Undergraduate Course: Intellectual History from Antiquity to the Renaissance (HIST10197)
Course Outline
| School | School of History, Classics and Archaeology |
College | College of Humanities and Social Science |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 10 (Year 3 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | This course will introduce students to the some of the most famous texts of western intellectual history. It will move from key writings of Antiquity to those of the Renaissance, such as Plato's Republic, Augustine's City of God, Machiavelli's Prince and Thomas More's Utopia. |
| Course description |
A central aim of this course is to introduce students to the study of intellectual history in general. It is also intended as an introduction to several of the most influential texts and currents of thought in European intellectual history, from classical antiquity to the sixteenth century. These authors asked fundamental questions such as 'what is the good life for human beings?', 'what is the relationship between the individual and the state, and between the temporal and spiritual realms?' They developed powerful and fascinating theories about of virtue, freedom, and the nature, necessity and dangers of political authority. The course will explore these ideas in their historical contexts.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | A pass or passes in 40 credits of first level historical courses or equivalent and a pass or passes in 40 credits of second level historical courses or equivalent.
Before enrolling students on this course, Personal Tutors are asked to contact the History Honours Admission Secretary to ensure that a place is available (Tel: 503783). |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | Visiting students should have at least 3 History courses at grade B or above (or be predicted to obtain this). We will only consider University/College level courses. Applicants should note that, as with other popular courses, meeting the minimum does NOT guarantee admission.
** as numbers are limited, visiting students should contact the Visiting Student Office directly for admission to this course **
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| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
| Not being delivered |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- demonstrate, by way of coursework and examination as required, command of the body of knowledge considered in the course;
- demonstrate, by way of coursework and examination as required, an ability to read, analyse and reflect critically upon relevant scholarship;
- demonstrate, by way of coursework and examination as required, an ability to understand, evaluate and utilise a variety of primary source material;
- demonstrate, by way of coursework and examination as required, the ability to develop and sustain scholarly arguments in oral and written form, by formulating appropriate questions and utilising relevant evidence;
- demonstrate independence of mind and initiative; intellectual integrity and maturity; an ability to evaluate the work of others, including peers.
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Reading List
Plato, The Republic, ed. G.W.F. Ferrari, tr. M. Griffith (Cambridge, 2000).
Aristotle, Politics, tr. B. Jowett, rev. J. Barnes, ed. S. Everson (Cambridge, 1996).
Cicero, On Duties, ed. M. Griffin, tr. M. Atkins (Cambridge, 1991).
Augustine, The City of God against the Pagans, tr. R. W. Dyson (Cambridge, 1998).
Thomas Aquinas, Political Writings, trans. R. W. Dyson (Cambridge, 2002)
Dante, Monarchy. Recommended edition: ed. P. Shaw (Cambridge, 1996).
Niccolò Machiavelli, The Prince, ed. Q. Skinner, trans. R. Price (Cambridge, 1988).
Thomas More, Utopia, trans. G.M. Logan and R.M. Adams, rev. edn (Cambridge, 2002).
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Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Not entered |
| Keywords | Antiquity to Renaissance |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Felicity Green
Tel: (0131 6)51 3856
Email: |
Course secretary | Mrs Diane Knowles
Tel: (0131 6)50 3781
Email: |
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