10/07/08

Course Description:

Culture has been an important element of historical thinking for the last generation of historians.  Understood in terms of art and literature as well as a society’s broader assumptions about the world, studying culture enables us to comprehend the most basic values and characteristics of a society.  This course will look at the culture of early modern Europe through some of the major literary works of the time, some personal writing, and the work of modern historians of culture.  The course will follow both chronological and thematic approaches beginning with popular culture and madness in the sixteenth century, court and elite society in the seventeenth century, Shakespearean understandings of politics and the world, and eighteenth-century globalization.

Announcements:

I will be using this space, as well as the blog, to post important announcements regarding assignments and class.  Please check the site regularly.

(9.4.08)  The first schedule is now linked in the Link Bar below.

(9.4.08)  Outline on EME Social Conditions.

(9.5.08)  Outline on EME Religion.

(9.8.08)  Outline on EME Government and War; Questions for Discussion for first Rabelais reading; Guidelines for first response paper.

(9.12.08) Outline on EME Economics and Exploration.

(9.15.08) Outline on EME Intellectual History.

(9.16.08) I've decided to add another day into the schedule because I'm so far behind.  Today we'll finish intellectual history and everything else will be pushed back a day.  That means that due to the Senior Retreat and our drop day Monday, the Bakhtin reading will not be discussed until Tuesday.  Lucky you!

(9.17.08) Outline for EME Culture; Questions for Discussion for the second Rabelais reading.

(9.23.08) Questions for Discussion on Bakhtin (1).

(9.24.08) Questions for Discussion on Bakhtin (2).

(9.25.08) Lecture outline for Bakhtin.

(9.26.08) Study Questions for "The Reasons of Misrule".

(10.3.08): Lecture outline for Madness reading.

(10.7.08): Essay Topic #1.