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MHIS3022 – Culture and Power in Renaissance Europe

2024 – Session 1, Online-flexible

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff Associate Professor
Nicholas Baker
nicholas.baker@mq.edu.au
Lvl 1, 25B WW
TBA: Check iLearn
Credit points Credit points
10
Prerequisites Prerequisites
130cp at 1000 level or above OR (20cp in HIST or MHIS or MHIX units at 2000 level)
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description
In the city of Rome on 20 May 1347, a low-born notary called Cola di Rienzo declared the re-foundation of the ancient Roman Republic, pronouncing himself Tribune of the People. In distant Avignon, the Italian poet Petrarch hailed Cola as a hero for a re-newed era of Italian cultural and political greatness. His actions, and Petrarch's response, represent one of the first moments of the Renaissance--a political and cultural movement that idealized classical antiquity and looked to the past for answers to to questions about identity, the nature of a moral life, the virtues of civil society, and human relationships with both the natural world and the divine. This re-birth of classical ideas and styles produced many of the most beautiful and enduring works of art and literature in the Western European canon. But the tensions between the ideals of classical antiquity and the realities of late medieval Europe also resulted in warfare, violence, and social and cultural upheaval. This unit explores why and how late medieval Europeans turned to the ancient world for answers and what happened when they attempted to re-create the classical point-of-view in the very different society of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries.

Important Academic Dates

Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

  • ULO1: Critically explain the concept and idea of the Renaissance as both a historical period and a historiographical construct.
  • ULO2: Evaluate and explain the multiple relationships between cultural production and power in Italy and northern Europe between 1350 and 1650.
  • ULO3: Assess the cultural and social changes the occurred in Italy and northern Europe between 1350 and 1650.
  • ULO4: Read, analyse, and interpret a variety of primary and secondary sources and other material evidence.
  • ULO5: Produce a self-directed research project on one aspect of Renaissance culture and/or society.
  • ULO6: Synthesise understandings and evaluations into clear, specific arguments presented in grammatically correct prose with appropriate references.

General Assessment Information

Unless a Special Consideration request has been submitted and approved, a 5% penalty (of the total possible mark) will be applied each day a written assessment is not submitted, up until the 7th day (including weekends). After the 7th day, a mark of‚ 0 (zero) will be awarded even if the assessment is submitted. Submission time for all written assessments is set at 11.55pm. A 1-hour grace period is provided to students who experience a technical issue. 

 This late penalty will apply to non-timed sensitive assessment (incl essays, reports, posters, portfolios, journals, recordings etc). Late submission of time sensitive tasks (such as tests/exams, performance assessments/presentations, scheduled practical assessments/labs etc) will only be addressed by the unit convenor in a Special consideration application. Special Consideration outcome may result in a new question or topic. 

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due
Reflective Journal 20% No Weekly, Weeks 2-13
Annotated Bibliography 20% No 18/03/24
Primary Source Analysis 20% No 22/04/24
Research Paper 40% No 02/06/24

Reflective Journal

Assessment Type 1: Reflective Writing
Indicative Time on Task 2: 1 hours
Due: Weekly, Weeks 2-13
Weighting: 20%

 

Weekly reflective journal

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Critically explain the concept and idea of the Renaissance as both a historical period and a historiographical construct.
  • Read, analyse, and interpret a variety of primary and secondary sources and other material evidence.
  • Synthesise understandings and evaluations into clear, specific arguments presented in grammatically correct prose with appropriate references.

Annotated Bibliography

Assessment Type 1: Annotated bibliography
Indicative Time on Task 2: 12 hours
Due: 18/03/24
Weighting: 20%

 

Annotated Bibliography

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Read, analyse, and interpret a variety of primary and secondary sources and other material evidence.
  • Produce a self-directed research project on one aspect of Renaissance culture and/or society.
  • Synthesise understandings and evaluations into clear, specific arguments presented in grammatically correct prose with appropriate references.

Primary Source Analysis

Assessment Type 1: Case study/analysis
Indicative Time on Task 2: 20 hours
Due: 22/04/24
Weighting: 20%

 

Primary source analysis

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Read, analyse, and interpret a variety of primary and secondary sources and other material evidence.
  • Produce a self-directed research project on one aspect of Renaissance culture and/or society.
  • Synthesise understandings and evaluations into clear, specific arguments presented in grammatically correct prose with appropriate references.

Research Paper

Assessment Type 1: Essay
Indicative Time on Task 2: 45 hours
Due: 02/06/24
Weighting: 40%

 

Research Paper

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Critically explain the concept and idea of the Renaissance as both a historical period and a historiographical construct.
  • Evaluate and explain the multiple relationships between cultural production and power in Italy and northern Europe between 1350 and 1650.
  • Assess the cultural and social changes the occurred in Italy and northern Europe between 1350 and 1650.
  • Read, analyse, and interpret a variety of primary and secondary sources and other material evidence.
  • Produce a self-directed research project on one aspect of Renaissance culture and/or society.
  • Synthesise understandings and evaluations into clear, specific arguments presented in grammatically correct prose with appropriate references.

1 If you need help with your assignment, please contact:

  • the academic teaching staff in your unit for guidance in understanding or completing this type of assessment
  • the Writing Centre for academic skills support.

2 Indicative time-on-task is an estimate of the time required for completion of the assessment task and is subject to individual variation

Delivery and Resources

Required and Recommended Texts

Required Texts

Required readings will be listed week-by-week on the iLearn site and available through the University Library.

Per Faculty of Arts policy, all required readings are available on-line only but it is recommended that students print out the required readings and read them in hard copy as pedagogical research suggests that comprehension and recall are superior when reading hard copy text as opposed to reading on-line.

Recommended Readings

The following highly recommended general texts and source collections are available on Reserve in the MQ Library and/or available in electronic versions via the MQ Library.

Peter Burke The Italian Renaissance: Culture and Society in Italy (1999)

William Caferro Contesting the Renaissance (2011)

The Cambridge Companion to the Italian Renaissance, ed. Michael Wyatt (2014)

The Civilization of the Italian Renaissance: A Sourcebook, ed. Kenneth R. Bartlett (2011)

A Companion to the Worlds of the Renaissance, ed. Guido Ruggiero (2002)

Images of quattrocento Florence: Selected Writings in LIterature, History, and Art, ed. Stefano Ugo Baldassari and Arielle Saiber (2000)

The Italian Renaissance: Essential Readings, ed. Paula Findlen (2002)

Margaret King, A Short History of the Renaissance in Europe (2017)

Major Problems in the History of the Italian Renaissance, ed. Benjamin G. Kohl and Alison Andrews Smith (1995)

Lauro Martines Power and Imagination: City-States in Renaissance Italy (1988)

Anthony Molho Social and Economic Foundations of the Italian Renaissance (1969)

Charles Nauert Humanism and the Culture of Renaissance Europe (2006)

Palgrave Advances in Renaissance Historiography, ed. Jonathan Woolfson (2005)

The Portable Renaissance Reader, ed. James Bruce Ross and Mary Martin MacLaughlin (1978)

The Renaissance World, ed. John Jeffries Martin (2007)

The Routledge History of the Renaissance, ed. William Caferro (2017)

Guido Ruggiero The Renaissance in Italy: A Social and Cultural History of the Rinascimento (2015) 

The Society of Renaissance Florence: A Documentary Study, ed. Gene Brucker (1998)

Venice: A Documentary History, 1450-1630, David Chambers, Brian Pullan, and Jennifer Fletcher (2001)

Unit Schedule

Week 1: Once Upon a Time in Italy…

Week 2: The Classical Point-of-View: Humanism

Week 3: Wealth and Power

Week 4: The Classical Point-of-View: Visual Arts

Week 5: No class

Week 6: Did Women Have a Renaissance?

Week 7: Republics: Liberty and Tyranny

Week 8: Princes: Civility and Cruelty

Mid-semester break

Week 9: Popes: Faith, Power, and Glory

Week 10: The Renaissance Beyond Italy

Week 11: A Global Renaissance

Week 12: The Waning of the Renaissance

Week 13: Once Upon a Time in Italy

Policies and Procedures

Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au). Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:

Students seeking more policy resources can visit Student Policies (https://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/policies). It is your one-stop-shop for the key policies you need to know about throughout your undergraduate student journey.

To find other policies relating to Teaching and Learning, visit Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au) and use the search tool.

Student Code of Conduct

Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/admin/other-resources/student-conduct

Results

Results published on platform other than eStudent, (eg. iLearn, Coursera etc.) or released directly by your Unit Convenor, are not confirmed as they are subject to final approval by the University. Once approved, final results will be sent to your student email address and will be made available in eStudent. For more information visit connect.mq.edu.au or if you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au

Academic Integrity

At Macquarie, we believe academic integrity – honesty, respect, trust, responsibility, fairness and courage – is at the core of learning, teaching and research. We recognise that meeting the expectations required to complete your assessments can be challenging. So, we offer you a range of resources and services to help you reach your potential, including free online writing and maths support, academic skills development and wellbeing consultations.

Student Support

Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/

The Writing Centre

The Writing Centre provides resources to develop your English language proficiency, academic writing, and communication skills.

The Library provides online and face to face support to help you find and use relevant information resources. 

Student Services and Support

Macquarie University offers a range of Student Support Services including:

Student Enquiries

Got a question? Ask us via the Service Connect Portal, or contact Service Connect.

IT Help

For help with University computer systems and technology, visit http://www.mq.edu.au/about_us/offices_and_units/information_technology/help/. 

When using the University's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use of IT Resources Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students.

Unit information based on version 2024.01 of the Handbook