An Idea for Open Courses

I apologize in advance, since this is kind-of a half-formed idea. The logistics to pulling it off could be quite daunting (then again, perhaps not, I guess we wouldn't really know until we tried it). Anyway, browsing around, I've noticed that a fair number of people have mentioned just in passing that they've been taking advantage of the various open university podcasts (Yale's list available here) available via iTunes U (link will open iTunes).

I use podcasting in my own courses and have found them to be quite effective in engaging students, including getting them to do the reading. I don't, however, record and post lectures or discussions, since I feel like that would kill the point of coming to class for most students. Anyway, I'm intrigued by this open university idea, which goes back to earlier discussions on academic publishing and open access. This podcasting, to me, seems like just another form of that, albeit one more focused on the teaching than research part of our mission.

So, would anyone be interested in trying something out? I can get the things up on iTunes via the VT site (click on "public access") and I can help give pointers on technology, since I've recorded myself for my own podcasts. In addition, I think I know of a way to gets these mp3/ m4a files to me once you've recorded them. But that can wait for later. These are the ideas I had:

1. "Medieval Minute" -- Short, 1-minute bits on some small bit of medievalia. This could be an interesting source (with notes on how to find it), an interesting anecdote, a critical historical moment, etc. This would keep files small, get a lot of people to contribute, and hopefully sustain interest in the series. I can't personally think of anything more engaging than hearing someone speak really passionately about something they care about.
2. "Open Course" -- This could be on any number of subjects but would, I'm thinking, generally follow a standard lecture format. This could be a course that we've always wanted to teach but simply can't, given our own academic constraints. Alternately, it could be a general medieval survey, hitting all the high points. Alternately still, it could be more focused ("the crusades," "the Carolingians," "monsters," etc.) it could be something else.
3. Other format? The point of all this is collaboration, so I'm open to suggestions.

So, what do you all think? Would anyone be interested? Do you have colleagues who perhaps - shock, horror! - don't read blogs but might be interested in helping out? If so, comment here or email me directly and I'll try to put something together.

Aethelstan Saves Dr. Who

It is no secret that I'm a Dr. Who fan. Last night, BBC America aired Dr. Who: Planet of the Dead for US audiences. And surprisingly there's a bit of medievalism in the episode! SPOILER ALERT!



The episode opens with a character stealing a medieval looking cup that is highly guarded; though the alarms sound and the police are in hot pursuit, the thief gets away on a double decker bus, joined by The Doctor. The bus goes through a tunnel with the police in hot pursuit, and encounters a worm hole that takes them to a dead planet, dead that is except for a billion creatures with a metallic exoskeleton that enables them to travel through the wormhole. On this planet happens to be a wrecked space ship from another race, The Doctor cannibalizes it, takes the parts back to the bus, but needs something to be an interface between the alien technology and the bus....and he needs a sheet of gold. The medieval looking cup gets pounded and used and The Doctor saves the day.

The cup is what I'm interested in here. It surprisingly is the "cup of Aethelstan" whom The Doctor rightly identifies as a tenth century king, first king of the English, and that the cup was given to him by Hywel, King of the Scots (if I remember it correctly). The Doctor mentions that he was Aethelstan's court and recognizes the cup, remarking he doesn't recall the thief having been there. The only error there being that Hywel was king of the Welsh in Gwynned, but he did submit to Aethelstan and probably gave him gifts. Such was the relationship that both Aetheltan and Hywel ruled part of Wales jointly and Hywel is said to have minted coins for himself in the English city of Chester.

Thus, Aethelstan of the English and his fictional cup saved The Doctor. A nice bit of medievalism there, and mostly accurate in what little history is reported. Kudos to BBC and the Dr. Who team on that score!

Comic Medievalism

Remember those ads from the late '70s for Xerox, the chubby monk who instead of copying out the decorative page takes them to the Xerox copier and of course they come out beautiful etc? Well, blessed be YouTube! For you may view it here. There were others done, but none were as successful as this first one.

That commercial was brought to my mind today when I read today's Rhymes With Orange in comics. Enjoy.

New Feature - Tweetboard

OK, so going back to an earlier post about blogging and new paradigms, I'm working on trying to incorporate Twitter into this blog. To that end, you'll notice a new feature to your left -- TweetBoard. Supposedly, this'll allow more interaction with and interconnection between Twitter and this blog. Try it out. Let's see if it works.

For now, I'm deleting the twitter stream that used to be the right (since you can get to it via the TweetBoard).

Ok, More Medievalism Stuff...

....this one from Douglas Rushkoff, "media ecologist" and author of Life, Inc. In this interview via the Reality Sandwich blog, Rushkoff contrasts the "Dark Ages" with what he sees as our corporate dominated future, and finds the Middle Ages were probably better, stating "'m not usually a conspiracy theorist about these things, but I think the reason why we celebrate the Renaissance as a high point of western culture is really a marketing campaign. It was a way for Renaissance monarchs and nation-states, and the industrial age powers that followed, to recast the end of one of the most vibrant human civilizations we've had, as a dark, plague-ridden, horrible time.

Historically, the plague arrived after the invention of the chartered corporation, and after central currency was mandated. Central currency became law, and 40 years later you get the plague. People got that poor that quickly. They were no longer allowed to use the land. It shifted from an abundance model to a scarcity model; from an economy based on annual grain production to one based on gold released by the king."

A thought provoking interview and makes want to read the book....

Congress 2010

The CFP for Congress 2010 seems to be up. http://www.wmich.edu/medieval/Assets/pdf/congress/Sessions10.pdf