| Unit name | The Italian Renaissance |
|---|---|
| Unit code | HIST30110 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | H/6 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12) |
| Unit director | Dr. Austin |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you may not take alongside this one |
None. |
| School/department | Department of History (Historical Studies) |
| Faculty | Faculty of Arts |
The Italian Renaissance is generally regarded as one of the most important cultural movements in European history, and one of the key stages towards the advent of ‘modernity’. This Special Subject will provide a detailed examination of this phenomenon, paying particular attention to a range of primary sources which emerged from that context. Our approach will be principally thematic, including many of the following cultural and intellectual spheres: history, philosophy, religion, art and architecture, gender and the family, politics, and court culture. Primary sources will vary from year to year, but these may include writings by Petrarch, Bruni, Alberti, Castiglione, Machiavelli and Ficino. Through these discussions we will reflect on both the extent to which these writings reflected the particular qualities of the genres from which they emerged, but we will also examine the extent to which they reflect a common set of underlying attitudes and assumptions. In so doing, we will seek to come to a better understanding of the Italian Renaissance, but also to evaluate its longer-term impact and significance, through to the present day.
On successful completion of this unit, students will be able to:
1. Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of a diverse range of themes relating to the Italian Renaissance;
2. Evaluate the arguments and interpretations put forward by different historians, and to offer reasoned critiques of them;
3. Demonstrate skills of critical analysis applied to a range of primary sources written in Italy between the fourteenth and sixteenth centuries (and read in translation);
4. Identify and present pertinent evidence to develop a cogent argument.
5. Present their research and judgements in written forms and styles appropriate to the discipline and to level H/6
Classes will involve a combination of class discussion, investigative activities, and practical activities. Students will be expected to engage with readings and participate on a weekly basis. This will be further supported with drop-in sessions and self-directed exercises with tutor and peer feedback.
1 x 3500-word Essay (50%) [ILOs 1-5]; 1 x Timed Assessment (50%) [ILOs 1-5]
If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.
If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. HIST30110).
How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours
of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks,
independent learning and assessment activity.
See the Faculty workload statement relating to this unit for more information.
Assessment
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit.
The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. If you have self-certificated your absence from an
assessment, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (this is usually in the next assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any extenuating circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
