Bjsecino

Benjamin Secino

Benjamin Secino

Overview

This project explores London through the literary and physical arts. England and London are both known the world over as major contributors to both ballroom dance and literature. In order to better understand these contributions, this project will consist of in-depth, experience-based research into the lives of English authors and the Standard and Latin styles of ballroom dance. Prior to embarking on this project, Benjamin Secino spent one year taking lessons in both the English "International" styles of ballroom dance, as well as the "American" styles. He has also taken extensive Humanities and Arts courses in English Literature.

Milestone 1

English Ballroom Dance
Objective: This milestone will explore modern English Ballroom Dance styles and techniques, focusing on dances within the Standard and Latin categories.

Below the objective statement, Insert a one or two paragraph summary of your findings from having reached this milestone. Edit the link below to link to your milestone page.
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Milestone 2

Creative Writing in London
Objective: This milestone will be comprised of an extended creative writing project, creating a first-hand experience of being a writer in London.

Below the objective statement, Insert a one or two paragraph summary of your findings from having reached this milestone. Edit the link below to link to your milestone page.
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Milestone 3

The Lives of English Authors
Objective: What were the lives of famous English authors and poets like? This milestone will seek answer this question this through tours of authors' houses and visits to writers' museums.

Below the objective statement, Insert a one or two paragraph summary of your findings from having reached this milestone. If this milestone, for you, represents a humanities and arts capstone, please indicate so. Edit the link below to link to your milestone page.
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Activity Journal

The activity journal represents an ongoing log of reflections gained through each and every project activity on the calendar.

5-8-2017

Today's activities: Westminster Abbey, Tower of London, The British Library.

Today, we started the morning with a guided tour of Westminster Abbey. The most striking feature of this cathedral for me was the sheer volume of history stored here. Unfortunately, personal photography was restricted to the Cloisters and the Chapter House, so I'm unable to illustrate here the density of the memorials on view. However, if you imagine how a cathedral would look if memorials and tombs had been continuously added to its walls and corridors for over 900 years, you may arrive at a reasonable mental image. The vast number of memorials impressed me more than any of the other striking features of the cathedral, including the towering vaults, the intricate ornamentation, or the exquisite glasswork. As an American, I come from a country that is relatively young, and has not yet developed a labyrinthine history stretching back millennia. Seeing such a history on display was a mind-opening experience.

From Westminster Abbey, I headed with a smaller group to the Tower of London, which I explored with a handful of other students. Because this tour was self-guided, I had the opportunity to pause frequently, enjoying the smaller details and less obvious spaces. In particular, I appreciated spending some time around the less prestigious Crown Jewels. Photography was not allowed in this area, but the collection of Crown Jewels ranged from the Coronation Crowns of historic monarchs to golden spoons for banquets. It was the smaller items, the spoons and the plates, that made me appreciate the wealth and power of the historic British monarchy. A few jewel-encrusted crowns, while unimaginably finely crated and valuable, are no harder to procure than a banquet hall-full of golden plates, bowls, chalices, and cutlery. The purpose of these pieces was to show in the most visible way possible the strength of the British Crown. Judging only by the impression they've made on me, the artists behind their construction hit their mark precisely.

As a final stop, I went with a few other students to The British Library. Here, I learned that library in Europe operate differently than those in the United States. There are not books available for public browsing, any requested books need to be for a specific research purpose, and there are far fewer public seating areas than in any libraries found in America. On my walk through the library, the only books I saw were part of The King's Library. As the name might suggest, The King's Library is not public-access. Even though I couldn't read them, they made the most beautiful book display I've ever seen!

5-9-2017

Today's Activity: St. Peter's Cathedral

Activity #1 Name

Add a paragraph about this experience noting the ways in which it related to one or more of your milestone aims. Did this experience directly relate to your milestones, or was the relation more indirect? In what ways did this experience cause you to think differently about your milestone aims? What were some of your other takeaways from the experience? For each site-specific term that you enter, check to see if there is a page in this wiki that exists and link to it. For example, if your reflection mentions William Shakespeare, check to see if William Shakespeare exists on this site. If an article page does exist, 1) link to it here, and 2) edit the page with a section or just a few sentences to ensure that the content on that page relates to this activity journal entry. For example, if while writing your activity journal reflection about your trip to Westminster Abbey, you recall seeing the headstone of William Shakespeare, note it in your reflection, and then edit the William Shakespeare with, at least, a sentence or two in an appropriate section about having a memorial site in Westminster Abbey. While your at it, edit the entry for Westminster Abbey with the relevant information. Did you take some interesting pictures or videos at those sites? Add those to the relevant pages. If an article page does not exist, create the page for the missing topic (link from main menu) and add some general information. For each activity scheduled on our calendar, you should 1) create an Active Journal Entry here, and 2) add/edit at least three related articles. The tone of this article can be personal, but still quality professional writing; the tone of article pages that you edit should be objective professional writing.
Think of this process as building a platform or a case that will help you make particular claims and conclusions through your project milestones.

Activity #2 Name

A paragraph for your personal reflection for another activity on our calendar goes here, just it was outlined in the previous example. Repeat this same process for the remaining activities. Whenever there's an activity on the calendar, complete an activity journal reflection.

My Complete Contributions

The journal section should end with the following link to your complete contributions (new articles, edited articles, added media, etc.); delete this sentence and replace the username Vjmanzo below with your own username: