Unit name | Early Modern Italy (Level H Lecture Response Unit) |
---|---|
Unit code | HIST30026 |
Credit points | 20 |
Level of study | H/6 |
Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12) |
Unit director | Dr. Austin |
Open unit status | Not open |
Pre-requisites |
None |
Co-requisites |
None |
School/department | Department of History (Historical Studies) |
Faculty | Faculty of Arts |
Interest in Italy – academic and popular – has generally tended to wane after the Renaissance, picking up again only with unification in the nineteenth century. This unit seeks to address that omission by drawing on the growing body of work concerned with the ‘long forgotten centuries’ in between. Within a broadly chronological framework, this unit examines the political, social, intellectual, cultural and religious history of Italy between the fifteenth and eighteenth centuries. This will involve specific local case-studies (such as Rome, Florence, Venice and the Kingdom of Naples), consideration of national-level developments (such as the treatment of minority groups, the emergence of the baroque, efforts at censorship and the trial of Galileo) and reflection on Italy's place within a European context (from the Italian Wars through foreign domination and on to the Grand Tour, when Italy again emerged as a destination for pilgrimage). Taken together, these layers of analysis will allow us to build up a comprehensive picture of the Italian peninsula in this important but often overlooked period.
On successful completion of this unit students will be able to:
(1) demonstrate an understanding of the development of Italy from the fifteenth to eighteenth centuries;
(2) analyse how and why Italy developed in the way that it did and the extent to which long-standing perceptions that this was a period of stagnation are accurate;
(3) show an ability to select pertinent evidence/data in order to illustrate/demonstrate more general issues and arguments;
(4) identify a particular academic interpretation, evaluate it critically, and form an individual viewpoint.
1 x two-hour lecture per week
1 x one-hour seminar per week
One summative coursework essay of 3000 words (50%) [ILOs 1-4]
One 2 hour exam (50%) [ILOs 1-4]