Description

European Civilization I is the first quarter of a two-quarter sequence that aims to give students a grounding in some of the social, political, cultural and intellectual movements that have come to define European civilization. Because this tradition has been marked by diversity, conflict and reciprocal influences outside of the confines of Europe, we will be asking ourselves throughout the semester what it means to speak of a European civilization. This question will be broached with reference to a number of different episodes in medieval and early modern history, including: the early medieval period, where we will examine the relationship between Christian and Pagan culture; the high medieval period, in whose diverse social, political and emotional expressions we will attempt to discern a unity, commonly understood as ‘Christendom’; the Renaissance and the Age of Exploration, which forced a rethinking of the transcendental basis of the state; the Reformation, which broke up the age-old ecclesiastical unity of Europe; and finally the Age of Absolutism and its relationship to the Enlightenment.

This course will proceed by close reading and discussion in class of primary historical documents. The context for the reading of these texts will mainly be provided in class as we discuss these texts, but in the course schedule I have also suggested chapters out of textbooks (on reserve) for those students who would like more background.

Requirements

Attendance and participation (25%). Informed participation is a central requirement of this course. Students are expected to do all of the assigned readings and to give evidence of this in class. Satisfactory participation also entails an attention to reasoned arguments about the texts under discussion and collegiality toward fellow students. Your grade will be reduced for more than three absences.

Short Written Assignments (30%). Students are required to write six short essays over the course of the semester. Questions for the reading will be posted on the course chalk site. If questions are not handed out for the next session’s reading assignment, you are encouraged to write a short essay consisting of a focused analysis of one problem that arises for you out of the text to be discussed. You should write a 250 to 500-word response and hand it in during the session in which that text is discussed. No short papers will be accepted late. If you have last-minute printer problems, send the text of your short paper to the intern before class via e-mail, and hand in a hard copy for grading during the next session. Work in electronic format will not be graded. Save your question sets as study guides.

Paper (20%). One longer paper of 5 to 7 pages will be assigned. Topics will be handed out well in advance. You are invited to design your own topic, but must do so in consultation with the course intern or me. Papers with last-minute changes in topic will not be accepted.

Final exam (25%).

Primary Texts

Set Books. These books are available for purchase at the Seminary Co-op Bookstore (Corner of 58th and University). While most of the books are also on reserve at Regenstein and Harper library, you are strongly encouraged to buy these books.

Beowulf: a verse translation. Michael Alexander, trans. (Penguin: 1973)

St. Thomas Aquinas on Politics and Ethics. Paul Sigmund, ed. (Norton: 1988)

Joinville and Villehardouin, Chronicles of the Crusades. Margaret Shaw, trans. (Penguin: 1963)

Bartolomé de las Casas, A Short Account of the Destruction of the Indies (Penguin: 1992)

Martin Luther, On Christian Liberty (Fortress: 1967)

John Locke, Letter Concerning Toleration (Hackett: 1983)

Textbooks (On Reserve)

Richard Southern, The Making of the Middle Ages Pimlico: c1993)

Eugene Rice, The Foundations of Early Modern Europe, 2nd ed. (Norton: c1994)

Richard Dunn, The Age of Religious Wars, 2nd ed. (Norton: c1978)

Jacob Burckhardt, The Civilization of the Renaissance in Italy.

On Line Readings. The rest of the readings for this course will be available on the Chalk site that has been set up for this course http://www.chalk.uchicago.edu/. Please print out all web-based readings and bring them to class

Schedule

= sessions with heavy reading assignments

T	Sept. 30	Introduction: The Idea of Europe: Gibbon, The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, (vol. II: 1218-1225)
The Early Medieval Period: Christianity and Pagan Culture
*Th	Oct 2	St. Augustine, City of God, (book I: preface and argument; book II: chs. 2,3, 18-21; book VIII: chs. 1, 3-11; book XIV: 1-6, 8-12; book XIX: 4, 12-17, 21, 24-26)
T	Oct 7	Discussion of Augustine, Continued; Beowulf (complete) ±110 in verse
Th	Oct 9	Beowulf (discussion continued)
High Medieval Europe: the Structures of Latin Christendom
*T	Oct 14	St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa of Theology: I Part I (qu. 2,12,20,92,96); I-II (complete); Treatise on Law (complete); II-II, qu. 10, 11, 40, 66, 104 ±33 Southern: ch. 3
Th	Oct 16	Documents on feudalism; Marx on Feudalism, (from Capital, vol. 1)
T	Oct 21	Letter of Heloise to Abelard; Bernard of Clarivaux, On Women, Marriage, and Celibacy; André the Chaplain, Ars Amatoria (Selections).
*Th	Oct 23	Jean de Joinville, Life of St. Louis (part I, chs. 1-2; part II, chs 1-3; part II, chs. 14-20) Aquinas, On Kingship; Southern: 1
The Renaissance: The Science of Man and of Politics
T	Oct 28	Machiavelli, Discourses; Jacob Burckhardt, The Civilization of the Renaissance in Italy (Selections) Rice: 3,
Th	Oct 30	Hernan Cortez, Letters from Mexico (first and second letter)
T	Nov 4	Bartolomé de las Casas, A Short Account of the Destruction of the Indies (prologue, preface, conclusion and 3 chapters of your choice); Michel de Montaigne, On Cannibals Rice: 1, 2 Meeting in Rare Book Room, Regenstein Library
The Reformation and its Aftermath: from the Church to the Sovereign State
Th	Nov 6	Martin Luther, On Christian Liberty ±32 Rice: 4, 5; Dunn: 1 Hans Hergot, On the New Transformation of Christian Life ±15
*T	Nov 11	Twelve Articles of the Swabian Peasants; Luther, Admonition to Peace, On Governmental Authority Dunn: 4 Rice: 6
Th	Nov 13	Jean Bodin, Six Books of the Commonweale (book I, chs 1, 2-5, 6-7, 8; book II, chs, 1, 2; Loyseau, A Treatise on Orders
T	Nov 18	John Locke, A Letter Concerning Toleration; Louis XIV, Revocation of the Edict of Nantes
The Absolutist State and the Enlightenment
*Th	Nov 20	Montesquieu, Persian Letters
F	Nov 21	Paper Due (no later than 5 p.m., in my box, 1st floor, Gates Blake)
T	Nov 25	Diderot and D’Alembert: Definition of an Encyclopedia
Th	Nov 26	Thanksgiving Holiday: NO CLASS
T	Dec 2	Catherine the Great, Nakaz of 1767

Other Matters

No eating in class, please.

If you have any questions about plagiarism or the use of sources in general, consult with me, the course intern or Sources: Their Use and Acknowledgment from Dartmouth College: www.dartmouth.edu/~sources.

Description

Requirements

Primary Texts

Textbooks (On Reserve)

The Early Medieval Period: Christianity and Pagan Culture

The Renaissance: The Science of Man and of Politics

The Reformation and its Aftermath: from the Church to the Sovereign State