| Semester 1 Credit Value: | 20 |
| ECTS Credits: | 10.0 |
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This Special Subject uses the works of one of the greatest minds in the history of political thought, Niccolò Machiavelli (1469-1527), to explore the political, intellectual, and cultural world of Renaissance Florence. Through the lens of Machiavelli’s political tracts, scholarship, plays, letters, and diplomatic texts, we will discover how various political, religious, and social issues informed his position, shaping the radical view he took of the world, a view which had an immense and lasting influence throughout Europe. We will encounter key figures of the period, such as Cesare Borgia, Caterina Sforza, Pope Alexander VI, Girolamo Savonarola, and members of the Medici family, and we will examine the tensions at work in Italy at this time, between city states and the Papacy, and with respect to external threats from France and the Holy Roman Empire. Florentine culture during the Renaissance will also be studied, particularly the importance of humanism, the arrival of print, the role of the genders, and the occupation with questions of morality.
Students will engage with a rich and active historiographical tradition, in which debates concerning the character of Machiavelli, his aims and beliefs, and his ultimate importance, will be confronted different approaches which instead of placing Machiavelli from front and centre broaden that focus to consider the world within which he moved. Students will also engage with a diverse array of sources, encompassing not only Machiavelli’s written works of numerous genres, but also works by his contemporaries, examples of print and scholarship, and images drawn from the rich offerings of Renaissance Florence.
Each week of the module will address a different theme, approached in the first place through Machiavelli, then broadened in order to interrogate this perspective, and determine the forces which informed it. Topics typically covered during this module may include:
• Citizenship and living in a civic society
• Political Power
• Religion
• Gender and morality
• The function of war
• Renaissance Humanism and Print Culture
• The afterlife of Machiavelli
• Knowledge and understanding of the life, works, and thought of Machiavelli
• Knowledge and understanding of the history, culture and society of Renaissance Florence, and its interactions with European events more widely
• A critical awareness of the historiographical debates surrounding Machiavelli
•Engagement with an array of primary sources, and the ability to locate, use, and evaluate said sources
• Enhanced skills of criticism and analysis when approaching primary sources, and the ability to integrate them effectively into broader arguments
• Development of confidence in oracy and debate
• Acquisition of the tools to effectively interrogate dominant historiographical trends, both through the synthesis of different approaches, and through the application of primary evidence
• Improved ability to gather, evaluate, and organise evidence effectively in written formats
| Category | Activity | Number | Length | Student Hours | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guided Independent Study | Assessment preparation and completion | 63 | 1:00 | 63:00 | For two assessment components |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Lecture | 11 | 1:00 | 11:00 | One one-hour lecture p/w |
| Guided Independent Study | Directed research and reading | 41 | 1:00 | 41:00 | Set, recommended and further reading |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Small group teaching | 11 | 2:00 | 22:00 | One two-hour seminar p/w |
| Structured Guided Learning | Structured research and reading activities | 11 | 2:00 | 22:00 | 2 hrs prep tasks per seminar |
| Guided Independent Study | Independent study | 41 | 1:00 | 41:00 | N/A |
| Total | 200:00 |
Lectures will introduce topics with key debates and themes. Seminars encourage independent learning, discussion, and debate, while also guiding students on how to approach primary sources and historiography in a critical and effective manner.
The format of resits will be determined by the Board of Examiners
| Description | Semester | When Set | Percentage | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Written exercise | 1 | M | 30 | 1000 words (including footnotes but excluding bibliography) |
| Essay | 1 | A | 70 | 2500 words (including footnotes but excluding bibliography) |
| Description | Semester | When Set | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oral Presentation | 1 | M | Each student will give a 5-10 minute presentation and provide a handout for that presentation for their peers |
The shorter written exercise will take place during the semester, and will focus on analysis of sources, allowing both the accumulation of understanding and a tool for tracking and informing student progress. The final essay will test both knowledge and understanding, and the students’ ability to synthesise and evaluate the themes studied during the module.
The presentations will, while developing the relevant skill-set for presenting ideas, build up knowledge of how to analyse primary sources.
Study-abroad, non-Erasmus exchange and Loyola students spending semester 1 only are required to finish their assessment while in Newcastle. Where an exam is present, an alternative form of assessment will be set and where coursework is present, an alternative deadline will be set. Details of the alternative assessment will be provided by the module leader.
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Disclaimer: The information contained within the Module Catalogue relates to the 2022/23 academic year. In accordance with University Terms and Conditions, the University makes all reasonable efforts to deliver the modules as described. Modules may be amended on an annual basis to take account of changing staff expertise, developments in the discipline, the requirements of external bodies and partners, and student feedback. Module information for the 2023/24 entry will be published here in early-April 2023. Queries about information in the Module Catalogue should in the first instance be addressed to your School Office.