*Posted on behalf of Lori Bell*

Hey students –

Virtual Worlds – Florence: Birthplace of the Renaissance will be offered spring 2014 in Second Life at San Jose State University School of Library and Information Science.

This course will immerse students in Virtual Florence during the Renaissance (1350-1550). Many of the topics and issues we associate with the Renaissance era began in Florence. Because of its unique economy, writers, painters, architects, philosophers and business, Florence was a model of Renaissance culture. Students will meet or become the famous characters of that time period including the powerful Medici family, Niccolo Machiavelli, the intriguing Borgia family, and the talented artists Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Botticelli, and others. Based on research conducted into the events taking place during this period, students will create and participate in an immersive role-playing experience. The experience will prepare the students to demonstrate the ways in which librarians, and archivists, and museum curators can create community and serve as teachers and leaders in portraying knowledge, history and documents in creative and educational ways using virtual world technologies. If you have any questions, please contact me at lbell927@yahoo.com