72: Introduction to Latin Paleography [M-40]
4-8 August 2003
1) How useful were the pre-course readings?
1: Useful, and good to have -- but in fact not critical to the course, except for those who might never have seen reproductions of medieval manuscripts. 2: Appropriate and useful, even if somewhat repetitious. 3: Very useful, especially the Bischoff for good background information. 4: De Hamel -- good overview and easy to read. Bischoff -- hard! I couldn’t really take it all in. The rest were ok, I suppose. 5: Bischoff was interesting, but more plates are necessary. De Hamel was interesting, but not really necessary. 6: Very useful. 7: All useful.
2) Were the course syllabus and other materials distributed in class useful (or will they be so in the future, after you return home)?
1: The workbook very helpful -- a very careful selection and order of plates. 2-3: Yes. 4: Both appropriate and useful. I’d have liked, perhaps, a sort of farewell handout, listing salient qualities of different scripts -- my notes are a bit of a mess. 5: Indeed! I will continue to consult it. 6-7: Yes.
3) Was the intellectual level of the course content appropriate?
1: This was at the highest level. 2: Yes. 3: Yes, very. 4: Oh, yes: I was kept on my toes. In a good way. 5-6: Yes. 7: Yes -- very high.
4) If your course had field trips, were they effective?
1: The sessions in Special Collections, examining MS fragments, were valuable as a major supplement to the photocopied images. 2: Generally, yes, although we could have had one fewer session in Special Collections (i.e., two instead of three). 3: N/A. 4: Yup. I enjoyed transcribing in Special Collections. 5: Very well. The time in Special Collections working from original materials rather than photocopies or slides was extremely valuable. 6: Yes.
5) What did you like best about the course?
1: AD’s knowledge is unique; and presented with a very attractive combination of firmness (where the situation has been thoroughly investigated by him) and flexibility (where there is any uncertainty). In other words, rigorously honest. 2: It was absolutely appropriate to my level of competence and experience, which is difficult to find. AD, in addition to being a world-class expert on the subject, is a very talented teacher. My classmates were wonderful. 3: The ability of AD to convey immense amounts of knowledge in a relatively clear way. Ability of the class members to work together. Intense practice in transcribing. 4: The feeling that I’m leaving knowing a lot more than I did a week ago. 5: Intensive examination of variety of scripts. I enjoyed having homework to practice on my own. 6: Combination of learning about paleography and (for me) learning about medieval texts. 7: AD: magnificent!
6) How could the course have been improved?
1: In my opinion, could not have been improved (unless, maybe, my own eyesight could have been improved). 3: Another week! 4: See answers to #2. 5: The photocopies of materials are a bit broken up. Could better copies be made (and a master kept on file)? 6: Make it two weeks instead of one!
7) We are always concerned about the physical well-being both of the RBS teaching collections and of materials owned by UVa’s Special Collections. If relevant, what suggestions do you have for the improved classroom handling of such materials used in your course this week?
1: Materials were well handled. 3: None. 5: None.
8) If you attended the Sunday and/or Monday night lectures, were they worth attending?
1: Yes. 2: Yes to both. 3: Monday night lecture was not only informative, but entertaining. 4: Sun. -- OK. Mon. -- very enjoyable 5: Yes. 6: Enjoyed Mon. 7: Did not attend.
9) If you attended Museum Night, was the time profitably spent?
1: Did not attend. 2: Yes, and the RBS staff helped make it so. 3: Did not attend. 4: Yes -- I went to both and was very glad I did. 5: Museum nights are always interesting -- the variety of new materials each time I come keeps them fresh and informative. 7: Did not attend.
10) Did you get your money’s worth? Any final thoughts?
1: I would give this course the highest recommendation to anyone involved in the original study of medieval manuscripts; no one is “over-qualified” for it. 2: Yes. 3: Yes (if I had paid). My advice is to come prepared to work hard. I was exhausted at the end of each day. 4: Get as much sleep as you can! Staring at 17 forms of the letter S can be exhausting -- but you’ll learn heaps. 5: Absolutely. 6: Yes. 7: Yes.
Number of respondents: 07
Percentages
Leave Tuition Housing Travel
Institution Institution Institution Institution
gave me leave paid tuition paid housing paid travel
43% 43% 43% 43%
I took vaca- I paid tui- I paid for my I paid my own
tion time tion myself own housing travel
14% 14% 43% 29%
N/A: self- N/A: Self- N/A: stayed N/A: lived
employed, re- employed, with friends nearby
tired, or had retired, or or lived at
summers off exchange home
43% 43% 14% 28%
There were three rare book librarians (43%), two teachers/professors (29%), one museum employee (14%), and one academic administrator (14%).