Unit name | The Renaissance and the Rise of the Modern Age |
---|---|
Unit code | THRS20108 |
Credit points | 20 |
Level of study | I/5 |
Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24) |
Unit director | Dr. Balserak |
Open unit status | Not open |
Pre-requisites |
None |
Co-requisites |
None |
School/department | Department of Religion and Theology |
Faculty | Faculty of Arts |
The Renaissance, and inventions like the printing press, profoundly changed people’s conception of themselves, the world, God, and the purpose of life. This unit explores these changes. It examines how Renaissance ideas helped bring about current (Western) worldviews. Applicability to the present day will regularly be made during lectures and seminars.
On successful completion of this unit, students will be able to:
Classes will involve a combination of long- and short-form lectures, 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 2000 words portfolio (formative) [ILOs 1-4]
1 x 2500-word summative essay (100%) [ILOs 1-5]
William J. Bouwsma: The Waning of the Renaissance 1550-1640 (New. Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2000).
Mark Peterson, Galileo’s Muse; Renaissance Mathematics and the Arts (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2011).
Jacob Burkhardt, The Civilization of the Renaissance in Italy (Harmondsworth: Penguin Classics, 1990).
Lisa Jardine, Worldly Goods: A New History of the Renaissance (New York: Doubleday, 1996).