HIST 316 Outline

COURSE NUMBER:

HIST 316

COURSE TITLE:

Europe in the Age of Enlightenment

NAME OF INSTRUCTOR:

Michael DeMoor

CREDIT WEIGHT AND WEEKLY TIME DISTRIBUTION:

credits 3(hrs lect 3 - hrs sem 0 - hrs lab 0)

COURSE DESCRIPTION:

This course deals with the major political, social, and intellectual movements from the late 17th century to the eve of the French Revolution. Among the topics covered are: science and philosophy in the 18th century, political theory and practice in the age of democratic revolutions, political economy, philosophies and the propaganda of the Enlightenment and religion in an age of reason.

Prerequisites: HIST 202 or 204

REQUIRED TEXTS:

Himmelfarb, Gertrude, The Roads to Modernity: The British, French and American Enlightenments. New York: Vintage, 2004.
Kramnick, Isaac, The Portable Enlightenment Reader. New York: Penguin, 1995.
Other readings to be put on library reserve or distributed in class.

MARK DISTRIBUTION IN PERCENT:

Participation	10%
5 Reading Responses	20%
Paper Proposal	5%
Presentation	5%
Research Paper	30%
Final Exam	30%
	100%

COURSE OBJECTIVES:

Objectives:

To understand the intellectual and cultural movement called the “Enlightenment” in both its unity and its diversity.
To understand how the Enlightenment understood itself and how that understanding has been re-enforced and undermined in our cultural memory.
To gain a critical perspective on those who either lionize or dismiss the Enlightenment whole-sale.
To understand the role of Enlightenment thought in the French Revolution and other political and social revolutions in the late 18th century.

COURSE OUTLINE:

Introduction; Syllabus
Timeline
Enlightenment's Self-Understanding
Science and Nature
Enlightenment and Religion
Mind and Ideas
Manners and Morals
Education and Childhood
Taste and Art
Progress and History
Politics
Economy
Gender
Slavery and Race
Multiple Enlightenments -- Himmelfarb
Enlightenment and Revolution

Required texts, assignments, and grade distributions may vary from one offering of this course to the next. Please consult the course instructor for up to date details.