The World in the Renaissance:
Digital Tools & Primary Sources

Catalan Atlas by Abraham Cresques, Majorca, ca. 1375 (modern copy)

This Sfera Project workshop is designed to introduce middle- and high-school educators to Renaissance history and digital tools for its study by focusing on three key learning activities: map interpretation, digital mapping, and collaborative transcription, all of which will enhance participants’ understanding of world history in the Renaissance and before the European Age of Exploration.

 
The workshop will provide educators with practical skills and pedagogical strategies to enhance their history, geography, and/or social studies curriculum.

Coast of the Levant, from Laiazzo (now Yumurtalik, Turkey) to Larissa (now Al'Arish, Egypt): Ravenna, Bib. Classense MS 242, f. 22v.

9:00 - 9:15 AM: Welcome, Introductions, Housekeeping (CEB)

• Opening remarks and introductions

• Overview of the day's agenda and objectives

• Housekeeping details

Session 1A: 9:15 - 9:45 AM: What is the La Sfera Project? (LKM)

• Origin story of La Sfera

• Outcomes and achievements

• Current components of the project

• Pedagogical possibilities and applications in the classroom

Session 1B: 9:45 - 10:15 AM: Welcome to Florence, 1425! (CEB & LKM)

• The Mediterranean and the Renaissance: Why is La sfera significant?

• Key figures and events associated with the text

• Relevance to the history of literature, book technology, European exploration, and the history of science in the Renaissance

10:15 - 10:30 AM: Coffee Break

Session 2: 10:30 AM - 11:30 AM: Working with Premodern Maps (CEB)

• Introduction to world maps from the period 1000–1500 CE

• Thinking interpretively about maps: what do maps do, and how do they do it?

• Hands-on activity: Map or Not-Map?

• Discussion on integrating premodern geography into classroom curricula

Session 3: 11:45 AM - 12:30 PM: Finding Places in La sfera / Digital Mapping (CEB & LKM)

• Introduction to digital mapping tools and techniques

• Hands-on activity: Locating places mentioned in La sfera

• Creating digital maps to visualize historical journeys and locations

• Discussion on integrating digital mapping into classroom activities

12:30 - 1:30 PM: Lunch (provided); informal networking and discussion

Session 4: 1:30 - 2:30 PM: Collaborative Transcription: How and Why (LKM)

• Importance and benefits of collaborative transcription in the classroom

• Practical demonstration of transcription tools and platforms

• Hands-on activity: Transcribing a passage from La sfera

• Strategies for incorporating transcription projects into the curriculum

Session 5: 2:30 - 3:00 PM: Discussion and Project Planning (CEB)

• Open discussion on the day's activities and learning

• Participants to brainstorm and plan potential projects using the digital tools, approaches and materials presented

• Sharing of ideas and feedback

• Q&A session to address any remaining questions

The southern coast of Turkey from Rhodes (left) to Tripoli, Syria (right): Paris, Bib. nationale, Bib. Arsenal MS 8536, f. 76r (sideways).

Here are some of the Florida state standards to which the materials from this workshop will be useful and relevant:

• Grade 6 Geography

  • Standard 1 (Understanding maps as representations of the world, including terrain features and landmarks of ancient civilizations)

  • Standard 6 (using the 6 essential elements of geography, esp. comparing ancient maps with modern ones)

• Grade 6 World History

  • Standard 1 (Using historical inquiry skills and analytical processes to interpret primary and secondary sources)

• Grades 9-12 Geography

  • Standard 1 (Using and analyzing maps from a wide variety of sources)

  • Standard 6 (Using geography to interpret the past and present, and plan for the future; geography as narrative)

• Grades 9-12 World History

  • Standard 1 (Using historical inquiry skills and analytical processes to interpret primary and secondary sources)

  • Standard 2 (Understanding the transition from the medieval to the modern world)

  • Standard 3 (Understanding intercultural exchange and the contributions of premodern Islamic and African civilizations)

  • Standard 4 (The Renaissance, Scientific Revolution, and the Age of Exploration; esp. the Italian city-states)

• Grades 9-12 Humanities

  • Standard 1 (The historical, social, and cultural contexts of artistic production)

  • Standard 2 (Critical analysis of artistic products)

  • Standard 3 (Impact of trade, communication, science, and technology on cultures)

• AP, IB, and AICE Instructors: The workshop will be particularly useful for educators teaching advanced courses that emphasize the contextual analysis of primary sources, such as European History, World History, and Art History.

The topography of the Middle East, from the Black Sea (left) to the Nile (right): Florence, Bib. Medicea-Laurenziana, MS Ashburnham 1106, f. 15v-16r.

• Participants should bring laptops or tablets for hands-on sessions

• Comfortable attire is recommended for interactive activities

• Lunch will be provided; please let us know on your sign-up form if you have particular food needs

• Professional Development Certificates will be distributed at the end of the day