History 124 - Europe in Transition

(Offered as HIST 124 [EU^P] and EUST 124.)  Europe in Transition provides an introduction to the momentous transformations that Europe underwent during the early modern period. From the post-Black Death turmoil in the fourteenth century to the impending crisis of the Old Order in the eighteenth century, Europe experienced multiple upheavals that continue to shape our modern lives. Through the recorded experiences of contemporaries and the debates and syntheses of historians, this course examines how conscious revivals of imagined ancient traditions gave way to assertions of contemporary greatness; how an urge to purify and reform religious life brought about an irreversible schism, fraternal strife, and tolerance; how the resulting social disruptions required innovative forms of consent, control and governance; how expanding horizons and commercial practices intensified exchange and exploitation; how new discoveries required new modes of inquiry and knowledge-making; how these changes led to a striking self-confidence in their own ideas of man, society and history; whereby Europe would seek to mold the world in its own image. Two class meetings per week.

Spring semester. Visiting Professor Cho.