UHC Western European History II
Scientific Revolution and the Enlightenment

Week #1

You will get an email from me before the Class begins.  I would like you to read the Preface and "What is the West?" pp. 3-8 before you come to the first class. If you can get a head start also on the readings for the first week of class.

August 26:  We will jump right into the class and begin a discussion of the physical and intellectual structure of Europe going into the period of the Enlightenment.

• Read for Thursday:

  • pp. 335-353 in Textbook on the Scientific Revolution

  • The Scientific Revolution - Very Short

  • pp. 387-399 in Textbook on the Enlightenment

    • "The Enlightenment"

    • The "Philosophes" - Short synopsis

• http://www.historyguide.org/europe/lecture1.html and read only till the paragraph that begins with "By 1848, a revolutionary year throughout Europe."
• Watch for fun:  Tonio-K "Funky Western Civilization" - Deals with the contradictions we will be dealing with in class about Western Civilization.
  • Lyrics

Print out, read and keep:

• Recommended Reading and/or browsing:

  • The Case of England 

  • The Eighteenth Century

  • Age of Enlightenment - in French paintings. (From the Louvre)

August 28:  We will begin our discussion of the Scientific Revolution and The Enlightenment and how these led to the "Age of Revolution." We will watch a segment from Monty Python and the Holy Grail in class looking at the beginning of the breakdown of the "Old Order" in Europe.

Arthur repressing Dennis
(The text of the argument)

Assignments for Next Week:

• Due on the 4 September. Write a two page paper on one of the following:

  •  What you consider to be the most important event in Western European history and why you believe that.

  • Read and analyze Regis Debray's article: "The French Lesson"

  • Read and analyze David Brin's "We Hobbits are a Merry Folk."

• Read:

  • The Age of the French Revolution in Textbook (Chapter 19) pp. 401-421 for next Thursday.

    • Downloadable PowerPoints:

      • The Age of the French Revolution

    • Textbook Chapter Summary from AB Longman (Student Resources)

    • http://wps.ablongman.com/long_levack_west_2/0,11592,2899198-,00.html

• Print out and keep

  • Notes on the Enlightenment and the French Revolution - PDF

  • Time Line of the French Revolution.

    • Bookmark this site so you can go back for information and also print this out for reference.