HIST3621: The Renaissance: Creating the Modern World in Medieval Europe 1200-1600

This course studies the new ?humanism? that emerged in European cultural life between 1200-1600, asking the question whether this ?Renaissance humanism" marks a precise historical break with the past that marked a turn toward a new and more characteristically "modern" world. Intended to satisfy the Liberal Education requirement for the "Arts and Humanities" Core, we will study influential texts, artworks, and other cultural artifacts produced during this period and interpret their meaning and significance in light of the historical, political, and social context that informed them. Course lectures explaining this context and introducing students to key works of Renaissance humanism will be offered along with readings from a textbook that will provide a helpful understanding of the idea of "the Renaissance" as a historical label describing this period. The course will also take advantage of the abundant collections of original artworks, books, pamphlets and print ephemera, maps, and other historical artifacts from ?the Renaissance? available in museums and rare books libraries in the Twin Cities. Class visits to see and study these historical works directly will be a key part of the course, as will assignments asking students to study these artifacts firsthand and write individual analyses of them. Overall, the goal of the course is to deepen student knowledge and appreciation of ?Renaissance humanism? as a foundational part of modern Western history and culture and to encourage students to experience this history directly through the study of actual historical artifacts. The course also hopes to prompt students to scrutinize the modern world they inhabit and to consider more deeply its foundations and origins.

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