Course Syllabus

JOHN CABOT UNIVERSITY

COURSE CODE: "HS/PH 223"
COURSE NAME: "Historical and Philosophical Aspects of the Italian Renaissance"
SEMESTER & YEAR: Spring 2017

SYLLABUS

INSTRUCTOR: Fabrizio Conti
EMAIL: [email protected]
HOURS: TTH 6:00 PM 7:15 PM
TOTAL NO. OF CONTACT HOURS: 45
CREDITS: 3
PREREQUISITES:
OFFICE HOURS: By appointment

COURSE DESCRIPTION:
This course provides an introduction to the history and philosophy of the Italian Renaissance (c. 1300-c. 1550 CE). While multiple dimensions of the era’s history will be investigated, as will a wide range of its philosophical currents, the course's primary focus will be on understanding the Renaissance and Renaissance humanism in their contexts. A particular emphasis will be placed on reconstructing the ways in which those who participated in the Renaissance, as well as those who were excluded from it, lived and understood their experiences.

SUMMARY OF COURSE CONTENT:
Topics include the development of new ideas and ideals of the individual in the Renaissance, Humanism as ‘a program for ruling classes’, Platonism and Aristotelianism, theological and cosmological models, Copernicus’s heliocentric theory, Marsilio Ficino, Pico della Mirandola, Giordano Bruno, Niccolò Machiavelli and Baldassarre Castiglione. Students will also discover and analyze the several apparent contradictions emerging in the Renaissance, such as, first of all, the outbreak of witch hunts. The intellectual debate concerning witches and their persecutions with the related developments in magic, demonology, inquisition, will be studied as constitutive aspects of renaissance culture.

LEARNING OUTCOMES:

The aim of this course is to guide students through the discovery of the Italian Renaissance and its many, distinctive acquisitions in different fields, such as civic life, education, social organization, artistic and literary cultures, geography, ethics and politics. Students will acquire basic skills in methodologies involved in historical research, writing, and communication, and will learn how to grasp and decipher the multifaceted and contradictory messages embedded in historical realities.

TEXTBOOK:

Book Title	Author	Publisher	ISBN number	Library Call Number	Comments	Format	Local Bookstore	Online Purchase
A Short History of the Italian Renaissance	Kenneth R. Bartlett	University of Toronto Press, 2013	9781442600140
The Civilization of the Italian Renaissance: A Sourcebook	Kenneth R. Bartlett	University of Toronto Press, 2011	9781442604858

REQUIRED RESERVED READING:

NONE

RECOMMENDED RESERVED READING:

NONE

GRADING POLICY
-ASSESSMENT METHODS:

Assignment	Guidelines	Weight
Paper	This is an essay/analysis based on primary sources and/or scholarly articles. You will be given a list of topics, among which you will pick the one you prefer and develop it in about 2500/3000 words. You can also propose a different topic of your choice worthy of investigation. The relevant sources and the questions which serve as guidelines for the analysis will be posted on MyJCU. The written assignment should be submitted to me electronically by 2pm of the due date at the latest. No late assignments will be accepted.	30%
Oral Presentation	It will be a 10 minutes presentation on a topic of your choice, which can be either based on a scholarly article or a primary source. A list of available sources and articles will be provided. The article/source to be presented must be agreed upon with the professor during the 3rd week of the course.	5%
Attendance and Participation	This means that you: a) are in class; b) have done the readings and thought about them; c) express your views and questions orally in class and are able to make connections with the topics that have been already covered. I assume that occasionally students will have less to say than usual; nevertheless, persistent absence or having failed to do the reading will affect your participation grade. Late arrivals will be noted and will affect your grade. Students cannot leave the classroom before the end of the lecture. Please note that behaving in ways that create distractions for other members of the class (messaging, checking social networks, catching up on e-mail and so on) will lower your participation grade.	10%
Mid-Term Exam	This will be an in-class written exam composed of short answer and essay questions. Your grade on this exam will depend upon the analytical strength and persuasiveness of your arguments as well as the factual accuracy of your answers. More information about these exams will be provided as their dates near.	25%
Final Exam	This will be an in-class written exam composed of short answer and essay questions. Your grade on this exam will depend upon the analytical strength and persuasiveness of your arguments as well as the factual accuracy of your answers. More information about these exams will be provided as their dates near.	30%

-ASSESSMENT CRITERIA:
AWork of this quality directly addresses the question or problem raised and provides a coherent argument displaying an extensive knowledge of relevant information or content. This type of work demonstrates the ability to critically evaluate concepts and theory and has an element of novelty and originality. There is clear evidence of a significant amount of reading beyond that required for
BThis is highly competent level of performance and directly addresses the question or problem raised.There is a demonstration of some ability to critically evaluatetheory and concepts and relate them to practice. Discussions reflect the student’s own arguments and are not simply a repetition of standard lecture andreference material. The work does not suffer from any major errors or omissions and provides evidence of reading beyond the required assignments.
CThis is an acceptable level of performance and provides answers that are clear but limited, reflecting the information offered in the lectures and reference readings.
DThis level of performances demonstrates that the student lacks a coherent grasp of the material.Important information is omitted and irrelevant points included.In effect, the student has barely done enough to persuade the instructor that s/he should not fail.
FThis work fails to show any knowledge or understanding of the issues raised in the question. Most of the material in the answer is irrelevant.

-ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS:
ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS AND EXAMINATION POLICY
You cannot make-up a major exam (midterm or final) without the permission of the Dean’s Office. The Dean’s Office will grant such permission only when the absence was caused by a serious impediment, such as a documented illness, hospitalization or death in the immediate family (in which you must attend the funeral) or other situations of similar gravity. Absences due to other meaningful conflicts, such as job interviews, family celebrations, travel difficulties, student misunderstandings or personal convenience, will not be excused. Students who will be absent from a major exam must notify the Dean’s Office prior to that exam. Absences from class due to the observance of a religious holiday will normally be excused. Individual students who will have to miss class to observe a religious holiday should notify the instructor by the end of the Add/Drop period to make prior arrangements for making up any work that will be missed. The final exam period runs until ____________

ACADEMIC HONESTY
As stated in the university catalog, any student who commits an act of academic dishonesty will receive a failing grade on the work in which the dishonesty occurred. In addition, acts of academic dishonesty, irrespective of the weight of the assignment, may result in the student receiving a failing grade in the course. Instances of academic dishonesty will be reported to the Dean of Academic Affairs. A student who is reported twice for academic dishonesty is subject to summary dismissal from the University. In such a case, the Academic Council will then make a recommendation to the President, who will make the final decision.

STUDENTS WITH LEARNING OR OTHER DISABILITIES
John Cabot University does not discriminate on the basis of disability or handicap. Students with approved accommodations must inform their professors at the beginning of the term. Please see the website for the complete policy.

SCHEDULE

January

Week 1

17 T Time, Men, and History

-          John Lewis Gaddis, The Landscape of History: How Historians Map the Past, pp. 35-43 (on MY JCU);
           Marc Bloch,The Historian's Craft, pp. 17-24 (on MY JCU);
           David Christian, Maps of Time: An Introduction to Big History, selected charts (handout)

19 Th Defining the Renaissance

- Bartlett, A Short History of the Italian Renaissance, pp. 1-13; Bartelett, The Civilization of the Italian Renaissance, pp. XIX-XX; 1-8
(Introduction; Quintilian)

Week 2

24 T Dante and his Inferno

- Bartlett, A Short History of the Italian Renaissance, pp. 17-32; Bartelett, The Civilization of the Italian Renaissance, pp. 13 (Dante and
Medieval Italy); 15-20 (Guido Cavalcanti; Cino da Pistoia; Dante: Inferno)

26 TH Humanism and Scholasticism

- Paul Oskar Kristeller, Renaissance Thought, Ch. 5: "Humanism and Scholasticism in the Italian Renaissance" (on MY JCU)

Week 3

31 T Francis Petrarch

- Bartlett, A Short History of the Italian Renaissance, pp. 55-66; Bartelett, The Civilization of the Italian Renaissance, pp. 25-34 (Petrarch:
Introduction; Letter to Posterity; The Ascent of Mount Ventoux; Letter to the Shade of Cicero)

February

2 TH Humanist Culture and Education

- Bartlett, A Short History of the Italian Renaissance, pp. 69-90

Week 4

7 T Reading and Interpreting Humanist Texts

- Bartelett, The Civilization of the Italian Renaissance, pp. 65-82 (Humanism: Introduction; Coluccio Salutati, Letter to Peregrino Zambeccari; Vespasiano da Bisticci: Life of Poggio Bracciolini; Life of Niccolò Niccoli; Lorenzo Valla, The Glory of the Latin Language); 90-95 (Isotta Nogarola: Of the Equal or Unequal Sin of Adam and Eve)

9 TH Florence

-          Bartlett, A Short History of the Italian Renaissance, pp. 93-110; Bartelett, The Civilization of the Italian Renaissance, pp. 39-52 (Florence
           in the Renaissance: Intro; Giovanni Villani; Giovanni Boccaccio: A Description of the Plague); 57-58 (The Ciompi Revolt); 61-62
           (Benedetto Dei: Letter to a Venetian)

Week 5

14 T Institutional Developments and Crises

- Bartlett, A Short History of the Italian Renaissance, pp. 113-117; The Council of Constance, Decrees, selection (see link on MY JCU)

16 TH Rome and the Papacy

- Bartlett, A Short History of the Italian Renaissance, pp. 117-134; Bartelett, The Civilization of the Italian Renaissance, pp. 199-206 (The
Church and the Papacy: Intro; Pius II: The Election); 206-210 (Lorenzo Valla: The Principal Arguments from the Forged Donation of Constantine); text of the Donation of Constantine (see link on MY JCU)

Week 6

21 T Venice (in the Guarini ENLUS Room)

- Bartlett, A Short History of the Italian Renaissance, pp. 137-165

23 TH

The Italian Principalities

- Bartlett, A Short History of the Italian Renaissance, pp. 169-206; Bartelett, The Civilization of the Italian Renaissance, pp. 142-144
(Baldassarre Castiglione, from The Book of the Courtier)

Week 7

28 T Mid-Term Exam

March

2 Th Marriage, the Family, and Women in the Renaissance

- Bartelett, The Civilization of the Italian Renaissance, pp. 111-133 (Marriage, the Family, and Women: Intro; Francesco Barbaro; Leon
Battista Alberti); Bartlett, A Short History of the Italian Renaissance, pp. 35-51

3 F Neo-Platonism (Make-up day for Tuesday, April 25)

- Bartlett, A Short History of the Italian Renaissance, pp. 209-222; Bartelett, The Civilization of the Italian Renaissance, pp. 97-104
(Florentine Neoplatonism and Mysticism: Intro; Marsilio Ficino)

Week 8

7 T The "Universal Man" of the Renaissance

- Bartelett, The Civilization of the Italian Renaissance, pp. 104-108 (Giovanni Pico della Mirandola); 176-181 (Leonardo da Vinci)

9 TH An Age of Competition and Wars

- Bartlett, A Short History of the Italian Renaissance, pp. 225-244

Week 9

14 T Learning and Power

- Bartelett, The Civilization of the Italian Renaissance, pp. 183-194 (Learning and Education: Intro; Pietro Paolo Vergerio; Leonardo Bruni;
Battista Guarino); Lauro Martines, Power and Imagination (Ch."Humanism: A Program for Ruling Classes") (on MY JCU)

16 TH The Italian Dynasties of the Renaissance: Myths and Realities

- Video Projection; Bartlett, A Short History of the Italian Renaissance, pp. 247-262; Bartelett, The Civilization of the Italian Renaissance,
pp. 108-109 (Angelo Poliziano: Stanzas on Giuliano de' Medici)

Week 10

21 T Political Thought: Francesco Guicciardini

-          Bartlett, A Short History of the Italian Renaissance, pp. 265-282; Bartelett, The Civilization of the Italian Renaissance, pp. 240-244
           (Guicciardini: A Portrait of Lorenzo de' Medici); 258-263 (Guicciardini: The French Artillery); 266-273 (Guicciardini: Maxims and
           Reflections)

23 TH Political Thought: Niccolò Machiavelli

- Niccolò Machiavelli, The Prince, in Bondanella and Musa (eds.), The Italian Renaissance Reader, pp. 258-264; 273-274; 291-293
(on MY JCU)

Week 11

28 T Renaissance Art and Architecture

-          Bartlett, A Short History of the Italian Renaissance, pp. 285-317; Bartelett, The Civilization of the Italian Renaissance, pp. 157-160 (Art
           and Architecture: Intro; Filippo Brunelleschi; Mariano Taccola; Lorenzo Ghiberti); 164-176 (Isabella d'Este; Pietro Vanucci Perugino;
           Leon Battista Alberti)

30 Th The Late Italian Renaissance

-         Bartelett, The Civilization of the Italian Renaissance, pp. 265-266 (The Late Italian Renaissance: Intro); 273-279 (Giovanni della Casa);
          Paul. F. Grendler, The Concept of Humanist in Cinquecento Italy, in Studies in Honor of Hans Baron, ed. by Molho and Tedeschi (1971),
        pp. 447-461 (on MY JCU)

April

3-7: Spring Break

Week 12

11 T Developments of Naturalism

- Giordano Bruno, On the Infinite, the Universe, and the Worlds, selected pp. (on MY JCU)

13 TH Paper Due

Theology, Philosophy, Science

- Galileo Galilei's Indictment and Abjuration (1633) (see link on MY JCU)

Week 13

18 T A Renaissance Contradiction? The Problem of Witchcraft and its "Mythologies"

- Richard Kieckhefer, “Mythologies of Witchcraft in the Fifteenth Century”, Magic, Ritual, and Witchcraft 1-1 (2006): 79-108
(on MY JCU)

20 TH Witch-Beliefs: Reality vs Unreality

- Gianfrancesco Pico della Mirandola, Strix, in Witchcraft in Europe, ed. by Alan Charles Kors and Edward Peters, selected pp. (on MY
JCU); Fabrizio Conti, Witchcraft, Superstition, and Observant Franciscan Preachers, selected pp. (on MY JCU)

Week 14

25 T No Class: Public Holiday (Make-Up Class: 3 March)

27 TH Final Discussion: A "Humanist Revolution"?

- Yuval Noah Harari, Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow, selected pp. (on MY JCU)

and Final Exam Information