The
Age of the Renaissance is a critical study of the historical phenomena
associated with the 'rebirth' of ancient Roman culture and its historical context.
The Renaissance centered in the Italian centers of commerce and learning. The course
will entail an examination of political, economic, social, intellectual and artistic
human endeavors in Western Europe from roughly 1300 to 1500, but especially on
literary and artistic achievements in Italy. The goal of each student will be
to master the common body of knowledge about this historical period commonly
learned by North American students. Specifically, the class will study the
demise of feudalism and other medieval institutions, on the one hand, and the
rise of capitalism, an urban, class society, the modern state, and humanism on
the other hand.
Basically, the Renaissance was one of four great movements that transformed
traditional European society. With the Reformation
movement that followed, it clearly laid the groundwork for modernity, which the
Scientific Revolution and Industrialization completed. Humanism, however, was
fully matured by the Renaissance and it was the most characteristic feature of
the period. For that reason, this course will focus on humanism in thought,
literature, and the arts.
Brock 408e. Regular office hours
are: M&MWF 12:00-1:00. One may also make an appointment.
· Spitz, Lewis,The Renaissance, vol. I of
The Renaissance and Reformation Movements, (TR)
· Benjamin Kohl and Ronald Witt, The Earthly
Republic (ER)
· Ernst Cassirer, Renaissance Philosophy of
Man (RP)
· Christopher B. Colemen, ed., The Treatise
of Lorenzo Valla (Donation of
· John Stephens, The Italian Renaissance
[Recommended: students who want it must order this book.]
A Term Paper will be
required and is due on the last Wednesday of class. See the term paper guide.
The class routine will consist
mainly of lectures and some class discussions. It is imperative that the
student read the material assigned regularly and study the problems
encountered. Students are responsible for learning the names of people, places,
events, ideas and other phenomena encountered in the lectures and readings;
i.e., terms. They should develop a definition and an explanation of the
historical significance (context) of each term. The outline for the course
included the appropriate readings in the textbook and supplementary sources.
There will be two mid-term examinations and a
final exam. A term paper will be required. A separate description of this
research and writing assignment will be available. Students are expected to be
present for exams. It is up to the student to contact the professor within a
week of a valid absence from an exam (e.g., severe illness, death in the
family), to demonstrate the validity of the absence to the professor, and to
arrange a makeup date. The final grade will be determined by averaging the
letter grades for these requirements, with the final exam counting double. The
instructor may add an extra class grade to raise the final grades of students
who work hard, attend class regularly and actively participate in class
discussions.
Semester grades will represent the semester
average. Letter grades on the term paper the two one-hour exams, and the
comprehensive final exam will be averaged, with the final exam counted as a
double grade. Calculations will be made using this six-point system; i.e., A =
4, B = 3, C = 2, D = 1, F = 0, and zero = -1.
ATTENTION: If you are a student with
a disability (e.g. physical, learning, psychiatric, vision, hearing, etc.) and
think that you might need special assistance or special accommodations in this
class or any other class, call the Office for Students with Disabilities at
425-4006 or come by the office - 110 Frist Hall.
If you find that personal problems, career, indecision, study and time
management difficulties, or similar problems are adversely affecting your
successful progress at UTC, please contact the Counseling and
All of the class information,
syllabus, bibliography, term paper guide, and announcements are available by
internet. The course homepage address is www.utc.edu/Faculty/Bill-Wright/
I will also encourage submission of certain assignments by e-mail. You may also
contact me by e-mail at bwright@utc.edu If you do not have a personal
computer, please make use of the university facilities in the Hunter Student
Lab, Library, and other locations. Help in using this medium may be obtained at
the Hunter Student Lab and in the Library.
All students automatically receive
an account upon registration. To enhance student services, the University will
use your UTC e-mail address (firstname-lastname@utc.edu) for communications.
(See http://onenet.utc.edu for your exact address.) Please check your e-mail on
a regular basis. If you have trouble accessing your e-mail account, contact the
Help Desk at 423/425-2676.