The Italian Renaissance

Course Syllabus
Course Info Download a printable
Assessment syllabus here.

Policies
Course Expectations

Course Info

Course Description
The Advanced Elective Seminar is a course designed to familiarize students with some
of the purposes and methods of comparative analysis. Topics discussed include
contrasting types of evidence, differentiating information sources, examining related
content, and communicating learning experiences. In this particular Seminar, The Italian
Renaissance, students will address the development of western ideas in science,
culture, and community during the Italian Renaissance.

From the thirteenth to the sixteenth centuries, the Italian peninsula was the center of a
new age of human discovery and expression. With the unfolding of ancient
philosophies, the Catholic Church's temporal and spiritual control over Western Europe
faltered. This age changed the meaning of political power, art, literature, science, and
religious life. New perspectives lifted the horizons of thought and artistic expression.
What meaning and value do these issues have for the contemporary person? By
exploring the richness of Renaissance culture, this course attempts to answer the
following questions: What happened on the Italian peninsula during the Renaissance?
Who were the principal players? How did this period influence western civilization,
particularly with respect to learning? What does the Renaissance mean today? Why,
indeed, does it play such a major role in contemporary consciousness of the arts,
literature, politics, and science?

This is a complex period in human history. The material on the Renaissance available
to learners is infinite and complex. In order to organize our thoughts, our course
concentrates on the rise and fall of the Medici family in Florence. Cosimo, Lorenzo,
Piero, and Giovanni de' Medici (Pope Leo X) were instrumental in the development of
this spectacular age. Readings will address issues in the city state of Florence.
Learners will also confront our own time with respect to issues raised in the Italian
Renaissance.

Course Learning Goals

Upon the successful completion of the course, learners will have:

a general awareness of the interrelationship of the arts, history, politics, science,

 and religion in a specific period in western history;
a greater appreciation for the liberal arts and their origins;
a clear perception of the history of our views and definitions of science and
technology;
an ability to articulate how contemporary human experience conforms to or differs
from previous cultural periods.

Learning Strategies:

In this course, students will select individual fields of investigation from various
topics concerning the Italian Renaissance. Readings, films, discussions, field trips,
independent research, and other experiences will allow learners to discover the
world of the Italian Renaissance and to apply its value and meaning to
contemporary issues. Please note that all Modules are necessary and required.
Participation is mandatory.

Course Resources
Texts

1. Plumb, J.H. The Italian Renaissance. Mariner Books, 2001.

2. Brucker, Gene. A. Giovanni and Lusanna: Love and Marriage in Renaissance
Florence. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1988.
3. Brucker, Gene A. ed., Martines, Julia, translator. Two Memoirs of Renaissance
Florence: The Diaries of Buonaccorso Pitti and Gregorio Dati. Prospect Heights,
Il.: Waveland Press, Inc., 1991.
4. Bondanella, Julia Conaway. The Italian Renaissance Reader. New American
Library, 1987.

Films
Time/Life Civilisation series - the clips listed below are available as streaming content in
the course but you may wish to rent them (available on Netflix) or check them out from
your local library. The critical content, delivered by Art Historian Sir Kenneth Clark, is
combined with views of art and architecture and with music of the period. Although
there are other series which address this material in a more contemporary way, the
Clark films are visually rich and extraordinarily successful in combining the impact of
various art forms, historical periods, and social concerns.

#2 - The Great Thaw

#3 - Romance and Reality
#4 - Man: The Measure of All Things
#5 - Hero as Artist
#6 - Protest and Communication

This series is also available in book form, should you want to review the narrative
delivered by Sir Kenneth.

Course Competences
In this course, you will develop the following competences:
 Competence Competence Statement and Facets/Criteria
Understands the nature of new learning in the Italian Renaissance, and
E1 can relate these issues to social, scientific, and artistic developments
of that period.
E2 Will address each student’s individual research topic.

How Competences will be Demonstrated in this Course

Advanced Elective (E-1 and E-2) competences:
The Advanced Elective competences will reflect the integrative nature of the liberal arts
in the period of the Italian Renaissance. Because of the unprecedented growth of
learning in this period, and because of the strides which were made afterward, our
modern concepts of social science, hard science, and the arts are defined somewhat
differently from those same ideas in the Renaissance. Advanced competences, thus,
must refer to the interaction of these fields, and to their relative difference from our
contemporary concepts.

E-1: Understands the nature of new learning in the Italian Renaissance, and can
relate these issues to social, scientific, and artistic developments of that period.

E-2: will address each student’s individual research topic. Students will choose one
from the following list of competences:

1. Can explain the development of communities and social values in the Italian
Renaissance, and can relate these to ideas of community in the 21st century.
2. Can define technology in the Italian Renaissance, and can compare it to 21st
century notions of technology.
3. Can describe the impact of the visual arts on Italian Renaissance Society, and can
relate 21st century views of the visual arts to those of the Renaissance.
4. Can produce a work of art which mirrors the arts of the Italian Renaissance, can
explain the work in context, and can describe the methods of production used in the
Renaissance and in modern times.

Course Structure
A note on the readings: Please complete reading assignments according to the
schedule listed below. Plumb, Brucker, and Bondanella readings must be completed
before module 6.

Module 1: Introduction to the Italian Renaissance

Topics:
1. Introductions: What do you known about the Italian Renaissance?
2. What is a Seminar? Reading Report Sign Up
3. The Contributions of Ancient Rome
Preparation for next Module:
Watch: The Great Thaw
Read: Plumb, pp. 6 - 33
Begin Brucker readings
Begin Bondanella,
 "Francesco Petrarca" pp.1 - 11 and
“Canzoniere" selections #s 52, 61, 90, and 159.
"Giovanni Boccaccio" pp. 6- 78 and 96-99

…………..
Module 2: The Rise of Secular and Religious Power
Topics:
1. Review
2. Readings Reports
3. The Middle Ages, City States, and Concentrations of Power

Preparation for next Module:

Watch: Romance and Reality
Read: Plumb, pp. 35 - 68
Continue Brucker readings
Continue Bondanella,
"Leon Battista Alberti" pp. 164-169, 173-177 and
"Giovanni Pico della Mirandola" pp. 178-183.

…………
Module 3: Humanism and the Medici Family: Cosimo
Topics:
1. What’s Going on Here? Developments in the Italian Renaissance/Time
Lines
2. Readings Reports
3. Humanism Defined and the Medici Family: Cosimo

First set of journal entries due

Preparation for Next Module:

Read: Plumb, pp. 69 - 90
Continue Brucker readings

………………
Module Four: The Growth of Economic Power
Topics:
1. Review
2. The Medici Family Evolves
3. Financial Institutions and the Medici Bank

Preparation for Next Module:

Watch: Man: The Measure of All Things
Read: Plumb, pp. 91 - 117
Complete Brucker, Two Renaissance Diaries
Continue Bondanella,
"Baldassare Castiglione" pp. 197- 203 and
"Niccolo' Machiavelli" pp.258-261, and chapters XV, XVI, XVII (pp.
273 - 278)

……………………..
Module Five: Warriors and Women
Topics:
1. Readings Reports
2. Warrior Princedoms
3. Renaissance Women

Second set of journal entries, plus research topic due

Preparation for Next Module

Read: Complete Plumb, pp. 142 - 170
Complete Brucker, Giovanni and Lusanna
Continue Bondanella "Leonardo Da Vinci" pp. 185-186
and "Notebook" Introduction, plus selections #s11, 19, 483,
660, and 1179 and "Michelangiol Buonarroti" pp. 375-379

……………………………
Module Six: Lorenzo de' Medici
Topics:
1. Readings Reports
2. Revisit Developments in the Renaissance
3. Lorenzo as Banker, Leader and Humanist

Third set of journal entries due

Preparation for Next Module
Watch: Hero as Artist

……………….
Module Seven: Renaissance Art and Architecture
Topics:
1. Readings Reports
2. Touring Museums
3. Art’s Role in the Italian Renaissance

Research Paper outline due

Preparation for Next Module

Read: Continue Bondanella,
"Giorgio Vasari" pp, 382 - 392

………………..
Module Eight: Eclipse of the Renaissance Period
Topics:
1. Readings Reports
2. The End of the Renaissance

Fourth set of journal entries due

Preparation for Next Module

Watch: Protest and Communication
 Read: Complete Bondanella,
"Benvenuto Cellini" pp, 306 - 316 and
"Francesco Guicciardini" pp, 298 - 303

…………….
Module Nine: The Age of Discovery
Topics:
1. Columbus and the New World
2. What Happened to Italy?

Fifth set of journal entries due

Research Paper due

………………
Module 10: Why Study the Italian Renaissance?
Topics:
1. What is the nature of western civilization and is it still important
2. What do you know now that you didn’t know before?

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Assessment

Assessment of Learning
In addition to assigned readings, class discussions, and films, students will participate
in a variety of experiential and research activities. The requirements for this course are
listed below, as are explanations of each requirement. All course assignment will deal
specifically with the dissemination of Renaissance ideas, and their ramifications on
learning in complexity and the flow of information in the modern world. Please see the
instructor for more details.

E-1 - Participation in online discussions

museum field trip;

Journal on competence themes;
Final presentation of perceptions of the Renaissance and its impact on
contemporary culture.

E-2 - Research project of approximately ten pages;

Annotated bibliography.

Descriptions of course activities:

On line discussions and activities
The Italian Renaissance provides a great deal of information to discuss and debate.
Seminar courses depend heavily on discussion for the presentation and clarification of
ideas. These online Modules will be devoted to consideration of the liberal arts system
of thought which matured in this period and the ways in which it integrates with the SNL
competence domains. Consistent participation in these activities is required, including
regular discussion of course readings. During our class time, students will be
responsible for scheduling a field trip to their local art museums to locate art from the
period. This visit is a required part of the course. Students must also participate in the
sharing of ideas around the readings of Renaissance authors that we will complete in
this class. These Readings Presentations will take place each week;
Journal (Approximately 20 pages total)
The journal focuses on the content of our course. Use this document as a forum for
discussion of competence themes as they relate to Renaissance facts, ideas, and
personalities. Each student will submit five, four-page journal entries, totaling twenty
pages in all. Topics for each journal are listed below. Students are expected to use the
journal to comment on their developing knowledge and understanding -acquired through
lecture, reading, films, etc. - of the general topics of the course. Although learners will
draw on knowledge and ideas gleaned from course readings, discussions, and films,
these journals are meant to be personal commentaries, not research papers. Journals
must be written in standard English, and submitted via email according to the calendar in
the Topic Outline section below.

Journal #1 Define the Italian Renaissance.

Journal #2 What is Humanism?
Journal #3 What is a "Renaissance Person?"
Journal #4 Did the Italian Renaissance end?
Journal #5 Why study the Italian Renaissance?

Final Presentation
Each student will present a 5 minute summary of work done on course competences, on
the museum field trip, and on the applications of the material of this course to modern
times, as is outlined in the E1 and E2 competence statements.
Research Project (Approximately 10 pages, plus an Annotated Bibliography)
Participants in this experience will develop projects which present some aspect of the
renaissance and its relevance to contemporary society. Competence statements and
accompanying research topics are listed below. Each paper must analyze the topic with
respect to competence demands, according to the outline presented below. All papers
must be in standard English and submitted according to MLA format. If you have
questions about how and when to use citations or about the MLA style, please see the
instructor.

An Annotated Bibliography of approximately 10 sources must accompany your

work. That is, for each of your 10 sources, you must write a brief paragraph
describing and critiquing the source. Annotations should include reference to the
type of work you are citing, its general style, the relevance to your topic, and the
position the piece holds with respect to other materials in your bibliography. Nb.
NO internet sites may be used as sources for this paper. This syllabus includes a
bibliography, but there are many sources available on this topic. Questions about
sources should be referred to the instructor.

MATERIALS SUBMITTED AFTER DUE DATES WILL BE ASSESSED ON A

PASS/FAIL BASIS ONLY.
INCOMPLETE GRADES MUST BE NEGOTIATED WITH FACULTY.
Research Project Outline and Topic Suggestions
The suggestions which follow are not exhaustive. Should you have any additional
topics, please discuss them with the instructor.
I. Introduction
A. What is the Main Point of your paper? (i.e. Your chosen
competence statement)
B. How will you prove your main point? (Library research,
Observation, Analysis of factual data, Interviews, etc.)
C. What was your experience with or understanding of the
topic before you began your research?
II. Definition of terms
A. What do the words in the statement mean?
B. What to the terms of your topic mean?
C. Other terms germane to your discussion
III. In this section, answer the questions listed below your chosen
competence statement (see below)
IV. What contemporary comparisons or analyses can you make?
V. Conclusion
A. What did you prove in your research paper?
B. How does your research demonstrate your mastery of
the competence?
C. What do you know about this period that you didn’t know
before?
VI. Annotated Bibliography

E-2 Competence Choices:

Choose one of the following competences for your E2 statement and for your research
paper. The items below each statement should give you some ideas on structuring your
paper.

Can explain the development of communities and social values in the Italian
Renaissance, and can relate these to ideas of community in the 21st century

1. Discuss the nature of human interaction, (political, social, national,

community, etc.) in the Renaissance;
2. Comment on political and economic contributions to the rise of the
Renaissance;
3. How would you characterize the values of Renaissance Florence?
4. What is the relationship between values and culture?
5. How were the values conveyed through artifacts?
6. Discuss one art object or custom which characterized Florentine values
in the Renaissance period;
7. Define the term nation from a Renaissance perspective;
8. Describe the Italian city states in terms of their historical development;
 9. Show how the Papacy can be defined as a temporal authority.
10. How might a 15th century Florentine define multiculturalism?

Can define science and technology in the Italian Renaissance, and can compare it
to 21st century notions of science technology.

1. Define technology from a Renaissance perspective;

2. Define science in the Italian Renaissance;
3. Describe some of the technological developments of this period;
4. Show how technological advancement influenced other aspects of
Renaissance life;
5. Identify the controversies surrounding technological discoveries in the
Renaissance;
6. Identify the major players in changing the role of scientific inquiry during
this period.
7. Describe the controversies regarding science and theology in the Italian
Renaissance;
8. Explain how renaissance thinkers equated science and theology;
9. Describe the long term influences of heliocentrism on European thinking;
10. Relate these issues to contemporary views of science, religion, and their
intersection.

Can describe the impact of the visual arts on Italian Renaissance Society, and can
relate 21st century views of the visual arts to those of the Renaissance.

1. Define the values prevalent in the Italian Renaissance;

2. Show how 2 or 3 works of art or literature convey the values you have
defined in #1;
3. Characterize the art of the Renaissance;
4. What is the difference between art and entertainment in Renaissance
society?
5. How is comparison achieved in the arts? in literature?
6. Describe the differences in style and content of mediaeval and
Renaissance art;
7. Discuss Michelangiolo's evolving style;
8. Define folk art.
9. How does folk art differ from other forms of art?
10. Who produced folk or popular art in the Italian Renaissance?

Can produce a work of art which mirrors the arts of the Italian Renaissance, can
explain the work in context, and can describe the methods of production used in the
Renaissance and in modern times.

1. Define the work of art you intend to produce;

2. Define the terms original and art;
3. Explain how your artwork meets the demands of the definitions
youprovided in #2;
4. Describe how your artwork conveys Renaissance ideology;
5. What methods did Renaissance artists use to produce their art?
6. Describe the training Renaissance artists received.
7. What were the relationships of design, aesthetics, and function in
Renaissance art?
Percentage Distribution of Assessments

Course Grading Scale

A = 95 to 100 A- = 91 to 94 B+ = 88 to 90
B = 85 to 87 B- = 81 to 84 C+ = 77 to 80
C = 73 to 76 C- = 69 to 72 D+ = 65 to 68
D = 61 to 64 F = 60 or below INC

For SNL courses taken for Pass/Fail, a “Pass” represents a grade of “A” for purposes
of financial aid and employer reimbursement.
Students wishing to declare a Pass/Fail option must do so before the end of the 2nd
week of the quarter.

Your Grading Policies and Practices

All students, no matter what competence they seek, are expected to:

Read assigned texts in timely fashion.

Participate regularly and articulately in class discussions.
Show respect for divergent points of view expressed within the discussions.
Turn in assignments in timely fashion.
Use correct academic format including citation in all work.
Follow rubrics given in courseguide for each assignment.
Revise according to instructor suggestions when requested or required.

General Assessment Criteria for All Writing Assignments

All writing, including posted messages, must be:
1. Original work. All work must be in your own words. If you have questions about
whether you have paraphrased or cited correctly, click on the “Academic Integrity” button
on the upper left-hand side of the Blackboard entry page and follow the links there, or
ask for help from the DePaul University Writing Center, which provides online help for
no charge.
2. Professionally stated. Even though we hope to be a friendly group online, casual or
slangy wording is inappropriate in college classes. If you imagine yourself at a business
meeting (even if you are sitting at home in your pajamas), you are more likely to write in
an appropriately formal style.
3. Correctly spelled, punctuated, and phrased. Even in postings, you should be careful
to use correct standard English. This is required as well in all written materials that you
submit for assessment.

Online Discussion

Assessment Criteria for Online Discussion Participation

Online participation will be assessed according to the following expectations:

 Each student will post each week in that week’s forums.
Students are expected to work on a weekly basis; each forum will be closed to new
postings after two weeks.
Postings should be on topic and in professional language.
Postings may disagree with other postings, but disagreements should be
courteously stated.
Postings should be substantive, meaning they should do more than agree or
disagree with an earlier posting.
Postings should, when appropriate, reference works from the class bibliography or
outside sources. Such citations should be appropriately quoted and sourced

Online Participation Guidelines for this course

Discussion Boards
Discussion Boards are a forum for discussion and sharing information among students.
Your instructor may create one or more public conferences related to the topics you are
studying each week.
At the beginning of the quarter, your instructor will set up three discussion conferences
These three conferences will help you and your classmates get off to an immediate start
on the course, by providing conversational spaces for necessary, ongoing social and
administrative activities. These conferences are:

Introductions
Course Q&A
The Student Union for discussion that is not directly related to course content.

The Q&A conference is where the management and administrative tasks of the course
are conducted, and where you can ask ‘process’ questions and receive answers. You
will also find the schedule of specific dates for your course in this Conference, and the
emails sent out to the whole class using the Listserver.

The Student Union can be used freely for your own conversation (like setting up groups
or teams, if these are used in the course)
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Policies

Academic Integrity
DePaul University is a learning community that fosters the pursuit of knowledge and the
transmission of ideas within a context that emphasizes a sense of responsibility for
oneself, for others and for society at large. Violations of academic integrity, in any of
their forms, are, therefore, detrimental to the values of DePaul, to the students’ own
development as responsible members of society, and to the pursuit of knowledge and
the transmission of ideas. Violations include but are not limited to the following
categories: cheating; plagiarism; fabrication; falsification or sabotage of research data;
destruction or misuse of the university’s academic resources; alteration or falsification
of academic records; and academic misconduct. Conduct that is punishable under the
Academic Integrity Policy could result in additional disciplinary actions by other
university officials and possible civil or criminal prosecution. Please refer to your
Student Handbook or visit studentaffairs.depaul.edu/homehandbook.html for further
details.
Plagiarism: Plagiarism is a major form of academic dishonesty involving the
presentation of the work of another as one's own. Plagiarism includes but is not limited
to the following:

The direct copying of any source, such as written and verbal material, computer
files, audio disks, video programs or musical scores, whether published or
unpublished, in whole or part, without proper acknowledgement that it is someone
else's.
Copying of any source in whole or part with only minor changes in wording or
syntax, even with acknowledgement.
Submitting as one's own work a report, examination paper, computer file, lab report
or other assignment that has been prepared by someone else. This includes
research papers purchased from any other person or agency.
The paraphrasing of another's work or ideas without proper acknowledgement.

Plagiarism, like other forms of academic dishonesty, is always a serious matter. If a

instructor finds that a student has plagiarized, the appropriate penalty is at the
instructor's discretion.

Incomplete Grades
The intent of the Incomplete grade is to allow students extra time to complete their final
assignments. This need arises because, in the closing weeks of the course, they have
an event of significant magnitude that adversely affects their ability to complete the
course, e.g. serious illness, death in the family, overseas deployment, or natural
disaster.
You must request an incomplete grade in writing two weeks before the end of the
quarter. Incomplete grades will be considered only after you have satisfactorily
completed at least 75 percent of the coursework, and you have such an unexpected,
uncontrollable event that prevents you from completing your course. Do not assume that
you will qualify for an incomplete. Students who are failing the course at the point where
they request an incomplete will not receive one, nor will they be granted after the end of
the quarter. Incomplete grades are given at the discretion of the instructor.
If you do receive permission from the instructor to take an incomplete in the course, you
will be required to complete a contract with the instructor, specifying how you will finish
the missing work within the next two quarters (excluding summer). Incompletes not
finished by the end of the second quarter (excluding summer) will automatically become
an F grade on your transcript.
Instructors may not change incomplete grades after the end of the grace period without
the permission of a college-based Exceptions Committee.
NOTE: In the case of a student who has applied for graduation and who has been
approved for an Incomplete in his or her final term, the incomplete must be resolved
within the four week grace period before final degree certification.

Protection of Human Subjects

For more information see: http://condor.depaul.edu/~irb
Demonstrating the acquisition of competences in this course can involve “interactions”–
interviewing and or observing other people–discussing those interviews or observations
with other class members and writing them up in one or more final report(s).
As such, these activities qualify as “research” with “human subjects” and are subject to
University and Federal guidelines. Because it takes place in the context of this course,
your research is exempt from approval by the School for New Learning’s Local Review
Board only under the following conditions:

1. The information you collect is EXCLUSIVELY for the purpose of classroom

discussion and will NOT be used after the term is over. If there is any possibility
that you will EVER use it in further research or for publication, you must obtain
approval from the Local Review Board before you begin.
2. You assess and ensure that no “harm”–physical, mental, or social–does or could
result from either your interviews and/or observations or your discussion and/or
reports.
3. The privacy and confidentiality of those that you interview or observe must be
protected. Unless you receive specific permission, in writing, from the person(s)
you interview or observe, please change their names, and make sure that their
identity cannot be readily ascertained from the information you provide.

a. If you want to use real names and relationships, they must sign an
“informed consent” document. For information on creating an “informed
consent document” see, for example, www.research.umn.edu/consent/

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Course Expectations

Time Management and Attendance

SNL’s online courses are not self-paced and require a regular time commitment EACH
week throughout the quarter.
You are required to log in to your course at least FOUR times a week so that you can
participate in the ongoing course discussions.
Online courses are no less time consuming than "face to face" courses. You will have to
dedicate some time every day or at least every second day to your studies. A typical
four credit hour “face to face” course at SNL involves three hours of classroom meeting
per week, plus at least three to six hours of study and homework per week.
This course will require at least the same time commitment, but your learning activities
will be spread out through the week. If you have any problems with your technology, or if
you need to improve your reading or writing skills, it may take even longer.
The instructor should be notified if your life events do not allow you to
participate in the course and the online discussions for more than one week. This
is particularly important when there are group discussions or you are working as
part of a team.
If you find yourself getting behind, please contact your course instructor immediately.

Your Instructor’s Role

Your instructor’s role in this course is that of a discussion facilitator and learning
advisor. It is not their responsibility to make sure you log in regularly and submit your
assignments. As instructor, s/he will read all postings to the general discussion forums
on a daily basis but may not choose to respond to each posting. You will receive
feedback to assignments posted to your delivered to you by your instructor via email or
through the Gradebook. You can view your feedback by selecting “My Grades” in the
course website and viewing your assignment.
The instructor may choose to designate “office hours” when s/he will be online and
available and will immediately respond to questions. Depending on the instructor, this
response may be by e-mail, instant messenger or telephone. Otherwise, you will
generally receive a response to emailed or posted queries within 48 hours.

Your Role as a Student

As an online student, you will be taking a proactive approach to your learning. As the
course instructor’s role is that of a learning guide, your role is that of the leader in your
own learning.
You will be managing your own time so that you can complete the readings, activities
and assignments for the course, and you will also be expected to take a more active
role in peer learning.
You will learn with and from your classmates in the online discussions and group
assignments, sharing information and resources and posting your ideas and critiquing
and expanding on the ideas of others in a collegial fashion. You are encouraged to bring
your questions to the online discussions and respond to each other–do not always wait
for the instructor to answer questions.
If events arise in your life that will prevent your attendance in class for one week
or more, it is your responsibility to make sure that your instructor is advised at
the first possible opportunity. You, or a friend or family member can do that by
email, postal mail or phone. Someone could also send a note to
snlonline@depaul.edu. This will allow your instructor to assist you to make up
missing work. If these events occur early in the quarter and you wait until the
end of the quarter before informing your instructor, do not expect to receive an
Incomplete.
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