Course Description
Examination of the Enlightenment of the eighteenth century. The class will analyze the great books of the period, and assess the social, cultural, and political context in which new ideas emerged. Themes will include the book trade, gender and sociability, the luxury debate, the construction of race, and revolution.
Additional Requirements for Graduate Students:
In addition to the assigned course work, graduate students will
be expected to select one of the themes of the class, read
intensively in that area, and complete an 18-25 page
historiographical essay. The purpose of this essay is to get
graduate students to conduct a thorough review of a body of
scholarly literature on the Enlightenment. Not only will this
help prepare graduate students for oral exams in European
history fields, it will expose them to a range of sophisticated
historical methodologies. Graduate students will meet
regularly with the professor to discuss the progress of this
essay.
Athena Title
THE ENLIGHTENMENT
Equivalent Courses
Not open to students with credit in HIST 4372/6372
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Course Objectives
Students are expected to gain a critical understanding of the Enlightenment. That is, they will have mastered important philosophical texts from the Enlightenment (Locke Voltaire, Rousseau) as well as deepened their appreciation of the cultural life of the eighteenth century. A principal objective of the course is to teach students to think critically for themselves about the relationships between the past and the present, to learn to ask questions of the past that enable them to understand the present and mold the future, and to become attuned to both the limitations and possibilities of change. The course seeks to acquaint students with the ways in which past societies and peoples have defined the relationships between community and individual needs and goals, and between ethical norms and decision-making. In general students will be expected to: 1. read a wide range of primary and secondary sources critically. 2. polish skills in critical thinking, including the ability to recognize the difference between opinion and evidence, and the ability to evaluate--and support or refute--arguments effectively. 3. write stylistically appropriate and mature papers and essays using processes that include discovering ideas and evidence, organizing that material, and revising, editing, and polishing the finished papers.
Topical Outline
Part I. The Philosophy of the Enlightenment This part will expose students to the religious and scientific ideas of the main philosophers of the Enlightenment. Students will read Montesquieu, The Perisan Letters, as well as excerpts from Diderot's Encyclopedia. Part II. The Book Trade This part will focus on the production and consumption of popular literature in the eighteenth century. We will read some of the best-sellers of the eighteenth century, including novels, science fiction, and clandestine literature. Part III. New Perspectives This part takes up newly-examined areas of the Enlightenment: classical republicanism, gender and sociability, the luxury debate, race, and the American and French Revolution.