The Renaissance Woman in Me
The European Renaissance is the period following the Middle Ages that spans the early to mid 1400’s and 1500’s and is noted for its advances in the availability of information due to the invention of the printing press, economic changes that led to a more informed and affluent middle class, as well as profound changes in philosophy, art, and architecture.
In the same way, the era in which we live today can be called the Information Renaissance. Thanks to the internet, information is literally at our fingertips. We can communicate with one another from different sides of the world in real time and can exchange, collect, and supply information with the touch of a button. It has changed our economy as well as the way we create and share artistic content.
As I thought about the European Renaissance, I came to see a similar transformation in my life. I’ve always been a pretty good student--sometimes referred to as a nerd for enjoying school and making small talk with the teachers. However, as an undergrad I remained unfocused, jumping from major to major. I graduated with the plan to get a masters degree so that I could eventually support myself and earn a comfortable living. In the mean time, I would see what the world was all about. Of course, life doesn’t always turn out as we plan, and I found myself in need of some immediate direction as far as my career was concerned.
I found direction at the Center for Information and Communication Sciences at Ball State University right here in my hometown, and with it, my own personal renaissance. I find myself constantly flooded with new information and different ways of thinking about the world around me. It is a “rebirth” of my own intellectual and professional existence, a period of transition into the next phase of my life.
For more information on European Renaissance http://www.learner.org/exhibits/renaissance/index.html