The Big Easy is hosting the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) annual conference this week, and AntiquityNOW will be presenting The Slavery Project (TSP) at one of the sessions.
Shirley K. Gazsi, president of AntiquityNOW, and Bernard Means, PhD., director of the Virtual Curation Laboratory at Virginia Commonwealth University, will be speaking about the series of curricula looking at the ancient and tragic history of slavery.
TSP comprises curricula designed to delve into slavery’s history through an ongoing, interactive series of modules that incorporates lesson plans along select historical plotlines. Students will examine slavery according to the social, cultural, political and economic conditions of the time, as well as how a people justify, reconcile and accept human bondage as integral and even necessary to a society.
TSP is designed to provide students with an immersive experience where select societies are further explored through such cultural touchstones as the music, dance, art, architecture and even recipes of the times. In this regard The Slavery Project has two unique components: Minecraft and 3D printing. Using Minecraft students can create 3D structures of various cultures in different times using the signature textured cubes of the game. Dr. Means will be providing 3D printing specs of artifacts, starting with the Triangular Trade prototype curriculum. Both Minecraft and 3D printing are designed to spark student creativity and enhance the immersive intent of TSP.
The Slavery Project will launch with the Triangular Trade curriculum on December 6, 2015, the 150th Anniversary of the 13th Amendment that abolished slavery.
While in Louisiana Gazsi and Dr. Means will also be meeting with Dr. Ibrahim Seck, director of research at the Whitney Plantation, a museum dedicated to telling the story of slavery from slaves’ points of view. Stay tuned for upcoming blogs and photos of this unique historical site, which will be featured in TSP.
For more about The Slavery Project, click on the links below.
The Slavery Project Part 1: In the Eye of the Beholder
AntiquityNOW 
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