Sundaes on a Wednesday

Today was a very exciting day for the Humanities 1915 class as we took part in our last day of lectures at Elmira College. Today Erika started the series of presentations by describing in detail the events of the Irish Famine, the Suffragette's movement, and life during the Great War. She was followed by Kaurin's knowledge of ruler's such as George VI, William IV, and many issues Britain faced throughout its imperial history. Hannah ended the reading sections by teaching the class about the role of the Prime Minister and how they have a heavy influence on historical events, as well as the very recent history of the House of Windsor.

Today's presenters from left to right:
Hannah, Kaurin, and Erika

During our working lunch and ice cream sundae party, we watched a documentary on the London Blitz during WWII. This film gave us the perspectives of ordinary people during a extraordinarily tragic event.

Rounding out our studies of British royalty, Erika described her knowledge of Queen Victoria and her role as a powerful female leader. Next, Kaurin helped to carry the class through history by examining Edward VIII's childhood and what effects his upbringing had on his short reign. Finally, the class was brought to a close by Hannah's description of King George VI's role as a more contemporary leader. His life is depicted in "The King's Speech" starring Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush.

Click here to watch some videos on these monarchs.

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Taco Tuesday

Our little family began the day with a classic coloring page art show, featuring pictures of some of the influential historical figures that we studied yesterday, including Elizabeth I, Alfred the Great, William the Conqueror, Francis Drake, Julius Caesar, Bloody Mary, and Mary Queen of Scots.

Following a quick quiz on British culture and geography was another long day of listening, watching, and reading about the histories of Scotland, England, and Ireland. Emily O reiterated the highlights of the Tudor to Stuart era. Next, Amelia explained the impact of The Great Fire of London on the area and continued through Elizabeth and Mary Queen of Scots, up to James and the new world. Katelyn facilitated a very detailed account of the interactions of people in the aristocracy, the monarchy, and in trade. She also explained many civil issues such as, slavery and religious differences. Then, Brittany gave an overview of the events that occurred as a result of the Romantic Period, as well as many conflicts such as, the Boer War, and suffragists movements. She then concluded with an overview of George I.

Here are today's presenters from left to right:

Emily O, Katelyn, Amelia, and Brittany

After our special Taco Tuesday lunch, Emily O presented a riveting description of James I's rule and how his people encouraged him to pursue religious reforms and the support that he provided Shakespeare and his company with. Amelia then took the class through a thorough examination of Queen Anne's reign and how her upbringing in France with distant family influenced her rule over England. Katelyn spoke about King George IV's personality, examining his selfish and unselfish actions throughout his reign. Brittany ended the day with a review of William IV's influence regarding politics, culture, international affairs, and the legacy he left behind, in comparison to George IV and Queen Victoria.

Click here to watch some short biographies on the Monarchs of the Day.

How to Cover a Thousand Years of History in 8 Hours

Today marks the our seventh of nine class meetings on EC soil and the beginning of our month together as world travelers. We can't believe it's finally here!

The day began with a peruse through our syllabus, detailing all of the British trivia that we'll need to know as we experience the United Kingdom, and the itinerary of every day of our trip. We've got a jam-packed schedule, and we wouldn't have it any other way. We won't leave a corner of Ireland or the United Kingdom untouched. It's going to be the experience of a lifetime!

We also began our student facilitated lessons. We covered over a thousand years of history in an 8 hour period, which we'd say is a feat! But also exhausting. Much fun was had as we discussed Roman Briton and the Middle Ages, all the way to the House of Tudor.

Above are today's presenters: From left to right, we have:

Emily W, Liz, Sadie, Allie, and Corissa

To kick off the presentations, Allie and Liz summarized the most important events of each Royal House from the 7th century to the present. It's hard to cover every important part British history in a half hour presentation, but we had fun doing it.

During lunch we finished the documentary that we've been watching throughout the year, highlighting well known monarchs. such as Edward Hammer of the Scots, Robert Bruce, Elizabeth I, Mary Queen of Scots, King William, King George I, Robert Walpole, Prince Charles, Queen Victoria, and even some modern figures, including Florence Nightingale and Mary Seacole.

The next part of our day included presentations of assigned reading from our textbooks. Sadie discussed the Roman Takeover and the beginning of the Middle Ages, Allie and Liz followed up with the remainder of the Middle Ages and the House of Plantagenet, Emily W wrapped up the Middle Ages and began the House of Tudor, and Corissa tied up any loose ends regarding the Middle Ages and led us through the rest of the House of Tudor.

After our jaunt through the past, Corissa created a window into the life of Elizabeth I and her achievements and how they played into the development of England's culture. Emily addressed the effect of England's people and culture on Henry VIII and how he reigned. Finally, Sadie told the sordid story of Henry II and his treacherous family. Check out the "Links to Other Sites" Page for a YouTube playlist of short bios about these monarchs.

Or Click here

We are all learning, working hard, and getting excited as we work our way through British history and learn about the places that we will be visiting in just a few short days.

Stay tuned to find out what we'll learn tomorrow!