Using London as a Text: Marine Technology in the Age of Exploration

Sailors in early modern England believed that sea creatures’ siren songs caused shipwrecks; cannibals ate doomed men who washed up on their beaches, and whales swallowed ships whole. So, why did these superstitious mariners leave their homes in London or Bristol to sail for unknown shores? How did they know where they were going, and what technology did they use to get there? In this mini-college class, Erica will talk about the course she is currently teaching in London to a group of Skidmore first-year students. She will explain the themes of the course and why it is such a joy to use this magnificent city as both backdrop and text for her class.