Advanced Elective Seminar: Money, Power, and Art in the Italian Renaissance

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, Money, Power, and Art in the Italian Renaissance,  students will address the  development of western ideas in art, science, religion, 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 us?  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 multifaceted.  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 and on the Italian Pennisula.  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;
• an ability to articulate how contemporary human experience conforms to or differs from previous cultural periods.
• an understanding of the contributions of differing points of view in human history.

Learning Strategies:

In this course, students will engage in 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 Competences

In this course, you will develop the following competencies:

How Competences will be Demonstrated in this Course

Students taking this course for one competence only will be responsible for the E1 competence materials.  The discussions and other course assignments are related to the E1 competence.  The final project is related to E2. The E2 project cannot be completed without having completed the E1 exercises.

Advanced Elective (E1 and E2)  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.

E1: Understands the nature of new learning in the Italian Renaissance, and can relate these issues to social, scientific, and artistic developments of that period. 

E2: Research Paper: 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 Resources

To buy your books, go to http://depaul-loop.bncollege.com

Required Reading:

Texts

Required:

1. Parks, Tim. Medici Money: Banking, Metaphysics, and Art in Fifteenth-Century Florence. New York : W.W. Norton & Co., 2005.
2. Machiavelli, Niccolo: The Prince. Any edition.
3. Further readings are embedded within the course.

Recommended:

1. Bondanella, Julia Conaway. The Italian Renaissance Reader. New American Library, 1987.
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.

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 that 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 Grading Scale

 
Please note: Grades lower than a C- do not earn credit or competence in the School for Continuing and Professional Studies.

Course Structure

A note on the readings:  Please complete reading assignments according to the schedule listed below. The Parks book must be completed before module 7. Machiavelli must be completed before module 5.

Module 1: Introduction to the Italian Renaissance

Topics:
   1. Introductions: What do you know about the Italian Renaissance?
   2. What is a Seminar?
   3. The Contributions of Ancient Rome.

Module 2: The Rise of Secular and Religious Power

Topics:
    1. Review
    2. Period Readings Report
    3.The Middle Ages, City States, and Concentrations of Power

Module 3: Humanism and the Medici Family: Cosimo

Topics:
    1. What’s Going on Here? Developments in the Italian Renaissance/Time Lines
    2. Period Readings Report
    3. Humanism Defined and the Medici Family: Cosimo
   
First journal entry due

Module 4: The Growth of Economic Power

Topics:
    1. Review
    2. The Medici Family Evolves
    3. Financial Institutions and the Medici Bank

Module 5: Warriors and Women

Topics:
    1.Period Readings Report
    2. Warrior Princedoms
    3. Renaissance Women

Second journal entry, plus research topic due

Module 6: Lorenzo de' Medici

Topics:
    1. Period Readings Report
    2. Revisit Developments in the Renaissance
    3. Lorenzo as Banker, Leader and Humanist

Third journal entry due

Module 7: Renaissance Art and Architecture

Topics:
    1. Readings Reports
    2. Touring Museums
    3. Art’s Role in the Italian Renaissance

Research Paper outline due

Module 8: Eclipse of the Renaissance Period

Topics:
    1. Period Readings Report
    2. The End of the Renaissance

Fourth journal entry due

Module 9: The Age of Discovery

Topics:
    1. Columbus and the New World
    2. What Happened to Italy?

Fifth journal entry 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?

Research Paper due

To see course due dates, check the Dropbox and course Discussion Board.

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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.

E1:

• Participation in online discussions
• Museum field trip
• Five journal entries on competence themes.

E2:

• Research project of approximately ten pages
• Annotated bibliography.
      

Descriptions of course activities:

Online discussions and activities

Maximum 4 points each

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 SCPS competence domains.  Consistent participation in these activities is required, including regular discussion of course readings.  During our class , students will be responsible for scheduling a field trip to local art museums to locate art from the period and for a report on the visit.  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.

Journal (5 entries of 4 pages each, approximately 20 pages total)

Maximum 6 points each

The journal focuses on the content of our course.  Use the journal 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 and why does it matter?
Journal  #3    Define the "Renaissance person" and provide some examples of Renaissance people then and now.
Journal  #4    Did the Italian Renaissance end? How do you know?
Journal  #5    Who inherited the ideas and discoveries of the Italian Renaissance?

E2 Research Project (Approximately 10 pages, plus an Annotated Bibliography)

Participants in this experience will develop research projects which present some aspect of the renaissance and its relevance to contemporary society.  Competence statements and accompanying research topics are listed below. Learners 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 standard documentation format.  If you have questions about how and when to use citations please see the instructor.

An Annotated Bibliography of no fewer than 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. While it is tempting to use internet sources for information about this material, it is likely that some sources will provide as much misinformation as accurate data. 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.That is, late assignments are limited to grades of C or under.

Final grades will be posted in Campus Connect only.
INCOMPLETE GRADES MUST BE NEGOTIATED WITH FACULTY.

Research Project Outline and Topic Suggestions
The following suggestions 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 and issues that you have chosen for your 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

E2  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. If you have questions about this, discuss them with your instructor.

• E2 Option1: 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 and social values, (political, social, national, community, etc.) in the Renaissance;
  2. Comment on political and economic contributions to the rise of the Renaissance;
  3. What is the relationship between values and culture?
  4. Define the term 'nation' from a Renaissance perspective;
  5. Describe the Italian city states in terms of their historical development;
  6. How might a 15th century Florentine define multiculturalism?

• E2 Option 2: Can define science and technology in the Italian Renaissance, and can compare it to 21st century notions of science technology.
  1. Define science and technology  from a Renaissance perspective;
  2. Describe some of the technological developments of this period and discuss how technology influenced Renaissance life;
  3. Identify and describe the controversies surrounding scientific and technological discoveries in the Renaissance;
  4. Identify the major players in changing the role of scientific inquiry during this period.
  5. Explain how renaissance thinkers regarded science and theology.
  6. Relate these issues to contemporary views of science, religion, and their intersection.

• E2 Option 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.
  
  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. Describe the differences in style and content of medieval and Renaissance art;
  5. Discuss Michelangiolo's impact on later 'artist';
  6. Explain how painting techniques evolved during the Italian Renaissance;
• E2 Option 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.
  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 thinking and discuss what you learned in in producing your art work;
  5. Describe the methods and training experienced by Renaissance artists;
  6. What were the relationships of design, aesthetics, and function in Renaissance art?

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.
• Revise according to instructor suggestions when requested or required.
• As noted above, grading in all discussions will be based on ability to articulate reactions to the questions posed and to link one’s thoughts to the course materials. 
• Late posts or late materials will be downgraded accordingly.

General Assessment Criteria for All Writing Assignments

In addition to being submitted in word, 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 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.

All writing assignments are expected to conform to basic college-level standards of mechanics and presentation.

Consider visiting the Writing Center to discuss your assignments for this course or any others. You may schedule appointments (30 or 50 minutes) on an as–needed or weekly basis, scheduling up to 3 hours worth of appointments per week. Online services include Feedback–by–Email and IM conferencing (with or without a webcam). All writing center services are free.

Writing Center tutors are specially selected and trained graduate and undergraduate students who can help you at almost any stage of your writing. They will not do your work for you, but they can help you focus and develop your ideas, review your drafts, and polish your writing. They can answer questions about grammar, mechanics, different kinds of writing styles, and documentation formats. They also can answer questions and provide feedback online, through IM/webcam chats and email.

Obviously, the tutors won’t necessarily be familiar with every class or subject, but they are able to provide valuable help from the perspective of an interested and careful reader as well as a serious and experienced student-writer.

Schedule your appointments with enough time to think about and use the feedback you’ll receive. To schedule a Face-to-Face, Written Feedback by Email, or Online Appointment, visitwww.depaul.edu/writing

Discussion Forums

Discussion Forums are an important component of your online experience. This course contains discussion forums related to the topics you are studying each week. For requirements on your participation in the Discussion Forums, please see "Course Expectations" in the syllabus.

A Course Q & A discussion forum has also been established to manage necessary, ongoing social and administrative activities. This is where the management and administrative tasks of the course are conducted, and where you can ask 'process' questions and receive answers throughout the course. Please feel free to answer any question if you feel you know the answer; this sharing of information is valuable to other students.

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 one week.   
• 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

College and University Policies

This course includes and adheres to the college and university policies described in the links below:

Academic Integrity Policy (UGRAD)

Academic Integrity Policy (GRAD)

Incomplete Policy

Course Withdrawal Timelines and Grade/Fee Consequences

Accommodations Based on the Impact of a Disability

Protection of Human Research Participants

APA citation format (GRAD)

Additional Course Resources

University Center for Writing-based Learning

SNL Writing Guide

Dean of Students Office

Changes to Syllabus

This syllabus is subject to change as necessary. If a change occurs, it will be clearly communicated to students.

Credits

This course was designed and produced by faculty and staff at SCPS of the School for Continuing and Professional Studies of DePaul University.

© 2017 School for Continuing and Professional Studies, DePaul University. All Rights Reserved by SCPS.