HIST 321 The Enlightenment

What was the Enlightenment? What is it now? This class will look at one of the most important intellectual movements in modern history, centered in 18th century Europe but with ramifications far beyond. You will become familiar with the major ideas of the Enlightenment-ideas of the power of reason, discourse in the public sphere, ideological and religious freedom, etc. You will also learn about the resistance to these ideas in the form of counter-Enlightenment thinkers. We will consider the impact of Enlightenment ideas on historical events, including the revolutions in the U.S., France, and Haiti. The fundamental question of this class, as in all intellectual history classes, is: how do shifts in ideas shape historical change?

Repeatable: N
HI
none
Minimum Credits 3 Maximum Credits 3