Renaissance & Reformation

Overview

Welcome to a history of Europe during the Renaissance & the Reformation. Comparatively speaking, it was a rather busy stretch of European history with change occurring on every conceivable front: economic, political, demographic, cultural, religious, and the list goes on.... No wonder the period of roughly 1350 to 1650 has excited so much interest and seen so many trees sacrificed on the altar of historical writing. We will continue the tradition by studying the basic narrative of the epoch, and then attempt to“unpack” the significance within the events, trends, and personalities just surveyed. Sounds like fun, right? Whaddya mean, no? Wanna try a week in Calvin’s Geneva, instead?

In a perfect world, this course would operate as a seminar. With 31 students enrolled, that is not really a viable option. Still, you are not lecture-sponges; you are scholars on the cusp of great things. Obviously, then, your participation in class matters and will depend in no small way on preparing adequately for our conversations. While developing your understanding of the material, feel free—be eager even—to question/challenge/verify the interpretations presented by the instructor. (Hint: this last quality—when practiced well—is most highly prized by your professors.)

Course Goals

The goals (or should I say fruits?) of a history course are as numerous as the books which historians produce. At the broadest level, though, historical study encourages and hones critical analysis of the questions which most concern us. And these issues are themselves countless, but in the most generic terms, they mostly center on the relations of people with one another, with themselves, and possibly with the supernatural. We will be asking “why?” rather a lot: Why did they think that? Why did they assume such a thing? Why does the past appear simultaneously alien and similar? Even as we ask these questions, others lie implicitly underneath: why do I think what I think? What are my prejudices and assumptions? How does my heritage sway my conclusions?

We will be asking the above questions all under the aegis of the course goals outlined by Longwood University's catalog:

Grading & Assignments

Two things in particular will be assessed in this class: mastery of the objective material and skill in analyzing that same material. As part of the analytical component, the course will also expect an understanding of the historiographic debates surrounding the Renaissance & the Reformation.

Exams: There will be three exams, whose form will be discussed in detail as they approach. The exams are weighted so as to give students the benefit of experience. Thus, the first is worth 12%, the next one 15%, and the final essay 18% of the course grade.

Quizzes: The course may appear top-heavy with eight quizzes (3% each), which will mostly be of the multiple-choice, true/false variety although some writing may be requested. The intent here is simply to monitor your command of the basic narrative of the period, along with the major foci of the authors we are reading. Read attentively and on schedule, and you should have little trouble with these.

Paper: (25%) Ah, the best part...the chance to dive into the past, get lost in the lives of people who can't stop you from prying, and then parade all your acquired insights before the scholarly community in a ten-page, double-spaced paper with beautiful citations according to the Chicago or Turabian styles. Makes you shiver with anticipation, right? Thought so...

The paper will be tightly-focused on a primary source (or more as appropriate). Yes, one may—and should—read secondary material as part of the research process, but the assignment here is to craft your own conclusions, not merely parrot those of already published “authorities”. Along the way, several deadlines exist so as to “help” avoid procrastination. They also serve to warn you whether your topic may prove less than feasible. These are not recommended tasks; they are mandatory parts of building your paper.

Note: there will be a low threshold of tolerance for grammatical errors and all other transgressions which a simple proofreading should catch. Remove these yourself so I won’t have to remove hard-earned points. Remember, the spell-checker is not your friend! For further guidance, consult the menu options under Leges Stephani and the writing guides. Also, beware the Homonym Death List.

Participation:  Dive in, read voraciously, be intensely curious, ask tough questions that tackle big issues, proofread your freakin’ papers...you know...show the professor that the grey stuff in your head isn’t dead weight just keeping you anchored to terra firma.(6%)

And the Rest...Be certain to read my “General Policies” page as well for further information on how your performance in the course will be assessed.

Lecture & Reading Schedule

Students should come to class each day with the assigned readings already completed. In the designations below, I refer to material by its author. Thus, for a great many of the readings in the Schiffman text, I use the names of the actual authors. So do not be confused by the abundance of names; if it is not McGrath or King, then it is either in the Schiffman text or it should be an obvious link to a website.

Academic Honesty

It is unfortunate, but every year some students attempt to submit work which is not their own. This act is, of course, the crime of plagiarism. Do not test your luck in this arena. The eventual odds are against you, and the penalties are unpleasant. Any student who submits plagiarized work will automatically fail the entire course. Previous students have found that I do not negotiate this point. If you're not sure what constitutes academic dishonesty, consult the student handbook, ask your instructors, or see my links to the problem.

Required Textbooks

We have three textbooks for this course. They are all required, and yes, I actually expect students to read them. The Schiffman text is actually a wonderful excerpting of the great texts which have appeared about the Renaissance over the last century. I personally take credit for saving each of you untold thousands by assigning it instead of all the original works.

• King, The Renaissance in Europe
  
• Schiffman, Humanism and the Renaissance
  
• McGrath, Reformation Thought

Web Resources

No list of websites can ever be exhaustive, but here at least are some worth a visit: