Humanism and Renaissance

Undergraduate

This course explores the extraordinary cultural production of Italy from the late fourteenth to the end of the sixteenth century—the Renaissance. Specific topics will vary for each offering; students will examine broader social and historical contexts through themes such as the birth of humanism; attitudes toward the ancient world and the “discovery” of new worlds; developments in the visual arts and in science; court society; sexuality and courtesan culture; gender and family life; religious reform. Authors may include Petrarch, Alberti, Machiavelli, Michelangelo, Isabella di Morra, Veronica Franco, Ruzante, Castiglione, Ariosto, Bandello, Tasso, and others.