Summer University Recap
I have been very remiss and noticed that I have not posted a summer University recap! I was unable to attend in person as I had hoped, but my online classes were very enjoyable nonetheless. I still do love the bonus of being able to do them from the comfort of my couch while working on projects. That said, I am very excited for an in person Fall University.
Obligatory Kiki heppin’ picture from University projects
The Cantigas de Santa Maria: An Overview
This class was a later addition but I thoroughly enjoyed taking it, which I did not expect. I have a very rudimentary background in music from childhood but it has not been a skillset I have nourished over the years. The class itself covered some of the formatting in the Cantigas, some of its international influence, and showed some YouTube recordings that blew me away. One question I did come away with was regarding the language choices. The Cantigas, despite being written by Alfonso X of the Siete Partidas and codifying Castillian as the main language of government, were written in Galician-Portuguese. According to the instructor, this was the main poetic language of 13th Century Iberia, and that contrast did stand out to me.
Early Period Celt Capsule Wardrobe for Beginners
Esa has been working on this concept of an SCA capsule wardrobe for a while now and this class showed off her work very well. I mostly took it for inspiration, as I’d love to learn more about early period Celtiberians for hotter months. My big take away was that construction-wise, it’s well within the realm of my skillset, but I have yet to see a silhouette or garment in particular that stood out and screamed “Mariana needs to make this!”
Introduction to Basic Pants
One of my plans that’s currently in process is making Evan some garb of his own. He’s ok wearing his kilt to the couple of events he attends to support me, but we both think he would be more comfortable in a super basic tunic and pants kit instead. Hakon did walk me through his methodology at our family sewing day, but I figured another class and another method of doing it wouldn’t hurt either. The more I know going into it, the more successful I think this ultimate attempt will be.
Tips and Tricks for Research and Documentation
As always, I try to get one research/documentation/judging related class in each University session. This one had some great tips on utilizing keywords and leveraging search engine tools to help expand your available research options. I did particularly like an acronym used to help critically assess research:
C-currency
R-relevance
A-authority
A-accuracy
P-Purpose
