The European Renaissance of the 14th-16th centuries was a period in which European scholars and artists defined themselves in

COURSE DESCRIPTIONS

History of Civilizations II

History 102 provides each student with an introduction to the evolution of world history since 1500. The intent of the course is not to make the students into historians, but to help them to appreciate the ways in which an understanding of history can contribute to a more general understanding of people and their world.

Renaissance Cultures

The European Renaissance of the 14^th-16^th centuries was a period in which European scholars and artists defined themselves in contrast to those who had come immediately before them, instead looking back further for their cultural roots, to Ancient Greece and Rome. Scholars today argue about whether “The Renaissance” really existed, or whether it was simply a continuation of developments in the 12^th and 13^th centuries. In either case, Renaissance art and ideas are integral to the development of Western culture. This course will consider some of the artistic, literary and intellectual achievements of the period, placing them in their historical context in order to better understand just how the Renaissance developed and how early modern Europeans experienced it.

The Age of Reformation

The Protestant and Catholic Reformations were major movements in sixteenth-century Europe with far-reaching effects still felt today. Religious arguments interacted with political concerns, economic fluctuations and social turmoil to transform European states and societies. In 1500, religion held a central and largely unquestioned place in the lives of all Europeans, and the idea of a unified European Christendom, though imperfect, could still be defended. By the beginning of the seventeenth century, while most Europeans still believed in God, the influence of the Church and of Christianity more generally had begun to change. During the course of the semester, we will examine the religious ideas and arguments that burgeoned in the sixteenth century, the social and political contexts in which they developed and the transformations in thought, government and society that resulted.

In this course we will examine the place of both saints and witches in the religious beliefs and daily lives of people in late medieval and early modern Europe (about 1300–1700). Those centuries were a period of great change in the fundamental structures of European lives, including government, the church, and global relations. We will look at and compare the ways that both saints and witches (especially but not only women) were defined, categorized, perceived and treated. Both saints and witches were set apart from the rest of society, and both groups were believed to have a special relationship with the divine (God or the devil). These beliefs about saints and witches were closely tied to religious, social and economic developments. Through the course of the semester, we will consider the following questions (among others): What was the place of saints in popular religious practices and people’s daily lives? How did the Roman Church assert its authority over saints, particularly female saints? Why did the witch hunts of the late 16^th and early 17^th century happen when they did? Why were women most often singled out for persecution as witches? What comparisons can be made between perceptions of and beliefs about saints and about witches? How did the Reformation affect the perception and treatment of both saints and witches? And how did the emergence of the scientific revolution and ideas of skepticism affect the place and perception of both witches and saints in European society?

European contact and interaction with societies around the globe increased dramatically during the period of 1400–1800. During the course of this semester, we will examine European experiences in many parts of the world with the goal of understanding the impact that those global encounters had not only on the travelers in question but on European society more generally. We will focus especially on travel narratives as historical sources and on learning how to read them critically to discern what they can tell us about European travelers and the society and culture from which they came. Lectures and additional readings will help us to put such narratives into the historical context of political, religious, social and economic developments within Europe as well as developments in European expansion and global interactions. In order to perceive the changing impact of global interactions and travel accounts on European society and ideas over time, we will take a generally chronological approach, although for the sake of clarity it will be necessary to focus on particular regions within that chronological structure. The period from 1400 to 1800 witnessed a dramatic change not only in global relations but also in the amount of information that Europeans had about the world and, therefore, in European perceptions and understandings on the world. Gaining insight into these developments will help us to better understand both the society and culture of early modern Europe and the foundations for Europe’s role in the world from the nineteenth century through the present.