| Unit name | Early Modern Italy (Lecture Response Unit) |
|---|---|
| Unit code | HISTM0047 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | M/7 |
| 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.
1) To give students a thorough grounding in the history of early modern Italy.
2) To improve students’ ability to argue effectively and at length (including an ability to cope with complexities and to describe and deploy these effectively).
3) To be able to display high level skills in selecting, applying, interpreting and organising information, including evidence of a high level of bibliographical control.
4) To develop the ability of students to evaluate and/or challenge current scholarly thinking.
5) To foster student’s capacity to take a critical stance towards scholarly processes involved in arriving at historical knowledge and/or relevant secondary literature.
6) To be able to demonstrate an understanding of concepts and an ability to conceptualise.
7) To develop students’ capacity for independent research.
1 x 2-hour interactive lecture per week.
One summative coursework essay of 5000 words (100%). This will assess ILOs 1-7.
Christopher Black, Early Modern Italy: A Social History (2000) Paula Findlen et al (Eds), Beyond Florence: The Contours of Medieval and Early Modern Italy (2003) Gigliola Fragnito et al (Eds), Church, Censorship and Culture in Early Modern Italy (2011) Gregory Hanlon, Early Modern Italy, 1550-1800: Three Seasons in European History (2000) John A. Marino (Ed.), Early Modern Italy: 1550-1796 (2002)
