2025-26, Term 2: Renaissance Europe

This module (formally 'Foundations and Forms') will not only provide a general introduction to the main coordinates of Renaissance culture but will also make connections with the preceding medieval period and attempt to address contemporary issues and interdisciplinary applications through the lens of the Renaissance. Students will have access to a series of lectures, each analysing broad themes and specific aspects of the history and evolution of Renaissance medical, political, and scientific thought. The course will begin with a series of lectures connected to alchemy and medieval thought and will examine the continuity and development of diagnostics and prognostication. Subsequent lectures will explore the places where sciences were refined and disseminated followed by an exploration of Renaissance political sciences through the lens of Machiavelli and other famous authors of the period. The course will conclude with an exploration of the London Company of Barber-Surgeons and the beginning of medical disciplines and how this is connected to present-day interdisciplinary research (from a global perspective). Students will gain a broad understanding of key themes and concepts in the Renaissance and will have the opportunity to read widely and engage with a diverse range of scholarly approaches representing different geographic areas. Through this series of lectures focusing on broad themes of Renaissance Sciences, students will be encouraged to challenge popular images of the 'long dark ages' and the 'reactionary' Renaissance to critically examine how historical perspectives may show continuity even to the present day. The module will present the opportunity to critically engage with primary source materials and provide a sound knowledge foundation in key concepts and events.
Module convenor Dr Erin Connelly.

All classes will take place on Monday afternoons, 4-6pm, room tbc.

Module codes are: RS200-15 (intermediate year students) and RS300-15 (final year students)

Assessment method is 100% essay. Yr 2 students-1 x 3500-word essay chosen from a list of given titles; Yr 3 students-1 x 4000–4500 word essay, on a freely chosen topic determined in consultation with the module convenors and/or tutors.