GENT 410/10/22–The Age of Reason (1690-1775)
The course surveys the age of rationalism in Western history based on the philosophies of Leibniz, Locke, Hume, and Berkeley. It also examines the triumph of the bourgeoisie in English politics in the modifications of the social contract theory (which likewise becomes the basis for the American Declaration of Independence) , the beginnings of the novel, movements in the arts, the reaction to all of this in the great Evangelical Movements across Europe and America, and the foundations – in war and economics – for the French Revolution.
Tuesday October 14, 2025
8:45-9:40 Transition from the Baroque and rise of the “Academy,” Gamble
9:40-9:55 Break
9:55-10:50 Eighteenth-century People (Agriculture, Serfdom, and Slavery), Najm
Thursday October 16, 2025
8:45-9:40 Enlightenment Philosophy, Stephanie
9:40-9:55 Break
9:55-10:50 Denis Diderot and The Encyclopedia
Tuesday October 21, 2025
8:45-9:40 The “Rococo” style, Gamble
9:40-9:55 Break
9:55-10:50 The American Revolution, Najm
Thursday October 23, 2025
8:45-9:40 Anton Wilhelm Amo, Stephanie
9:40-9:55 Break
9:55-10:50 Moll Flanders and the Rise of the English Novel, Alan
Tuesday October 28, 2025
8:45-9:40 “Naturalism” in genre scenes and portraiture, Gamble
9:40-9:55 Break
9:55-10:50 The Scientific Revolution, Najm
Thursday October 30, 2025
8:45-9:40 Hume, Stephanie
9:40-9:55 Break
9:55-10:50 The Federalist Papers and the Constitution, Alan
Tuesday November 4, 2025
8:45-9:40 Kant, Stephanie
9:40-9:55 Break
9:55-10:50 Washington’s “Farewell Address”, Alan
Thursday November 6, 2025
8:45-9:40 Dialogue, Team
9:40-9:55 Break
9:55-10:50 Exam on Canvas for those taking for a Grade
