The early modern period from 1500 to 1780 is one of the most engaging periods for historical study. Beginning with the upheavals of the Reformation, and ending with the Enlightenment, this was a time of fundamental intellectual, social, religious and cultural change. At the same time, early modern Europe was rooted in and retained many of the customs of medieval times. In this free course, Early modern Europe: an introduction, you will explore some of the fundamental characteristics of this fascinating period of history.
Course learning outcomes
After studying this course, you should be able to:
identify the fundamental features of the early modern period and understand the problems of defining the early modern period
appreciate that there are different approaches to the study of historical periods
understand what evidence we can obtain from historical sources used in the study of early modern Europe.
Excellent: Really dives deep into the subject. It was an era I was only sketchy knowledge of, I have learnt so much on the course. Lots of Activity's to do as well.
This is a great course, a good introduction to the period.
To anyone considering taking the course, you might want to know that the first five sections discuss definitions of when the period starts and ends, what are the boundaries of Europe for the purposes of the course, and how different historians have different interests and interpretations. The real meat of the course is contained in Section 6!
It covers 5 themes, all very interesting, but I missed the inclusion of developments in politics and how literature (Shakespeare etc) contributed to the spread of ideas and knowledge.
Having said that, I would definitely recommend it.