Instructor : Ivana Elbl Campus: Peterborough HISTORY TRENT UNIVERSITY HIST 2071H THE RENAISSANCE, 1300‐1550 2015‐16 WI Peterborough Trent Email: Telephone: [email protected] 705 748.1011 x7833 705.876.1358 (home office) Office Location: Office Hours: LEC S114 Tuesday 12 – 14:50 Wednesday 11:30‐12:30 by appt. Academic Administrative Assistant: Francisca Eckstein Office Location: LEC S 101.3 Email: [email protected] Telephone: 7050748.1011 x7706 Course Description: About the Renaissance…and HIST 2071H Why Study the Renaissance? The Renaissance is one of most deeply ingrained concepts in western historical consciousness. It was celebrated by past authors as a reversal of what they perceived as the decline that had followed the fall of the Roman Empire and as a “rebirth” of culture, learning, rationality, and individualism, creating a bridge to modernity as defined by the liberal thinkers of the Age of Revolutions in reaction to the social, political, and religious restrictions imposed by the early modern ancien regime and Church power. This vision was later subjected to much criticism by twentieth‐century scholars, to the point of questioning the substance of the very term “renaissance”. It is certainly true that the actual history of the Renaissance period nowhere approaches the idealized concept. It is, if anything, much richer, more multifaceted, and while certainly offering examples many extraordinary achievements and stories of remarkable individuals it is linked closely with the preceding periods rather than representing a sudden and dramatic break with the past. It is also closely interconnected with the issues involved in the Reformation (both Protestant and Catholic). It spans, broadly speaking, more than three centuries (more than can be covered here) because the developments associated with it occurred in different forms at different times in different parts of Europe and its beginning and end are so frequently subjected to revisions that one may legitimately ask: ... Was there really a Renaissance? But the outburst of creativity, human accomplishments, struggles, and changes that characterized it are truly remarkable and constitute a fundamental subject of study. HIST 2071H explores the Renaissance as a cultural development linked to the changes in European economy and society, religious concerns, political culture, learning and art. It also examines the Renaissance as a perceived watershed in western history and in the concept of Europe. TEXTS: 1) John Jeffries Martin, ed., The Renaissance World (New York and London: Routledge Taylor and Francis Group, 2007. Available in the Trent University Bookstore. 2) Merry Wiesner‐Hanks, The Renaissance and Reformation. A History in Documents (New York and Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2012). Available in the Trent University Bookstore. 3) Selections from Guido Ruggiero, ed., A Companion to the Worlds of the Renaissance (Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishers, 2002, 2007 [e‐book edition]), Available on‐line throughout TOPCAT. Some hard‐copies will be available through the Trent Bookstore. Course Format: Peterborough Campus: Please check http://www.trentu.ca/timetable/ to confirm times and locations. TypE Day Time Location Lectures Tuesday 10:00 – 11:50 SC 203 Tutorial Tuesday 15:00 – 15:50 BL 402 Tutorial Tuesday 16:00 – 16:50 BL 402 Tutorial Tuesday 17:00 – 17:50 BL 402 Course Organization: The course is organized into twelve topical units that combine two‐hour lectures and one‐hour tutorials. The lectures provide an overall survey and analysis of each topic. The lectures are a key to the course. They present original scholarship and ideas that are essential to securing full grasp of the subject. The tutorials follow the topics of the week’s lectures, looking at selected problems and issues. In some instances, the tutorials branch off slightly, focusing on specific individuals or issues of social, cultural, or art history, in order to address the broadest range of perspectives and themes. The research paper allows students to to engage their own interests involving the Renaissance period in European history. The final exam helps students to draw conclusions about the key aspects of the Renaissance, both as a period and a cultural phenomenon, and its historical significance. Learning Outcomes/Objectives/Goals/Expectations: Course Goals and Outcome: The course aims at providing students with a solid overview and command of issues surrounding the Renaissance period, one of the most celebrated stages in European history. In a broader sense, it hopes to contribute to their intellectual development and their ability to deal with and reason about broad and complex historical issues both in time and space, while able to zoom in selected aspects and micro‐aspects and put them in the requisite context. Aimed at nurturing both history‐specific abilities and transferable general skills, the course requirements foster and hone students’ research capacity, critical thinking, historiographical analysis, and the ability to communicate concisely both verbally and in writing. 2
Course Evaluation: Type of Assignment Class Participation I Class Participation II Mid‐term Take‐Home Exam Research Paper Proposal Research Paper Final Exam: Research Question Selection Weighting 12.5% 12.5% 15% 5% 25% 30% Due Date (Jan. 15 ‐ Feb. 24) (Mar. 3 ‐ April 7) February 22 February 8 March 28 Before January 18 Note: Assignments scheduled to be marked before Mar. 3 (the deadline to drop the course without academic penalty) are Class Participation I (12.5%), Research Paper Proposal (5%), and Mid‐Term Take‐
Home Exam (15%), to a total of 32.5% of the final grade. SUBMISSIONS: All assignments should be submitted on the due day. Being late for a good reason is not a capital sin. Extensions up to a week are possible. Make sure you ask for one if necessary. However: 1) Extensions longer than a week will be granted only on very serious grounds and will require documentation; 2) Late submissions for which extension was not granted or which abuse the extension privilege will see a deduction of 5% per day. All assignments should be submitted as Blackboard Learn attachments, using MS Word (.doc or .rtf), Wordperfect (.wpd), Open Office (.odt), or Adobe Acrobat (.pdf). Assignments written in Microsoft Works (.wps) or Pages are not compatible and will not be accepted. Comments and marks will also be available on Blackboard Learn. COURSE REQUIREMENTS Lectures and Tutorials: The weekly lectures & tutorials are essential. The tutorials are compulsory. Students may miss one seminar without penalty and make up for up to two additional tutorial absence by submitting, on BL, written answers to the Thought Triggers posted on BL (250‐400 words). Those who wish to demonstrate their ability to the fullest are welcome to enter their thoughts on the Discussion Board (in addition to class participation). Knowledge of the lecture material must be demonstrated in tutorial work, take‐home exam, and the final exam. Note that you will receive feedback on your tutorial performance in the first half of the term by Feb 27. 3
Written Assignments: All written assignments will be posted on Blackboard Learn (BL). Comments and marks will also be available through BL. Tutorial write‐ups should also be submitted on BL. Research Paper Research Question Selection: Choose, from a list of possible research questions, three that appeal to you and submit them, in the order of your preference, on BL. Due: Jan. 18 or before. I will review your submissions (in the order in which they arrive) and assign you a research question (together with start‐up readings and possible primary sources), by Blackboard, by Jan. 21, Note that students must write on the assigned research question (not to be changed without permission). Other submissions will not be accepted. Research Paper Proposal: Based on a preliminary research, the proposal should a) briefly outline how the paper will deal with the assigned research question c. 250 words), including a working hypothesis on the assigned research question; b) provide a clear idea as to how it will address the requirements; and c) present a preliminary bibliography of at least 8 directly relevant scholarly sources) for the instructor’s approval.Due: Feb. 8 Research Paper Requirements: a) Length: The paper must be at least 2,000 words long (plus bibliography). The bibliography is not included in the word count. b) Approach and Structure: The paper must be analytical (as opposed to descriptive), organized clearly into introduction, discussion, and conclusion. It must be written in full sentences and contain proper transitions. c) Introduction: The paper must contain a clear introduction stating the hypothesis/argument about the research question and end with a clearly stated thesis/answer to the research question. d) Research support: at least eight directly relevant scholarly works (books, chapters in collected volumes, articles in scholarly journals), in addition to readings and primary sources accompanying the assigned esearch question. Each work listed in the bibliography must appear in the notes at least once, to document its use. e) Writing and Presentation: The paper should be well written (style, grammar, spelling) and presented. f) Historiography: It should contain at least some critique of the relevant secondary literature, and highlight historians' views and interpretations (historiography), g) Primary Sources: The paper should include work with primary sources, unless otherwise agreed. h) Evidence and Interpretation: The argument must be rigorously supported by evidence and avoid speculation, overstatement, over‐generalization, and failure to interpret the evidence presented. I) Documentation: The paper must be properly supported by documentation, including footnotes) and a complete bibliography. The documentation must comply with the Chicago Manual of Style, Footnotes and Bibliography Format. See http://www.trentu.ca/academicskills/documentation/chicago.php. 4
Research Paper — First Draft (Optional): The draft must constitute a full research paper, both in content and form. It will receive a mark as if it were the final version, to be later substituted by the final version mark (or the higher of the two, in the unlikely case that the final version is marked lower than the first one). You are not required to submit the first draft and may proceed directly to the final version. There is no need to inform me of you choice – if the first draft is not submitted by the deadline, I will assume you not submitting it. Due: Mar. 7 Research Paper ‐ Final Version: The final version should meet the Requirements listed above. If it was preceded by a first draft, it should address the suggestions and criticism raised in my comments. If you do not to submit a final draft but have submitted the first draft the mark on the first draft will stand for both. Due: Mar. 28 Mid‐Term Take‐Home Exam: Students will be asked to answer four questions from a list of eight, dealing with subject matter and readings covered in the first five weeks of the course, plus one question about a primary source covered in the readings, from a list of three. The questions will be available on Blackboard Learn on Feb. 14. Each of the five answers should be least 250 words long and worth 20% of the exam mark. All answers must be analytical and offer a central argument clearly proposed in the introduction, examined in the discussion, and stated in the form of a final answer in the conclusion. They must reflect command of the lecture material and basic knowledge of the readings. Footnotes are not required, except in the case of direct quotations. Due: Feb. 22 Final Examination: The course will conclude with a three‐hour in‐person written examination that aims at ascertaining the students’ ability to reason about the main aspects of renaissance history and offer arguments about its origins, progression and context, and consequences, engaging critically the lecture material and basic knowledge of the readings. Students will be asked to write one short essay (c. 500 words), one longer one (approx. 750 words) and answer five identification questions out of 10, c. 50 words each. The Short Essay will be worth 30% of the exam mark, the Long Essay 45%, and the Identifications 5% each (to the total of 25%). The Short Essay will deal with a question chosen from a short list, and the Long Essay will address a common overarching theme. The exam questions will not be available ahead of the exam but an example list will be provided in the last tutorial. The exam answers must be analytical and offer a central argument clearly proposed in the introduction, examined in the discussion, and stated in the form of a final answer in the conclusion. All answers and identifications must reflect command of the lecture material. TEXTS: 1) John Jeffries Martin, ed., The Renaissance World (New York and London: Routledge Taylor and Francis Group, 2007. Available in the Trent University Bookstore. 2) Merry Wiesner‐Hanks, The Renaissance and Reformation. A History in Documents (New York and Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2012). Available in the Trent University Bookstore. 3) Selections from Guido Ruggiero, ed., A Companion to the Worlds of the Renaissance 5
(Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishers, 2002, 2007 [e‐book edition]), Available on‐line throughout TOPCAT. Some hard‐copies will be available through the Trent Bookstore. Week‐by‐week schedule: LECTURES AND TUTORIALS Knowledge of the lecture material must be evident in tutorial work and exam answers. 1. (Jan. 12): Lecture: Introduction to the Renaissance(s) Tutorial: Getting acquainted and discussing the course, its requirements, and the background readings. Readings: Merry Wiesner‐Hanks, The Renaissance and Reformation. A History in Documents (New York and Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2012), “Introduction: Re‐births and Reformations,” (1‐7); “What Is a Document?” (vi‐vii); “How to Read a Document” (viii‐ix); Note on Sources and Interpretation (7‐9). Thought Triggers: 1. What thoughts and associations does the term “the Renaissance” invoke? 2. If we view Michelangelo's “Creation of Adam” as a document, what can we learn from it? 2. (Jan. 19): Lecture: Born out of Prosperity: European Urbanization, Disposable Wealth, and the Renaissance. Tutorial: The World of Commerce, Cities, and Towns Readings: Alexander Cowan, “Cities, Towns, and New Forms of Culture,” in John Jeffries Martin, ed., The Renaissance World (New York and London: Routledge Taylor and Francis Group, 2007), 101‐115. Merry Wiesner‐Hanks, The Renaissance and Reformation. A History in Documents (New York and Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2012), “Florence: A City of Gold.” 28‐29; and Chapter 5 (“Merchants and Master Craftsmen”), 65‐83. Thought Triggers: 1. Why was the Renaissance an urban phenomenon? 2. Why were merchants important for the Renaissance? 3. Why was Florence the principal city of the Renaissance? 3. (Jan. 26): Lecture: Born out of crises: Epidemics, wars, violence ... and the Renaissance. Tutorial: The World that Plague(s) Made Readings: Samuel K. Cohn, “The Black Death, Tragedy, and Transformation,” in John Jeffries Martin, ed., The Renaissance World (New York and London: Routledge Taylor and Francis Group, 2007), 69‐83. Merry Wiesner‐Hanks, The Renaissance and Reformation. A History in Documents (New York and Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2012), Chapter 1 (“The Tumultuous Middle Ages”), 11‐25. 6
Thought Triggers: 1. What was the impact of the plague on European cities and towns? 2. Was there a relationship between the plague and violence (wars, internal conflicts, rebellions, outbursts of violence)? 3. What impact did the plague have on contemporary scholars and artists? 4. (Feb. 2) Lecture: Fuelling the Renaissance: Courts, Princes, Patrons ... and Conflicts Tutorial: Renaissance Art and Scholarship in the Service of Power and Beauty Readings: Randolph Starn, “Renaissance Triumphalism in Art,” in John Jeffries Martin, ed., The Renaissance World (New York and London: Routledge Taylor and Francis Group, 2007), 326‐44. David Harris Sacks, “Nicollò Machiavelli and Thomas More: Parallel Lives,” in John Jeffries Martin, ed., The Renaissance World (New York and London: Routledge Taylor and Francis Group, 2007), 262‐84. Merry Wiesner‐Hanks, The Renaissance and Reformation. A History in Documents (New York and Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2012), 38‐39. Thought Triggers: 1. Why did rulers and other political leaders seek out and employ artists and scholars? 2. What was “Renaissance Triumphalism” and what did it mean for the Renaissance? 3. Both Machiavelli and Thomas More are considered important political thinkers. What shaped them? 5. (Feb. 9): Lecture: Creating the Renaissance: Scholars, Artists, and their Audiences. Tutorial: Celebrating Life (and God) in Art, Verse, and Music Readings: Merry Wiesner‐Hanks, The Renaissance and Reformation. A History in Documents (New York and Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2012), Chapter 3 (“The Glory of the World”). 41‐ 55. Bronwen Wilson, “The Renaissance Portrait. From Resemblance to Representation,” in John Jeffries Martin, ed., The Renaissance World (New York and London: Routledge Taylor and Francis Group, 2007). Thought Triggers: 1. Why is the Renaissance portrait a celebration of life? 2. What are the attitude of Renaissance artists towards nature? 3. What do Michelangelo's poems for Victoria Colonna tell us about the value and anxieties of arguably the greatest of the Renaissance artists? 4. Why was music such an important part of Renaissance social life? Feb. 16: Residential Reading Week – No Class 6. (Feb. 23) Lecture: Disseminating the Renaissance: Education, Correspondence, Printing, Travel. Tutorial: Networks of Ideas and Knowledge Readings: Peter Burke, “The Circulation of Knowledge,” in John Jeffries Martin, ed., The Renaissance World (New York and London: Routledge Taylor and Francis Group, 2007), 191‐205. Peter Burke, “The Historical Geography of the Renaissance,” in Guido Ruggiero, ed., A Companion to the Worlds of the Renaissance (Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishers, 2002, 2007 [e‐book edition]), 88‐104. 7
Paula Findlen, “The Sun at the Center of the World,” in John Jeffries Martin, The Renaissance World (New York and London: Routledge Taylor and Francis Group, 2007) 655‐77. Thought Triggers: 1. What is the difference between southern and northern Renaissance? 2. What are Burke's key points about the circulation of knowledge during the Renaissance? 3. What does the story of Copernicus and his heliocentric theory tell us about the Renaissance networks of ideas of knowledge? 7. (Mar. 1) Lecture: Women and the Renaissance Tutorial: The Power of Families Readings: Merry Wiesner‐Hanks, The Renaissance and Reformation. A History in Documents (New York and Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2012), Chapter 4 (“Picture Essay: The Individual and the Family”), 57‐63. Joanne Ferraro, “Family and Clan in the Renaissance World,” in Guido Ruggiero, ed., A Companion to the Worlds of the Renaissance (Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishers, 2007 (ebook edition)), 173‐87. Elissa B. Weaver, “Gender,” in Guido Ruggiero, ed., A Companion to the Worlds of the Renaissance (Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishers, 2007 (e‐book edition)), 188‐208. Thought Triggers: 1. What was the relationship between an individual and her/his family at different stages of life? 2. Confined largely to the private sphere, women nonetheless tended to wield great influence. Why? 3. What emotions about personal relationship do the images in the “Picture Essay” reflect? 8. (Mar. 8): Lecture: Renaissance Genius and Individuality Tutorial: Renaissance Ideals and Renaissance Individuals Readings: Merry Wiesner‐Hanks, The Renaissance and Reformation. A History in Documents (New York and Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2012), Chapter 2 (“The Past and the Perfect”), 27‐40. John Jeffries Martin, “The Myth of Renaissance Individualism,” in Guido Ruggiero, ed., A Companion to the Worlds of the Renaissance (Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishers, 2007 (e‐book edition)), 208‐224. Douglas Biow, “Food: Pietro Aretino and the Art of Conspicuous Consumption,” in John Jeffries Martin, ed., The Renaissance World (New York and London: Routledge Taylor and Francis Group, 2007), 501‐516. Thought Triggers: 1. Why were Renaissance artists and thinkers so concerned with the past and with perfection? 2. Pietro Aretino loved life, in a very robust and self‐centred fashion. What were his ideals? 3. In the light of what you have learned so far and the documents in the Wiesner‐Hanks reading, do you agree or disagree with Martin about the myth of Renaissance individualism? Why? 8
9. (Mar. 15): Lecture: Surpassing the Antiquity: Exploration, Invention, Innovation Tutorial: What the Ancients did not know about ... Readings: Merry Wiesner‐Hanks, The Renaissance and Reformation. A History in Documents (New York and Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2012), Chapter 9 (“Global Connections and Challenges”), 133‐149. Anthony Grafton, “José de Acosta: Renaissance Historiography and New World Humanity.” in John Jeffries Martin, ed., The Renaissance World (New York and London: Routledge Taylor and Francis Group, 2007), 166‐188. Thought Triggers: 1. What motivated European explorers and their sponsors? 2. Why was the realization of the existence of the “New World” such an important watershed in the history of the Renaissance? 3. Why did Europeans regard the indigenous people of the Americas as inferior and their subjugation as legitimate? Did Renaissance scholarship have anything to do with it? 10. (Mar. 22): Lecture: Christianity, the Catholic Church, and the Renaissance Tutorial: The Troubled Church of the Renaissance Readings: Ingrid Rowland, “Rome at the Center of a Civilization,” in John Jeffries Martin, ed., The Renaissance World (New York and London: Routledge Taylor and Francis Group, 2007), 31‐ 48. Susan R. Boettcher, “Humanism and the Dream of Christian Unity,” in John Jeffries Martin, ed., The Renaissance World (New York and London: Routledge Taylor and Francis Group, 2007), 572‐88. Merry Wiesner‐Hanks, The Renaissance and Reformation. A History in Documents (New York and Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2012), Chapter 6 “Religious Reform and Renewal,” 85‐94. Thought Triggers: 1. Why was Rome so important to Catholic Christianity and what was the significance of it for the Renaissance? 2. What was wrong with the Catholic Church in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, as seen through the eyes of contemporary documents? 3. Why did humanists dream of Christian unity? 11. (Mar. 29): Lecture: The Reformation(s) and the Invention of Europe Tutorial: Sixteenth‐Century Europe: Renaissance, Humanism, and the Reformation(s) Reading: Merry Wiesner‐Hanks, The Renaissance and Reformation. A History in Documents (New York and Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2012), Chapter 6 “Religious Reform and Renewal,” 94‐99 and Chapter 7 “Radical Hopes, Popular Protests, and Mystical Visions,” 101‐113. Brad S. Gregory, “Christian Reform and Its Discontents,” in John Jeffries Martin, ed., The Renaissance World (New York and London: Routledge Taylor and Francis Group, 2007), 589‐604. John A. Marino, “The Invention of Europe,” in John Jeffries Martin, ed., The Renaissance World (New York and London: Routledge Taylor and Francis Group, 2007), 140‐165. 9
Thought Triggers: 1. Did humanist scholarship play a key role in triggering off the Reformation? 2. The Renaissance culture was largely an elite phenomenon. What did it contribute to the popular movements that rallied to the Reformation message? 3. What did the Renaissance and Reformation have to do with the emergence of the European umbrella identity? 12. (April 5): Lecture: The Renaissance Ends Tutorial: Suppressing the Renaissance (... and Discussing the Exam) Reading: David Gentilcore, “A Tale of Two Tribunals,” in John Jeffries Martin, ed., The Renaissance World (New York and London: Routledge Taylor and Francis Group, 2007), 605‐620. Thought Trigger: Why are the Inquisition tribunals so profoundly linked with the suppression of the Renaissance? University Policies Academic Integrity: Academic dishonesty, which includes plagiarism and cheating, is an extremely serious academic offence and carries penalties varying from failure on an assignment to expulsion from the University. Definitions, penalties, and procedures for dealing with plagiarism and cheating are set out in Trent University’s Academic Integrity Policy. You have a responsibility to educate yourself – unfamiliarity with the policy is not an excuse. You are strongly encouraged to visit Trent’s Academic Integrity website to learn more: www.trentu.ca/academicintegrity. Access to Instruction: It is Trent University's intent to create an inclusive learning environment. If a student has a disability and documentation from a regulated health care practitioner and feels that he/she may need accommodations to succeed in a course, the student should contact the Student Accessibility Services Office (SAS) at the respective campus as soon as possible, (Peterborough, Blackburn Hall, Suite 132, 705‐748‐1281 or email [email protected] . Complete text can be found under Access to Instruction in the Academic Calendar. 10