The origin of contemporary cultural perspectives and values can be traced to the momentous changes of value and perspective that occurred in Europe between the thirteenth and sixteenth centuries.  In that era, people began to think of themselves and their world in new ways.  The Italian “rebirth” of interest in classical antiquity combined with Gothic Christian traditions to form a “humanistic” culture at once spiritual and secular, communal and individual.  These new perspectives were expressed in philosophy, the arts, music, and literature and remain evocative-- often even definitive--for our time.  This course considers key examples of these art forms in the context of the political, economic, social, and ecclesiastical history of the era, in order to understand some important sources of our views of ourselves.  (If you have taken The Italian Renaissance or Renaissance Art and Culture, do not register for this course.)  

Arnold J. Bradford, Ph.D., University of Virginia; Adjunct Professor of Liberal Studies, Georgetown University.