Renaissance Italians (U01542)

? Credit Points : 20 ? SCQF Level : 10 ? Acronym : HCA-3-RI

The Italian Renaissance has proved to be a dynamic and enduring historical subject. Recent years have seen many new interpretations of established topics, and new areas of historical study have also opened up. As a result, there is less agreement now than there ever has been about what the Italian Renaissance actually was. This course focuses on the Renaissance as a cultural 'movement' and as an historical 'period'. It explores what, if anything, the age of Petrarch (1304-74) had in common with that of Machiavelli (1469-1527), and how Italian 'mentalities' changed in the centuries which separated these two, quintessentially 'Renaissance' men. Renaissance Italians investigates the Italian 'Middle Ages', and the development of humanism - especially in relation to the visual arts - with an emphasis on the period c.1400-c.1530. The social context of cultural change will be studied through the examination of patronage, changing religious sensibilities, gender, and a variety of centres, urban and courtly, which experienced the cultural revival.

Entry Requirements

? Pre-requisites : A pass in any first level historical course and any second level historical course or equivalent. Before enrolling students on this course, Directors are asked to contact the History Honours Admissions Secretary to ensure that a place is available (tel. 503783).

Variants

? This course has variants for part year visiting students, as follows

Renaissance Italians (VS1) (Semester 1 (Blocks 1-2))

Subject Areas

Home subject area

History, (School of History, Classics and Archaeology, Schedule E)

Delivery Information

? Normal year taken : 3rd year

? Delivery Period : Semester 1 (Blocks 1-2)

? Contact Teaching Time : 2 hour(s) per week for 11 weeks

First Class Information

Date	Start	End	Room	Area	Additional Information
20/09/2007	11:10	13:00

All of the following classes

Type	Day	Start	End	Area
Lecture	Thursday	11:10	13:00	Central

Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes

You should be able to understand, and to evaluate, the various historical interpretations of the Italian Renaissance, and to have developed a critical awareness of the geographical and political diversity which characterised the Italian peninsula during the period. The course requires you to study a range of printed and visual sources in conjunction with secondary texts. This allows
you to examine Renaissance Italians through what they produced and to contextualise them in the particular centres in which thety worked. In so doing you will also have considered the ways in which historians approach cultural history. The seminars are designed to facilitate the development of oral, presentational and inter-personal skills by allowing you to lead and encouraging you to participate in group discussions on prescribed topics.