At the outset of the 16th century, Europeans tended to dismiss English literature as inferior to continental literary traditions; the educated Englishman was obliged to travel to the continent and speak in other languages in order to culture himself. By the end of the Renaissance, however, some of the greatest works in the English language from Shakespeare's dramas to Thomas More's Utopia had been written. In this course, the student will read and examine these works, situating them within their socio-historical and literary contexts, while attempting to determine how the art of English language and letters came into its own during this dynamic period. (English Literature 202)

This course will introduce the student to the history of the world's major civilizations from medieval times to the early modern era. The student will learn about the pivotal political, economic, and social changes that took place in Asia, Africa, the Americas, and Europe during this period. By the end of the course, the student will understand how many different civilizations evolved from isolated societies into expansive, interconnected empires capable of exerting global influence. Upon completion of this course, students will be able to: Think critically and analytically about world history in the medieval and early modern eras; Identify and describe the emergence, decline, and main features of the Byzantine Empire; Identify the origins and characteristics of the European medieval period and describe the rapidly changing forces at work in society, the economy, and religion during this time; Identify the origins of the Aztec and Inca civilizations and assess how these empires affected socio-economic development in the Americas; Identify the origins of the Tang and Song dynasties in China and assess the impact of these empires on Chinese government, society, religion, and economy during what scholars refer to as the 'golden age'; Identify the origins of the Mongol Empire, which dominated much of Asia in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. Students will analyze the nature of this empire created by nomads; Identify the reasons for a changing balance in the world economy in the 1400s and analyze why Europe superseded Asia as the most dominant civilization on the globe; Assess how and why the European Age of Discovery had such a large impact on the New World, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia; Identify the origins and characteristics of the Renaissance and describe its impact on European civilization as a whole; Identify the origins of the Reformation and Counter-Reformation in Europe and assess how this movement altered the social, political, and religious fabric of Europe; Identify the origins of colonial Brazil and New Spain. Students will also be able to assess the impact of Spanish and Portuguese colonization on the New World, Africa, and Europe; Identify the origins of the Ottoman, Safavid, and Mughal empires and assess the unique characteristics of these dynasties and their impact upon Asia and the world; Identify the origins of the Atlantic slave trade, assessing how this forced migration of peoples affected Africa, Africans, Europe, and the New World; Analyze and describe the Asian trading world, the Ming dynasty in China, the Ňwarring states,' and early modern eras in Japan; Analyze and interpret primary source documents from the medieval period to the early modern era using historical research methods. (History 221)

This course will introduce the student to the history of Europe from the medieval period to the Age of Revolutions in the eighteenth century. The student will learn about the major political, economic, and social changes that took place in Europe during this 800-year period including the Renaissance, the Protestant Reformation, European expansion overseas, and the French Revolution. By the end of the course, the student will understand how Europe had transformed from a fragmented and volatile network of medieval polities into a series of independent nation-states by 1800. Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to: Think critically and analytically about European history in the medieval and early modern eras; Identify and describe the religious, intellectual, social, and political components of the European Middle Ages; Identify the origins and characteristics of the Italian and Northern European Renaissance, as well as describe new developments in art, philosophy, religion, architecture, and science during the era of ŇrebirthÓ; Identify and describe the causes and effects of the European Age of Discovery. Students will also be able to analyze the impact of overseas expansion on European monarchies, the world economy, and indigenous peoples; Describe and analyze the Protestant Reformation. Students will be able to identify the origins of the movement, the various inflections of the Reformation across Europe, and the Catholic Counter Reformation; Identify the era of religious warfare that plagued Europe after the Protestant Reformation. Students will analyze causes and effects of the religious conflicts that erupted in France, England, the Netherlands, and the Holy Roman Empire; Identify and explain why and how 'absolute' monarchs gained power in western Europe in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Students will also be able to identify and describe why two nations - England and the Netherlands - embraced constitutionalism rather than absolutism; Assess how and why absolutism characterized the monarchies of Prussia and Austria in the 1600s. Students will also be able to identify and describe the development of Russia and the reign of Peter the Great; Identify the origins and characteristics of the Scientific Revolution, as well as describe its impact on European civilization as a whole; Identify the origins of the European Enlightenment and assess how this movement altered the social, political, and religious fabric of Europe; Identify and describe the social and economic changes that swept across Europe during the eighteenth century. Students will be able to assess the origin and impact of the 'agricultural revolution,' the marked increase in Europe's population, the development of 'cottage industries,' the rise of the Atlantic economy, and the changes in domestic and religious practices; Identify and describe the origins and impact of the French Revolution. Students will also be able to analyze the rise of Napoleon Bonaparte; Analyze and interpret primary source documents from the Middle Ages to the eighteenth century, using historical research methods. (History 201)

The student will focus on becoming literate in the art of the Italian Renaissance, on identifying the effects that the Renaissance had on the arts of Italy, and discovering the ways in which specific historical developments impacted those arts from the end of the thirteenth century to the end of the sixteenth century. The Renaissance, a European phenomenon that began to develop in the late thirteenth century, refers to a marked shift in the ways in which individuals perceived their world. A new outlook was emerging that was characterized by, among other things, increased humanism and a renewed interest in the cultures of Classical Antiquity (and all within a Christian framework). There is no specific date that marks the beginning of the Renaissance, but its burgeoning effects on art can be detected earlier in Italy than in other areas. Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to: Define the term Renaissance and identify its modes of expression in the art of Italy; Place the major artistic developments of Italian Renaissance art along a timeline and characterize the art of different periods within the Renaissance; Situate different artists, artworks, and artistic practices within their respective regions or cities; Explain how specific historical contexts, events, and figures affected Italian Renaissance art; Describe specificities in interests and style as they apply to the work of important artists of the Renaissance; Recognize important artworks and describe them in terms of their form, content, and general history of their creation; Explain the role of art and artists during the Renaissance in Italy; Discuss specific artistic techniques used during the Renaissance in Italy. (Art History 206)

The setting of Victor Hugo's novel, "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" is the fifteenth century, the transitional period between the Middle Ages and the Renaissance/Reformation era. This era ushers in the period known as the modern age and historical events are chronicled through Hugo's novel. Hugo sets The Hunchback of Notre Dame at the decline of feudalism and the infancy of absolutism through Louis XI (Spider King), the rise of a urban middle class and the beginnings of commerce as it is known today. Primarily this novel satirizes the Catholic Church's absolute power -- its abuses, and its excesses. Students will discover how Hugo's satire operates to show the Catholic Church's abuse of power during the late Middle Ages and the early Reformation in The Hunchback of Notre Dame.