European Renaissance

The CIVIS course on European Renaissance attempts to respond to the objective of contributing to the restoration of civic life in the European academic culture after months of uncertainty and fragility imposed upon us by the coronavirus pandemic. It will therefore focus on the variety of shifting modes that emerged, at the beginning of the Early Modern period in Europe, as a cultural response to the economic and social demands upheld on the European community by modern epidemics, in terms of faith, social roles, political forms, aesthetic experiences etc.

This course has a strong interdisciplinary perspective, from philosophy to religion, from literature and linguistics to figurative arts and music; from history and historiography to social and natural sciences. 

The European Renaissance course stems from the rediscovery of antiquity and the geographical and intellectual expansion of civic life: it encompasses the very heart of the European cultural tradition and it is essential as a founding moment of our cultural heritage. A reassessment of the European Renaissance seems just necessary in today’s Europe, as a basis to rebuild our cultural foundations both in terms of its internal dynamics, as in view of the cultural and geographical links between the European mainland, the Mediterranean Sea, the Americas.

Main topics addressed

• Art and Literature
• Epic and Lyrical Poetry
• Politics and Society
• Religion and Philosophy
• History of Printing
• Travelling and Intercultural relations
• History and Historiography
• Humanistic Philology

Learning outcomes

The course offers a concentrated educational experience over a short period of time, promoting the exchange of knowledge, ideas and discussions on the European Renaissance, in collaboration with Spanish institutions such as the Prado Museum, or the Círculo de Bellas Artes.