Previous Course: 

Autumn 2021

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Overview

This short, 6-week course will delve into the fascinating work of six writers from the 'Renaissance' period (1400 - 1700) who challenged mainstream authorities during their lifetimes, with a focus on the relevance of their classical education(s). This course is unique because it brings together six inspiring thinkers - 4 women, 2 men - not commonly taught together, if taught at all. We will explore a fundamental question: how has a classical education been used to challenge injustice in society, the church and the state? 

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"Restoring radical writers to intellectual history"

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On this flexible course, you will receive pre-reading activities each week (approx. 1 hour independent study) to warm up your ideas prior to a 1-hour on-demand lecture. Over six weeks, you will have the opportunity to: discover new authors and texts; appreciate and learn from the argumentation strategies used by each individual; explore how they engage with classical authors and ideas in their work; consider the impact of their writing during their lifetime and beyond; situate the texts within their historical and political context; use the selected extracts as prompts to think about the Renaissance and what it means to be a 'radical' thinker today. 

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Each week will focus on a different author and selected extracts in English translation from their work(s), including:

• Nov 2: Christine de Pizan, who wrote The Book of the City of Ladies

• Nov 9: Isotta Nogarola, who wrote a dialogue defending Eve from 'original sin' 

• Nov 16: Girolamo Savonarola, who denounced clerical corruption and called for a Christian renewal

• Nov 23: Bartolomé de las Casas, who challenged the notion of natural slavery 

• Nov 30: Tullia D'Aragona, who wrote a dialogue on the nature of love

• Dec 7: Arcangela Tarabotti, who wrote against the practice of enforced monastic enclosure