History of Humanism

Teacher(s)

Guiderdoni Agnès; Smeesters Aline;

Language

French

Prerequisites

Prerequisite : basic knowledge of modern history.

Main themes

The lecture course is tailored to a diverse audience; we shall either examine essential themes (the book, the Reformation, the Great Discoveries, education, the return to Antiquity, etc.), or illustrious personalities (Petrarch, Poliziano, Erasmus, etc.), which will reveal different facets of humanism: a movement that sought to come to terms with the important transformations in what one knew about the world and the human being. The course will likewise show humanism's contribution to the different areas that now make up the Faculty of Philosophy, arts and Letters (history, philology, literature, art, etc.).

Aims

At the end of this learning unit, the student is able to :
1	Specifically, humanism designates the intellectual movement that restructured the image of the world and the conception of the human being in the Renaissance. The aim of the course is to study the elements that allowed and favored the emergence of such a movement, and to study the ways in which this movement attained a lasting influence.

The contribution of this Teaching Unit to the development and command of the skills and learning outcomes of the programme(s) can be accessed at the end of this sheet, in the section entitled “Programmes/courses offering this Teaching Unit”.

Content

After addressing some terminological issues (what is meant by "humanism" and "Renaissance"), the course will start with a chrono-geographical survey outlining the main stages of humanism in the leading European countries. Several modules will then focus on a range of concrete issues and important concepts attached to the definition of humanism: for example, humanisme and the use of Latin, humanist pedagory, religious issues, the development of exact sciences, humanist philology, Neo-Latin and vernacular literatures. Some specialised lecturers will also be invited.
Lastly, the notion "humanism" will be put into question in the light of the most recent research, which enable a new definition and a new undertanding of the field.

Teaching methods

The lecture will be given in turn by the two teachers. Several additional speakers will be invited to present some specialized issues.

Evaluation methods

A written exam (3 hours) with multiple-choice questions (1/3 of the score) and an open question about a document.

Other information

Course materials : a selection of reading material and a basic bibliography will be given at the beginning of the course.

Faculty or entity

FIAL