HIST 633A The Creation of the Middle Ages by the Early Modern World
The Renaissance self-consciously tried to distinguish itself from the 'dark ages' that had preceded it, introducing a new and influential understanding of the European past. But the early modern period could not easily divorce itself from the Middle Ages, even as it often defined itself in relationship to them. This course will consider periodization as applied to both the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, the contest between humanism and scholasticism, the concept of anachronism, transitions in art and architecture, diverging interpretations of Church history, and the practice of history, among other topics.