345 Fall 2000

The Italian Renaissance
Fall Semester 2000
Frank Luttmer
108 Classic Hall
Office Hours: T R 10:30-12:00 W: 10:00-11:00
866.7205 (office) 866.4073 (home)
historians@hanover.edu

Course Description and Objectives
The Renaissance is a discussion-oriented seminar focusing on the culture of Italy from roughly 1350 to 1550. The course is designed to introduce students of the liberal arts to the sources and historiography of the Italian Renaissance. While consideration is given to the economic, social, and political history of the period, considerable emphasis is placed on Renaissance humanism and art and on the relationship between culture and society. There are no prerequisites to the course, but students are expected to be able to analyze and interpret primary documents thoughtfully, evaluate alternative interpretations of historiographical problems critically, and write substantive, interpretive research papers.

Readings
(Book Order Information)
1. Jacob Burckhardt, The Civilization of the Renaissance in Italy
2. Donald Wilcox, In Search of God and Self
3. Evelyn Welch, Art and Society in Italy 1350-1500
4. Christine Pisan, Book of the City of Ladies
5. Leon Battista Alberti, The Family in Renaissance Florence
6. Leon Battista Alberti, The Use & Abuse of Books
7. Baldassare Castiglione, The Book of the Courtier
8. Benvenuto Cellini, Autobiography
9. Niccolo Machiavelli, The Portable Machiavelli
10. Readings from the Internet (links to which can be found in the schedule below)

Grades
Final grades will be based on an evaluation of the following.

1. Two mid-term exams (15% each) and a final exam (20%)

Exams will consist of two essay questions. Each of the three exams will cover roughly one-third of the course; the third exam will also include a comprehensive section.
2. A research paper submitted in two drafts (15% for the first draft and 25% for the second)

The research paper can be on any topic in Italian Renaissance history. Papers are to be analytical and interpretive; they should present a thesis and develop an argument. You are encouraged to use primary sources, and you are expected to examine the historiographical context of your topic. First drafts may be limited to sources available in the Duggan Library, but you are expected to use Interlibrary Loan to obtain additional sources for the final draft. You should include with your first draft a bibliography based on a universal search for sources.
The grade of each draft will be based on the quality of the thesis and argument, the quality of the evidence and logic, and the quality of the writing. You should consult with me about your paper at least a week before each draft is due.
The Electronic Database page on the History Web Site may prove helpful in bibliographical searches. The Encyclopedia of the Renaissance (Duggan reference CB361 .E52 1999) is a good recent reference work. Links to internet sources can be found on the Italian Renaissance page of the History Department's Internet Archive of Texts and Documents.
3. Class participation (10%)

The success of this class, as a small seminar, depends upon the quality of the dialogue in class. It is expected that you will attend every class and that you will be fully prepared to discuss the material assigned for that day. Class participation grades will reflect your attendance record, the frequency of your contributions to class discussions, and the quality of your questions, observations, and conclusions.

Schedule

Burckhardt

Sept. 7
Burckhardt: The State as a Work of Art
Burckhardt, 19-97 (part one)
Sept. 12
Burckhardt: Individualism and Antiquity
Burckhardt, 98-184 (parts two and three)
Sept. 14
Burckhardt: Discovery and Society
Burckhardt, 185-270 (parts four and five)
Sept. 19
Assessing Burckhardt
Burckhardt, 1-16; Baron; Originality of the Renaissance

Renaissance Society

Sept. 21
Crisis and Family
Wilcox, 3-42; Boccaccio; Diefendorf; Alberti, Family, 13-31
Sept. 26
The Family
Alberti, Family, 32-99
Sept. 28
A Defence of Women
Pizan, Part 1, Sections 1-18, 27-38, 43-45
Oct. 3
A Defence of Women
Pizan, Part 2, Sections 1-4, 7-14, 25-30,
36-7, 44-47, 53-55, 66; Part 3, Sections 1-3, 19
Oct. 5
FIRST EXAM
Aquinas

Renaissance Humanism

Oct. 10
Petrarch and the Origins of Humanism
Wilcox, 43-89; Petrarch
Oct. 12
Humanist Education and Scholarship
Wilcox, 90-105; Vergerius; Valla
Oct. 19
Humanist Education and Scholarship
Alberti, Use
Oct. 24
Neoplatonism and Science
Wilcox, 106-141; Pico

Early Renaissance Art and Music

Oct. 26
Materials and Methods
Welch, 9-77; Painting
Oct. 31
Art, Music, and Religion
Welch, 79-165
Nov. 2
Art, Music, and Religion
Welch, 167-209
Nov. 3
FIRST DRAFT OF PAPER DUE
Nov. 7
Art, Government, and the Household
Welch, 211-311
Nov. 9
SECOND EXAM

The High Renaissance
Art, Music, and Court Culture

Nov. 14
The Courtier
Wilcox, 143-156; Castiglione, 31-68, 90-104, 124-134, 193-226
Nov. 16
The Courtier
Castiglione, 284-309, 322-345
Nov. 21
Art and Music
Wilcox, 173-190; Art; Music

Machiavelli

Nov. 28
The Prince
Cellini, 15-53, 323 (bottom)-349; Art;
Machiavelli, read 77-79 (Preface), skim 79-92 (Chs. 1-5),
read 92-110 (Chs. 6-9), skim 110-126 (Chs. 10-14), read 126-129 (ch. 15)
Nov. 30
The Prince
Skinner; Wilcox, 157-172; Machiavelli, read 128-136 (Chs. 16-18),
skim 135-157 (Chs. 19-23), read 157-166 (Chs. 24-26)
Dec. 5
The Discourses
Machiavelli, 167-188, 203-213 , 224-228, 281-301
(Bk. 1, Epistle, Intro, Chs. 1-5, 10-12, 18, 58; Bk. 2, Intro, Chs. 1-2)
Dec. 7
The Discourses and the End of the Renaissance
Machiavelli, 351-356 , 381-383 (Bk. 3, Ch. 1, 9); Wilcox, 191-200

Dec. 8
FINAL DRAFT OF PAPER DUE
Dec. 11-15
FINAL EXAM

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