- to acquaint students with the literature of seventeenth-
century Europe, with special emphasis on the philosophical 
currents of that period and relevance of the texts under 
discussion to contemporary society;
- to situate those works in relation to the other arts and the
sciences of the period; 
- to elucidate the cultural and intellectual components of 
these period designations; 
- to enhance students' critical abilities through the analysis 
of individual literary works;
- to improve students' communication skills through oral
presentations and expository writing assignments.

Students' performances will be assessed through presentations,
tests, papers, and a final examination.

The course is structured by the readings, which vary with the 
individual instructor.

Topics frequently covered include:  rationalism vs. empiricism; 
life as a dream and the world as a stage; incarnation and
transubstantiation; allegory and history; spectacle, theater, and
the manifestation of power; artifice, decoration, and the
ornamental.  The following is a sample syllabus of readings for a
single semester:

Shakespeare.  Hamlet
Descartes.  Meditations
Pascal.  Pensees
Spinoza. Ethics (selections)
Hobbes. Leviathan (selections)
Tasso.  Jerusalem Delivered
Aubigne.  Les Tragiques
Gryphius.  Simplicissimus
Calderon.  Life Is a Dream
Gongora.  Selected Poetry
Donne.  Selected Poetry
Corneille.  Horace
Milton.  Paradise Lost

Students are required to abide by the University of Georgia academic honesty policy.