HIST 4230

HIST 4230-The Renaissance

This class, according to its official catalog description, focuses on "the period from 1300-1600 in Europe, principally 1314-1525, and principally in Italy. Topics include politics, philosophy, technology, education, the family, history, and humanism, as well as interpretations of the Renaissance."

REQUIRED BOOKS FOR HIST 4230, FALL 2021: This is still under development. In the past, I have assigned these books:

Rummel, Erika. The Erasmus Reader. ISBN 0802068065

Bondanella and Musa. The Portable Machiavelli. ISBN 0140150927

Lauro Martines. Power and Imagination. ISBN 0801836433

DeLamar Jensen. Renaissance Europe. ISBN 0669200077

NOTE ON STUDYING PRACTICES:

You must find your own way of studying. The Academic Success Center or your professors can help you, but studying is individual. Perhaps the worst way to study, regardless of your talents and interests, is to find a definition somewhere, memorize it, and print it as you found it. Why is this the worst way to study?

1. because you have memorized something in order to do something else, and will promptly forget it. Studying means really learning something.

2. because you will never in my class and in most other classes get credit for something you did not do. The people who wrote the textbook get an “A.” If you use their words, they still get an “A,” and you get a zero.

3. because the study sites on the web—everything from encyclopedia sites to studystack.com and related sites—rarely ask for the exact same information that your professors will. In other words, you’re unlikely to get full credit even if your professor does not notice.

4. because these study sites on the web are vulnerable to attack and misinformation.

5. because it teaches you bad habits, laziness, and dishonesty.

Please keep a copy of your syllabus, and any updates or corrections distributed in class, handy at all times. It has dates for assignments and exams; information on what is required in class meetings; tips on how to take notes; an explanation of the "no extra credit in this class" policy; the grade distribution; and other relevant information.

I use many images and graphics from websites in my class; although the WorldWideWeb changes at a very fast pace, it is a very interesting place to explore history. Just be sure that you are aware of all the misinformation and disinformation out there. Do not trust websites that are not signed and dated; do not trust "information only available here" without at least a few questions. You can, after all, find everything out there, true or not, and so you should be careful and skeptical.