Humanities 211/212

Spring 2021 Syllabus

Course Goals and Learning Outcomes

Through the critical study and analysis of a selection of literary, artistic, religious, philosophical, and scientific works from a period of intense social, political, and cultural change, students will become familiar with the ways early modern Europeans constructed and confronted: 

• issues of political and religious authority
• social and gender hierarchies
• conceptions of the self and its ability to comprehend the world
• the nature of artistic, literary, and musical expression
• interactions with non-European societies and civilizations 

In addition, students will enhance their reading, writing, and analytical skills in key humanistic disciplines (i.e. art, history, literature, philosophy) over the course of the semester, while further developing their abilities as critical thinkers and researchers.

Note: To allow conversations in class, it is important that everyone in conference be reading the same edition of the course texts. The editions listed at the end of this syllabus (and available in the bookstore) have been chosen with an eye to keeping costs low and scholarly standards high. 

Lectures: To limit the risk of spreading COVID-19, recorded lectures, along with handouts and other supporting materials, will be posted to the “All Conferences” Moodle Page in advance of the week. You may watch them at any time prior to your first conference for the week.

Please note: Because of potential copyright issues, all lectures, handouts, images, and other supporting materials should not be circulated outside the course. You are encouraged to refer to lectures and supporting materials in conference and papers, but do not quote, cite, or circulate them outside the scope of HUM 212 without permission from the lecturer.

E-Reserves: There are three ways to access readings labelled “e-reserve.” Individual readings can be obtained through the “HUM 212 E-reserves” link in the top section of the “All Conferences” Moodle page or the links on the electronic version of the syllabus posted on the HUM 211-212 webpage. A PDF of many e-reserve readings (reduced in size to facilitate printing) can also be downloaded from the “e-reserve reading optimized file” link in the top section of the “All Conferences” Moodle.

Books for Purchase

• Bossy, John. Christianity in the West. Oxford. (recommended)
• Cervantes, Miguel de, Don Quixote. (trans. Edith Grossman). Ecco.
• Dear, Peter. Revolutionizing the Sciences: European Knowledge & its Ambitions, 1500-1700. 3^rded. Princeton.
• Descartes, Rene. Discourse on Method and Meditations. Hackett.
• Galilei, Galileo. Discoveries and Opinions of Galileo (trans. Stillman Drake). Anchor.
• Hobbes, Thomas. Leviathan (ed. Richard Tuck). Cambridge.
• Lafayette, Marie Madeleine de. The Princess of Clèves. (trans. John D. Lyons). Norton.
• Locke, John. Second Treatise of Civil Government & Letter Concerning Toleration. Dover Thrift Edition.
• Milton, John. Paradise Lost (ed. John Leonard). Penguin.
• Molière, Don Juan & Other Plays. (ed. Ian Maclean). Oxford.

• Shakespeare, William. Othello (ed. Honigmann). Oxford.

All readings not required for purchase will be placed on reserve in the Library. For your convenience all other reserve books will be on two-hour desk reserve. 

* = accessible online through e-reserves on the Hum 212 All Conferences Moodle

WEEK I (January 25-29)

Giorgio Vasari, "Life of Prosperzia di Rossi," in Lives of the Painters, Sculptors and Architects, trans. Gaston du C. de Vere (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1996), I, 856-60* 

Linda Nochlin, “Why Have There Been No Great Women Artists?”*

Mary D. Garrard, “Artemisia and Susanna"*

Elizabeth Cropper, “Life on the Edge: Artemisia Gentileschi, Famous Woman Painter”*

Fredrika H. Jacobs, “Woman’s Capacity to Create: The Unusual Case of Sofonisba Anguissola”*

Lecture : Canonicity and the Woman Artist (Katz)

WEEK II (February 1-5)

Selected Canons from The Council of Trent, The Thirteenth and the Twenty-Second Sessions. Available here. 

K. Andrews, “Word Setting”*