Course Schedule

Week One: Introduction to the Renaissance
W (09/03) Course Introduction
F (09/05) The Idea of “Renaissance.” Required Reading Assignment: King, Introduction, pp. viii-xiii; King, Chapter 1, pp. 1-30 SKIM

Week Two: More Characteristics of the Renaissance, and Boccaccio
M (09/08) Social and Cultural Context of the Renaissance. Required Reading Assignment: King, Chapter 2, pp. 33–62.
W (09/10) Social and Cultural context of the Renaissance, part 2. Introduction to Boccaccio Required Reading Assignment: King, Chapter 5, pp. 137-164. Recommended Reading Assignment: King, Chapter 6, pp. 167-192.
F (09/12) Boccaccio. Required Reading Assignment: Decameron: Proem, Introduction.
Week Three: Boccaccio
M (09/15) Boccaccio. Required Reading Assignment: Decameron: Day One, Stories 1,2,3, and 5.
W (09/17) Boccaccio. Required Reading Assignment: Decameron: Day One, Stories 9 and 10; Day Two, Story 7, Day Three, Story 10; and Day Four, Story 1.
F (09/19) Boccaccio. Required Reading Assignment: Decameron: Day Six, Stories 7 and 10; and Day Ten, Story 10.
Week Four: Humanism
M (09/22) Humanism and the Recovery of Ancient Learning. Required Reading Assignment: King, Chapter 3, pp. 65-98.
W (09/24 Humanism and the Recovery of Ancient Learning.
F (09/26) Humanism and the Recovery of Ancient Learning. Required Reading Assignment: King, Chapter 10, pp. 287-318.
Week Five: Themes in Renaissance Art
M (09/29) Overview. Required Reading Assignment: King, Chapter 4, pp. 101-134.
W (10/01) Renaissance Art slideshow.
* F (10/03) Renaissance Art slideshow. ARTICLE REPORTS DUE AT THE BEGINNING OF CLASS.
Week Six: Themes in Renaissance Art, Introduction to Statecraft
M (10/06) Renaissance Art slideshow.
W (10/08) Renaissance Art slideshow.
F (10/10) Renaissance Art wrap-up. Introduction to Renaissance Statecraft. Reading Assignment: King, Chapter 5, pp. 196-222.
Week Seven: Machiavelli’s Prince
M (10/13) Background to The Prince. Required Reading Assignment: King, Chapter 8, pp. 225-242. Recommended Reading Assignment: King, Chapter 8, pp. 242 to the end.
W (10/15) The Prince. Required Reading Assignment: The Prince -- selections, as assigned in class.
F (10/17) The Prince. Required Reading Assignment: The Prince -- selections, as assigned in class.
Week Eight: Mid-Term
M (10/20) Machiavelli wrap-up (if necessary) and Review.
*W (10/22) Mid-Term part 1.
*F (10/24) Mid-Term part 2.

Week Nine: Religious Turmoil and Reform
M (10/27) Scholasticism and Mysticism -- Overview of medieval religious thought. Required Reading Assignment: Ozment, chapters 2 & 3 SKIM.
W (10/29) Church, State, and People -- Political and Cultural background to the Reformation. Required Reading Assignment: Ozment, chapter 6.
F (10/31) Martin Luther and his thought. Required Reading Assignment: Ozment, chapter 8.
Week Ten: Religious Turmoil and Reform
M (11/03) The effect of Luther in Germany. Required Reading Assignment: Ozment, chapter 7.
W (11/05) The Swiss Reformation and the Sectarians. Required Reading Assignment: Ozment, chapter 9 or Ozment chapter 10, as assigned.
F (11/07) Calvin and Calvinism. Required Reading Assignment: Ozment, chapter 11.
Week Eleven: Religious Turmoil and Reform
M (11/10) The Catholic and Counter Reformations. Required Reading Assignment: Ozment, chapter 13.
W (11/12) The Curious Case of England; Aftermath -- the Thirty-Years’War and beyond. Required Reading Assignment: TBA
F (11/14) “Pious Myths” part 1. Required Reading Assignment: Timothy Wengert, “The Priesthood of All Believers and Other Pious Myths.” (Available Online.)
Week Twelve: Religious Turmoil and Reform, Grafton.
M(11/17) “Pious Myths” part 2. Intro. to New Worlds, Ancient Texts. Required Reading Assignment: Steve Matthews, “The Myth of Protestant Biblical Interpretation in the Lutheran Reformation.” Conference Essay, provided by the professor.
W (11/19) New Worlds, Ancient Texts Required Reading Assignment: Grafton, “Forward,” Introduction, pp. 1-10.
F (11/21) New Worlds, Ancient Texts Required Reading Assignment: Grafton, Chapter 1, pp. 13-58.
Week Thirteen: New Worlds, Ancient Texts
M (11/24) New Worlds, Ancient Texts Required Reading Assignment: Grafton, Chapter 2, pp. 61-93.
W (11/26) The Geography of the New World.
Week Fourteen: New Worlds, Ancient Texts, continued.
M (12/01) New Worlds, Ancient Texts. Required Reading Assignment: Grafton, Chapter 3, pp. 97-157.
W (12/03) New Worlds, Ancient Texts. Required Reading Assignment: Grafton, Chapter 4, pp. 161-193.
F (12/05) New Worlds, Ancient Texts. Required Reading Assignment: Grafton, Chapter 5, pp. 197-252.
Week Fifteen: New Worlds, Ancient Texts, conclusion, and Review
M (12/08) New Worlds, Ancient Texts. Conclusion. Required Reading Assignment: “Epilogue,” pp. 253- 256.
*W (12/10) Review for Test. PRIMARY SOURCE REPORTS DUE AT THE BEGINNING OF CLASS.

F (12/12) Study Session.
FINAL EXAMINATION: Monday, December 15, 10:00–11:55

Supplemental Readings and Links

The Prince

A Catholic Answer

The Web Gallery of Art

Email Dr. Matthews

Guidelines for citation