Learning skills will include using the Internet to do research, understanding maps, critical reading, listening and thinking, film interpretation, teaching fellow students, and writing.
Download the Teachers Guidelines
Download the List of Resources
Soviet History through Posters
For Grades 9 – 12
By Chris Sperry, Director of Curriculum and Staff Development for Project Look Sharp at Ithaca College, Ithaca, NY
Overview of Content
This curriculum unit provides teachers, college faculty and other educators with the materials needed to engage students in a dynamic and constructivist process of learning the history of the USSR through reading, analyzing and interpreting posters produced by the Soviet government between 1918 and 1988. Materials include a one-page lesson for each of 78 posters. The posters are divided into chronological units covering five key periods in Soviet history. Each unit includes a two-page student handout of the history of the time period that introduces the key knowledge and vocabulary for decoding the posters from that time period, and a multiple-choice test. The histories and tests are written for high school students but the lessons can easily be adapted for middle school and college level students.
Course Objectives
This unit teaches core information and vocabulary about the history of the USSR, with an emphasis on learning how to identify bias in art and propaganda. Through visual media, students will be exposed to historical and cultural perspectives, trained in visual literacy and media literacy skills, and engaged in complex critical thinking skills. Students will enhance reading, listening and visual decoding skills and attitudes that support life-long democratic citizenship.2007