During the European Renaissance the idea of the 'studies of humanity' was born. Renaissance 'humanism' embraced poetry, history, moral philosophy and rhetoric. Classical languages, particularly purified classical Latin, were absolutely central to this educational movement, which swept Europe and the 'New' World from the fifteenth through eighteenth centuries. The unit explores the cultural and historical significance of Latin, emerging vernacular languages, and Latin Humanism in the medieval and early modern period, with a major emphasis on the period 1500 to 1800. It addresses topics in the history and sociology of languages in this period, including power struggles between users of... -- Course Website
Instructor: Professor Yasmin Haskell
Prerequisites: MEMS2002 World Views: Religion, Gender and Society in Pre-modern Europe or MEMS2001 Classical Traditions and Transformations in Medieval and Early Modern Europe
