HON 315 - Power and Imagination in the Italian Renaissance

Prerequisite, acceptance to the University Honors Program. The European Renaissance marked a time of a heightened quest for truth in different fields and of a conscious and deliberate attempt to change the way people thought and acted in the world. During this revolutionary period, Italy served as the crucible for the formation of new ideals as well as a new understanding of the role the intellectual and artist should play in society, considering class, gender, and religious differences. By analyzing and contextualizing a variety of representative texts-including poetry, visual arts, and scientific and political treatises-students will examine the complex relationship between art, imagination and power dynamics. The emphasis will focus upon epoch-making thinkers and artists, including Machiavelli, Da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Galileo. Letter grade. (Offered as needed.) 3 credits