Francesca Tataranni, Curriculum Innovation Award Recipient

Ancient Rome in Chicago

In her course, Tataranni will teach 21st-century students about the continuing influence of ancient Rome in modern America, particularly in Chicago. Students will work on individual projects and present their research in the form of a video essay. Using software designed by Northwestern’s Knight News Innovation Laboratory, the entire class will then work jointly to design a virtual walking tour of all the places in the city where “memories” of ancient Rome appear.

“We see or walk by neoclassical buildings and are exposed to a variety of uses of classical imagery almost every day, which we completely take for granted,” Tataranni said. “Specifically, the focus of the class will be Chicago, the quintessential modern American city, and the way it has used classical antiquity, in particular Roman culture, to assert its own modernity.” Expressing her gratitude for the award, Tataranni said, “This award has enhanced the potential of my class immensely.”

The name of this award was changed in 2019 from Curriculum Development Award to Curriculum Innovation Award.