Topic to consider (change the words up if used): looking at the surroundings of elements in society such as gender, religion, politics, and the economy during this era. I will keep an eye out for how these things change throughout the time period and how events such as the Renaissance and the Protestant Reformation transform these factors, Women -> If women had an actual renaissance , or technologies of self ( Humanism learning etc).
This unit begins our investigation of the “early modern” period by invoking the idea of the “modern individual.” The Renaissance, of which the Reformation was a part, was a movement in which elites thought abundantly and profoundly about what makes a person an individual, how the individual should perfect himself, and what purpose the individual should serve in society. Please consider the idea of the modern individual as we have encountered him (or her?) in the readings in this unit. Critique the concept: What was “modern” about it? What was “individual”? What specific traits did he possess and why? What limits applied to this individual?
You are free to write a paper that falls within this topic but that is tailored to your intellectual interests and curiosity. While the prompt is broad, your argument should be specific and focused. Your paper should be thesis-driven. The prompt is broad in order to allow a wide variety of answers, but each answer should be rigorously researched and specific.
ONLY SOURCE ALLOWED IS THE BOOK: John Merriman, A History of Modern Europe, vol. 1, 4 ed. W.W. Norton (2019) ISBN: 978-0393667370
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