Dante’s Inferno: Influence, Adaptation, and Appropriation (abbreviated)
Zehmer Hall, Room C/D
March 19, 2016
9:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
What does Dante’s classic poem Inferno have to do with contemporary American culture
and the lives of high school students? Come find out as Dr. Deborah Parker, world
renowned Dante scholar and Italian professor at the University of Virginia (UVA), and Dr.
Mark Parker, Professor of English at James Madison University, lead this professional
development program designed to animate the study of Dante through the use of
highly accessible literary and artistic works and pedagogical strategies. Based on the
three-week seminar for high school teachers on Dante held at UVA in summer 2015, this
abbreviated one-day program highlights the cultural legacy and influence of the iconic
poem on Western tradition by using other works as a creative and interpretive lens for
deepening students’ understanding of the poem while building a bridge between the
Dante’s world and today’s world. In particular, digital media—of which our students are
avid consumers—have adapted and appropriated Dante’s famous poem in new ways,
making a commonly difficult text more accessible to students.
The program agenda will include a demonstration of how to teach students about
Dante’s Inferno and interactive presentations from three U.S. high school teachers who
have written and field-tested related classroom lessons. Participants will also gain
access to 13 other classroom lessons featured on the National Endowment for the
Humanities website and additional instructional resources. To conclude the program,
teacher-led breakout groups will be facilitated to brainstorm how the newly acquired
content and pedagogical knowledge can be tweaked and localized for participants’
unique classroom contexts. Breakfast and lunch included.
Sponsored by the Center for the Liberal Arts at the University of Virginia and the
National Endowment for the Humanities
Dante’s Inferno: Influence, Adaptation, and Appropriation (abbreviated)
Zehmer Hall, Room C/D
March 19, 2016
9:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Program Agenda
9:00 – 9:30
Registration and Breakfast
9:30 – 9:45
Welcome, Agenda, Housekeeping, and Introductions
9:45 – 10:45
Overview of Dante and Related Instructional Resources
10:45 – 11:30
Demonstration of How to Teach Dante’s Poem and Adaptations
11:30 – 12:30
Presentations of Classroom Lessons
12:30 – 1:30
Lunch
1:30 – 2:30
Jigsaw Breakout Groups with 3 Classroom Teachers
2:30 – 3:30
Brainstorming Groups to Localize Dante Content and Pedagogy
Presenters
Dr. Deborah Parker, Professor of Italian, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA
Dr. Mark Parker, Professor of English, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA
Ms. Lisa Kenna, English Department Chair and Teacher, Oakcrest School, McLean, VA
Ms. Judy Mohan, English Instructor, St. Louis Priory School, St. Louis, MO
Ms. Cynthia Losen, English Teacher, Maggie L. Walker Governor’s School for
Government and International Studies, Richmond, VA
Dr. Cheryl Ayers, Acting Director, Center for the Liberal Arts, University of Virginia