Special Course Descriptions
Humanities
HMN 394 10/PHL 394 11/ILC 394 10 SpTp: Renaissance Humanists and the Rise of the Humanities.
In the humanities we study the finest accomplishments humans have achieved in the pursuit of public excellence and private fulfillment. Such studies have not been an ageless preoccupation.
On the contrary, interest in the systematic exploration of the finest accomplishments of the human mind and the human imagination arose as the result of an educational, philosophical, and artistic revolution that occurred during the Renaissance. This revolution is still reflected in why and how we study the humanities. Its impact continues to influence many of our culture's most vital perceptions and values.
This course is designed to focus on the historical context, the philosophical ideals, and the artistic visions that shaped humanism from its confident beginnings in the Renaissance to its embattled status of today. The analysis of primary texts will include works by Renaissance humanists like Niccolo Machiavelli, Michel de Montaigne, and Erasmus of Rotterdam as well as the analysis of modern challenges to the humanist perspective and its canons of excellence.
There are no prerequisites for the course.