Tag: education

culture · international · life curation

My Cultures and Identities Course is Completed!

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I finished my Cultures and Identities in Europe course a few days ago, and I’m excited to share what I learned with you all. I’ll discuss what I enjoyed about the platform, FutureLearn, then I’ll dive into the course specific details and my take on what was offered in this class.

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For starters, I’d never completed a course through FutureLearn before. I was familiar with the website but never did any of the classes, so this was a first for me. I was really impressed with the structure and content of the course that I completed. This was well-suited to online learners: an appropriate mix of video and written content that thoroughly cover the subject matter while keeping the students engaged. I also loved how easy it was to access the course and complete the modules according to my schedule.

The course, as outlined, takes about 3 weeks to complete. However, additional time is allowed, so if you miss a few days of study, you can easily go back and make up those sessions. The program has transcripts and closed captioning for impaired students. I was impressed with the amount of care that went into producing this free resource. However, if students are interested in access this course indefinitely, or obtaining a certificate of achievement, FutureLearn charges a fee (currently $59) for lifetime access.

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Now that the general information is out of the way, let’s talk about the class. The class is broken down into 3 general sections: European Identities, European Memory and Heritage, and European Creativity. Each section delves into the history of the topic, the current state of the topic, as well as the politics that have influenced each of these areas.

The course defines Europe, European identity as well as European culture, then it explores all of the factors that have previously and currently have defined these concepts. I really loved learning about how Europe has created policy to embrace diversity as well as how Europe intends to approach cultural and creative programs outside of the economic perspective.

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I really enjoyed this course and, while I don’t plan to purchase lifetime access, I can easily see myself signing up for this again in the future, just as a refresher. There was a lot of good information in this course – I’m glad I signed up and completed it!

 

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Learn More About Opera

Mstldelano2 Comments

I’ve got another FutureLearn course for you all to check out! Several years back, I took a Introduction to Classical Music course on Coursera, and I’ve desired more opportunities to learn about classical music ever since. However, there haven’t been too many courses that fit the bill, until I saw the “Inside Opera” course available on FutureLearn.

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The course will dive into defining opera, discussing the onstage and backstage activities, and how it factors into the world around us.

This opera course starts June 4. I hope that you take some time to check it out!

culture · life curation

New Course: Cultures and Identities in Europe

Mstldelano2 Comments

As part of listening to my intuition and stepping into my best life, I have stayed “light and loose” when it comes to my plans. I had been taking the ALISON Color Theory course for a bit, but I found it difficult to stay engaged in the content. Sure enough, a better online course came along that completely lit me up! When my gut told me “This is the course for you!” I didn’t hesitate to sign up and put the ALISON course on hold, so I can focus on the new class.

“Cultures and Identities in Europe” is a course available through FutureLearn, an educational website based in Europe. The course aims to give some background information and perspective into how European cultures and identities have been shaped over time. This is especially useful information for me, as I plan to travel to Europe several times over the next years.

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I’m looking forward to learning more about European history, culture, creativity, and the future of Europe’s cultural heritage. The course should be fascinating!

If you’re interested in the course, you should check it out. It’s free and available in an online format, so it’s easy to complete lectures and assignments on your schedule. Don’t delay: the course starts on June 4, 2018! You’ll want to make sure that you’re already enrolled once the materials are made available to class attendees.

I hope you join me in this class! Take care, and talk to you all tomorrow.

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Institute for Contemporary Arts Opening Next Week!

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I’m so excited, and I just can’t hide it! (Pointer Sisters reference, for those that are unfamiliar) I’ve been waiting for this since I first heard about it last year. And now we’re less than 10 days away from the grand event!

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Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) is opening the Institute for Contemporary Arts (ICA) in Richmond, VA. The ICA will feature different contemporary arts exhibits and act as an “experimental” space for art discussions and initiatives. This is one of the most exciting institutions to come to Richmond in quite some time, and I’ll be there on Saturday, April 21, 2018, when the ICA hosts its grand opening festivities!

That’s all for today. Have a great Friday, and I’ll chat with you all tomorrow!

art · life curation

The Next Art Course On My List

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I had such a positive experience with my previous ALISON course (Great Artists and Their Works) that I decided to try another. In the next couple of weeks, I’ll be diving into Color Theory for Artists and Designers on ALISON.com. I’m neither an artist nor a designer, but increasing my knowledge on the subject would be extremely advantageous.

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I reviewed the modules that comprise this lesson and I was impressed with the variety of color-related topics that will be discussed. This seems like a really good, brief “in-between” class to take while I figure out the rest of my educational plans as respects my future art-related career (I wrote about my short-term art career goals here).  Besides, I like makeup too much not to get a better grasp on certain color concepts.

Yeah, today is a brief post. I’m working on the edits for the novel, as well as the art career stuff, so I’m keeping this short so I can pour my energy into those other things on my to-do list. That’s it for today – chat with you all tomorrow!

art · life curation

Review: Alison “Great Artists and Their Works” Course

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I’ve spent the past several weeks working through a few art courses, and I recently completed the first self-paced course I’ve taken this year. ALISON.com has a slew of courses that can be taken online for free, at the learner’s leisure. Completed courses are eligible for certificates of completion that learners can add to their educational portfolios.

I mentioned previously that I was completing the “Great Artists and Their Works” course. The course is approximately 5 – 6 hours long, and features 8 modules, with multiple lessons within each module. Each module discusses a different artist, and the artists are associated with different art movements throughout history (Renaissance, Baroque, Neoclassical, Cubism, etc.,).

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(picture from Alison.com)

I found this to be a very helpful free course, and a suitable, though compressed, art history introduction. I was enthralled by the artists I’d never heard of before – namely, Caravaggio, Gian Lorenzo Bernini and Jacques-Louis David – and I’m glad I spent the time working through this course.

While I enjoyed the class, it isn’t without its flaws. It relies on videos created by Khan Academy, so you could just as easily study directly from the Khan Academy website. Also, the course has a single, cumulative examination at the end instead of quizzes sprinkled throughout the modules. In my experience, students learn better when they are periodically quizzed instead of assessing their knowledge after many concepts have been discussed and analyzed. Finally, there were a few questions that tested learners on concepts that weren’t taught in the course (I had to use Google for the answers).

Overall, I enjoyed the class and would recommend to anyone that wants to get familiar with some of the great names in art. If you decide to take it, let me know what you think about it!

art · life curation

The Next Art Class(es) On My List . . .

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Happy Friday, beloveds! The weekend is here and, I must admit, I’ve been feeling pretty fired up for the past few weeks. I was determined to have a strong start to my year, and so far, I’ve kept my word. I’ve been focusing on everything that I want and need to get done so that I can accomplish the goals I’ve set for the year.

If you all recall, in my New Years goals post, I mentioned that I wanted to eventually transition into a career in the art world (hence this blog’s gentle but steady turning toward more art-related content). I intend to take some in-person courses through Christie’s but I am also supplementing those courses with some online education.

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Women’s Art Class by Louis Lang (1814 – 1893), at The Metropolitan Museum of Art

I’m an autodidact, so I’m very comfortable with teaching myself. You all will probably recall the art course on Alison that I’m currently taking (I’m doing this one very leisurely, though I’m already about 50% done with the material). However, I occasionally enjoy having a structure to lean on while I’m learning. That’s why I was excited to see that Coursera is offering several arts courses this year, that can either be completed without a certificate (the no-cost option) or with a certificate of completion offered (has a small fee). Since I’m doing these courses for personal development and I don’t intend to provide certification to anyone in the future, I’m doing the no-cost option.

The two classes I’m taking are Modern Art & Ideas and Fashion as Design. Both classes are taught by Museum of Modern Art curators, researchers and directors. If you find that you benefit from interaction with other students and a more structured format, then Coursera’s offerings may be a good fit for you.

I’m looking forward to learning more about modern art and fashion. I can’t wait to share what I learned with you all!