WESTERN INTELLECTUAL AND RELIGIOUS HISTORY SINCE 1500
A survey of major trends in Western intellectual history and religious thought in the modern era, a period that saw a new range of competing ideas about the divine, the human condition, justice and the social order, and the quest for meaning. Explores shifts in Christian and Jewish thought as well as secular alternatives to religious outlooks. Topics include the impact of the Reformation, Scientific Revolution, and Enlightenment; radical critiques of religion; existentialism; theological responses to World Wars and the Holocaust; and civil rights and social justice. Sources include films, novels, autobiographies, essays, theological works, and political manifestos.
Topics
- the impact of the Reformation
- Scientific Revolution
- and Enlightenment
- radical critiques of religion
- existentialism
- theological responses to World Wars and the Holocaust
- and civil rights and social justice
Topics explicitly listed in official catalogue description
Prerequisites & course information
Requisites: Sophomore standing or 3 credits in HISTORY or RELIG ST Course Designation: Core GenEd - Humanities & Arts Breadth - Humanities or Social Science Level - Intermediate L&S Credit - L&S Liberal Arts and Science Repeatable for Credit: No Last Taught: Spring 2025 Learning Outcomes: 1. Identify and explain the significance of key trends, movements, thinkers, and texts in modern European intellectual and religious history. Audience: Undergraduate 2. Evaluate some of the scholarly debates surrounding these movements. Audience: Undergraduate 3. Interpret complex writings from the past contextually, critically, and empathetically. Audience: Undergraduate 4. Construct strong historical arguments based on evidence and careful reasoning. Audience: Undergraduate 5. Compose clear analytical and argumentative written prose. Audience: Undergraduate Learning Outcomes: 1. Identify and explain the significance of key trends, movements, thinkers, and texts in modern European intellectual and religious history. Audience: Undergraduate 2. Evaluate some of the scholarly debates surrounding these movements. Audience: Undergraduate 3. Interpret complex writings from the past contextually, critically, and empathetically. Audience: Undergraduate 4. Construct strong historical arguments based on evidence and careful reasoning. Audience: Undergraduate 5. Compose clear analytical and argumentative written prose. Audience: Undergraduate
Sources
- Course catalogue ↗2026-2027
- Catalogue entry ↗
Catalogue variants
- WESTERN INTELLECTUAL AND RELIGIOUS HISTORY SINCE 1500 · 3-4 credits.