HIST 2206 A Early Modern Europe 1600–1800
Winter 2022
Instructor: Lori Jones
Introduction: This course will survey intellectual, religious, scientific, cultural, and political developments in Europe between about 1600 and 1800. This is an exciting time in the history of Europe, as many of what we see as the “old medieval ways” are discarded and new ways of thinking and living start to take hold. Yet in many instances, the transition is not quite so stark as we might think: epidemics of plague and other infectious diseases, for example, continued to ravage European communities throughout this era, as did wars over territory, religion, and ways of governing. The colonial enterprise begun in the 16th century really took off after 1600, bringing about a much expanded Europe and great wealth for some coupled with much devastation for others. The religious and intellectual unity of the “old Europe,” however, fragmented and crumbled as new ways of thinking about the world and all that inhabited it took centre stage. Shifting relations with the Ottoman Empire are also noteworthy in this era. Fear of devils and witches; absolute monarchy; the rise of commercialism; the shedding of feudalism; scientific, mathematical, and medical discoveries; the French Revolution…these are all key components of this short period in European history.
The course will include a focus on the analysis of primary sources. How do we know what we know about the past? What records have survived, and how can they be used? We will look at many different kinds of texts, of course, but also images and objects.
Course Format: This will be an asynchronous online course. The course will run on a weekly schedule: every Monday morning I will post a short series of video lectures (to accompany the assigned readings) that you can watch at your own pace over the week. This is not just a passive learning course, however. One of the goals of this course is to help you understand that “learning history” is not only reading texts or listening to a lecture. Good historical study and interpretation is also active: each week, you will discuss your interpretations of the course material with your classmates (as well as me and/or the TA) via the online discussion boards. You are required to participate regularly in these discussion forums; this includes doing the required reading/watching the assigned lectures, writing posts, and then reading and responding to posts by your fellow classmates and the instructor/TA (so best to not leave everything to Sunday night!) As possible, we will also meet via Zoom from time to time in smaller groups. These meetings are meant to give you the opportunity to discuss anything related to the course in a small discussion group setting (more info to follow).
Course Readings: There will be no required textbook purchases for this course. Instead, we will use a wide variety of journal articles and book excerpts available through ARES.
Assessment: Graded components will include your contributions to class discussion, quizzes to check your understanding of course material (rather than a mid-term), two short primary source analyses, and a final take-home exam. Your first primary source analysis will be produced in the standard “written essay” format, but the second one can be more creative, allowing you the freedom to present your research in a format that best captures your source and your interpretations of it.
Questions? Contact me at lori.jones@carleton.ca