History 450 - JYW Seminar in History

This seminar trains students in historical research techniques and the writing of history, and fulfills the University's Junior Writing requirement. See the History Department course description guide for various sectional sub-titles and descriptions.

Open to Seniors and Juniors in History, Middle East and Judaic majors only. The Enlightenment in Europe and America
This Junior Year Writing Seminar focuses on politics, philosophy, and literature in the eighteenth century. Major figures covered include Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, Baron Montesquieu, Voltaire, Adam Smith, Olaudah Equiano, Mary Wollstonecraft, and Immanuel Kant. Students will read works by these authors as well as competing scholarly interpretations of the era. What is the relationship between the Enlightenment and the revolutions of the late eighteenth century? Did the Enlightenment critique of religion have the effect of secularizing European and American culture? How did the French Enlightenment differ from the Enlightenment in America? Why do scholars and political leaders still consider the Enlightenment to be important? In accordance with guidelines for all Junior Year Writing courses in the History department, students will write a research paper of 18-20 pages.