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Early Modern Europe, 1450-1750

HIST 040.910
instructor(s):
TR 5:30-9:20 pm

 

 

Instructor: Noria Litaker
Email: nlitaker@sas.upenn.edu
Term: Summer Session I, May 23-June 29, 2016 Day/Time: T/TH, 5:30 p.m.-9:20 p.m.
Office Hours: TBA
Office: TBA

 

Course Description

This course will trace the major political, cultural, technological and intellectual developments in Europe from Johannes Gutenberg’s invention of the printing press in 1453 to the eve of the French Revolution in 1789. We will cover important events and movements such as the Renaissance, the Protestant Reformation, the Scientific Revolution, the Enlightenment, the consolidation and centralization of territorial states and the development of overseas empires. In addition to these larger topics, we will use primary sources to delve into the lives of everyday Europeans and examine how their lives changed over the course of this period and what effect these larger movements had – or did not – on they they lived and understood the world around them. Readings will be both primary sources and discussions will be an integral part of the class.

Required Texts

John Merriman, A History of Modern Europe: From the Renaissance to the Age of Napoleon (Third Edition)

James Brophy, et al. Perspectives from the Past: Primary Sources in Western Civilizations: From the Age of Exploration through Contemporary Times, Vol. 2 (Fifth Edition)

All other texts and visual sources will be available on the course’s Canvas site or on reserve at Van Pelt Library.

Grade Breakdown

Class Participation – 30%
Canvas posts (primary source analysis) - 20% In-class Midterm - 25%
In-class Final - 25%

Class Participation:
Active participation is the foundation of seminar-style learning. In order to maximize your learning experience, it is important that you come to class having completed all the assigned readings and ready to pose questions and explore possibilities with your classmates. Regular attendance is required. Absences will only be excused for valid reasons that you must communicate to me ahead of time.

Canvas Posts:

fulfills requirements