Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania
Lock Haven, Pennsylvania
Department of History, Political Science, Economics, Geography and Foreign Languages
Renaissance and Reformation
I. Introductory Information
A. Department Name: History, Political Science, Economics,
Geography and Foreign Languages
B. Department Catalog Number: HIST305
C. Course Title: Renaissance and Reformation
D. Semester Hours of Credit: 3
E. Clock Hours Per Week: 3
F. Overlays: None
G. Restrictions Upon Student Registration: None
II. Description of the Course:
A. Catalog description: A survey of the cultural and intellectual achievements of the Italian and Northern Renaissances and Protestant Reformation. The course highlights European contacts with the wider world and outside influences on European intellectual and artistic movements. Emphasis is placed on secularism, humanism, and individualism during the era of the Italian and Northern Renaissances and important movements of the Protestant Reformation including Lutheranism, the Swiss reform movements, Anglicanism, the Catholic Counter-Reformation, and the European religious wars.
III. Exposition
A. Objectives:
Upon successful completion of this course students will be able to do the following:
1. Evaluate the contributions of the Italian and Northern Renaissances and the Protestant Reformation to the development of modern Western civilization.
2. Analyze and evaluate the thought, literature, arts, culture, morality, faith, and religion of the age and their relation to socioeconomic and political developments of the era.
3. Evaluate the meaning of “renaissance.”
4. Explain and analyze connections between the Italian and Northern Renaissances, the many medieval “renaissances,” and the Islamic Renaissance.
B. Activities and Requirements:
1. Participate in class discussions based on primary and secondary reading assignments.
2. Assess and analyze primary source readings related to the topic.
3. Assess secondary source material and evaluate historiographical debates.
4. Complete one short paper, a research prospectus, and a final research paper.
5. Complete a midterm and final exam.
C. Major Units and Time Allotted:
Introduction to Renaissance and Reformation, medieval and 3 hours
Islamic renaissances, and “renaissance” as an historical problem
Society, economy, and crisis in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries 3 hours
The birth of the Italian Renaissance, humanism, and the fine arts 7.5 hours
Monarchies of Europe and the “Age of Discovery” 6 hours
Origins of the Protestant Reformation and Lutheranism 4.5 hours
Swiss Reform 6 hours
Reformation England and the Counter-Reformation 6 hours
Wars of Religion and the Witch-Hunts 6 hours
The legacy of Renaissance and Reformation Europe 1.5 hours
One 1.5 hour in-class exam 1.5 hours
Total 45 hours
D. Materials and Bibliography:
1. Suggested textbooks :
Ames, Joseph Glenn. Vasco da Gama: Renaissance Crusader. Longman,
2004.
Wiesner-Hanks, Merry, ed. The Renaissance and Reformation: A History in
Documents. Oxford University Press, 2011.
Zophy, Jonathan. Short History of Renaissance and Reformation Europe. 4th
ed. Prentice Hall, 2008.
2. Other materials: None
3. Bibliographic support:
Arnold, David. The Age of Discovery, 1400-1600. 2nd ed. Routledge, 2002.
Belting, Hans. Florence and Baghdad: Renaissance Art and Arab Science.
Translated by Deborah Lucas Schneider. Belknap Press, 2011.
Burckhardt, Jakob. The Civilization of the Renaissance in Italy. Penguin, 1990.
Caffero, William. Contesting the Renaissance. Wiley-Blackwell, 2010.
Dickens, A.G. The English Reformation. 2nd ed. University of
Pennsylvania Press, 1989.
Eisenstein, Elizabeth L. The Printing Revolution in Early Modern Europe. 2nd
ed. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2005.
Elliot, John H. Europe Divided: 1559-1598. 2nd ed. Wiley-Blackwell, 2000.
Elton, G.R. Reformation Europe: 1517-1559. 2nd ed. Wiley-Blackwell, 1999.
Haigh, Christopher. English Reformations: Religion, Politics and Society
under the Tudors. Oxford University Press, 1993.
Hale, J.R. Renaissance Europe 1480-1520. 2nd ed. Wiley-Blackwell, 2000.
Huizinga, Johan. The Autumn of the Middle Ages. Translated by Rodney J.
Payton and Ulrich Mammitzsch. University of Chicago Press,
1996.
Kelly-Gadol, Joan. “Did Women Have a Renaissance?” In Becoming Visible:
Women in European History. Edited by Renate Bridenthal and Claudia
Koonz. Houghton Mifflin, 1977.
Lach, Donald. Asia in the Making of Europe, Vol. II: A Century of Wonder.
University of Chicago Press, 1994.
Levack, Brian P. The Witch-Hunt in Early Modern Europe. 3rd ed.
Longman, 2006.
Martines, Lauro. The Social World of the Florentine Humanists, 1390-1460.
University of Toronto Press, 2011.
Robinson, Paul. Martin Luther: A Life Reformed. Prentice Hall, 2009.
Saliba, George. Islamic Science and the Making of the European Renaissance.
The MIT Press, 2011.
Thomas, Keith. Religion and the Decline of Magic: Studies in Popular Belief
in Sixteenth- and Seventeenth-Century England. Charles Scribner’s Sons,
1971.
Weber, Max. The Protestant Work Ethic and the “Spirit” of Capitalism and
Other Writings. Edited and Translated by Peter Baehr and Gordon C.
Wells. Penguin, 2002.
Weisner, Merry E. Women and Gender in Early Modern Europe. 3rd ed. Cambridge
University Press, 2008.
IV. Standards
Grades will be assigned in accordance with official University policy.
V. Rationale and Impact:
A. This course charts an important time period in European history. Along with other European history courses it provides a well-rounded understanding of European society and its interactions with the wider world. Revisions are necessary to update the course and add Section VII.
B. This course is designed for third and fourth year history majors and secondary education social studies majors. It is also appropriate for students in majors such as English, Philosophy, International Studies, Fine Arts, and Foreign Languages.
C. This course places no further demands on other departments.
VI. Cost and Staff Analysis:
A. This course revision will have no impact on university resources.
B. This course will be offered once every two years.
VII. Relationship among Course, Program, and University Student Learning Outcomes:
Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to do the following: / Program
Learning Outcomes / University
Learning Outcomes
Evaluate the contributions of the Italian and Northern Renaissances and the Protestant Reformation to the development of modern Western civilization. / Historical Context and Significance / Knowledge:
Social Sciences
Analyze and evaluate the thought, literature, arts, culture, morality, faith, and religion of the age and their relation to socioeconomic and political developments of the era. / Historical Context and Significance
In-Depth Analysis / Knowledge:
Social Sciences
Critical Thinking
Evaluate the meaning of “renaissance.” / Themes
Historical Context and Significance / Knowledge:
Social Sciences
Critical Thinking
Explain and analyze connections between Italian and Northern Renaissances, the many medieval “renaissances,” and the Islamic Renaissance. / Themes
Historical Context and Significance / Knowledge:
Social Sciences
Critical Thinking
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