Inventing Modern Man: Constructions of Mind, Body, and the Individual, 1400-1800

Module title	Inventing Modern Man: Constructions of Mind, Body, and the Individual, 1400-1800
Module code	HIH2137A
Academic year	2024/5
Credits	30
Module staff	Dr Hester Schadee (Convenor)

Duration: Term	1	2	3
Duration: Weeks		10

Number students taking module (anticipated)	36

Module description

You probably think you know what it means to be human – but historically, understandings of the self, body, mind, and soul have varied considerably. This module investigates the various and competing notions of ‘man’ and ‘woman’ from the late middle ages to the enlightenment. You will learn how early modern people believed themselves guided by stars, humours, demons; how they debated free will and man’s natural condition; how they dissected the body, and reformed their souls. Through the prism of man, you will familiarise yourself with developments in early modern scholarship, science, medicine and religion, and reconstruct how historical actors viewed themselves.

Module aims - intentions of the module

This module investigates the various and competing notions of ‘man’ and ‘woman’ from the late middle ages to the enlightenment. The module aims to:

Examine the historical period through the prism of man, the module familiarises students with developments in the cultural, religious and intellectual history of early modern Europe
Examine historical disciplines and fields of enquiry, and their sources and methodologies
Introduce you to the history of science and medicine, the study of emotions, the body and childhood, to fields such as theology, art history, and literary analysis, and to approaches such as gender and race
Enhance skills in interpreting, discussing, and orally presenting primary sources
Introduce a range of primary sources, and teach you to read them productively, and to discuss and present them in a group setting
Enhance skills in independently selecting and processing secondary sources
Enhance academic writing skills

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

ILO: Module-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

1. Identify the major developments in early modern notions of man and woman
2. Contextualise these with reference to contemporary cultural, religious and intellectual history
3. Appraise in detail the primary sources and questions focused on in oral and written presentations

ILO: Discipline-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

4. Read independently and productively primary sources regarding early modern cultural, religious and intellectual history
5. Select and process secondary sources relevant to early modern cultural, religious and intellectual history
6. Recognise trends and approaches in early modern historiography, and be alert to the subjectivity of historians

ILO: Personal and key skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

7. Actively participate in seminar discussions and orally present own research to a group
8. Define a question, locate sources, conduct research, and present research in clear and cogently reasoned writing
9. Manage time and preparation so as to deliver required outcomes to a deadline

Syllabus plan

Whilst the content may vary from year to year, it is envisioned that it will cover some or all of the following topics:

Late Middle Ages: the soul and the body in fifteenth-century devotion and medicine
Renaissance: humanism’s rediscovery of ancient man; the dignity of man; self-fashioning
Reformation: free will and predestination in Luther and Calvin; witchcraft and demonic possession in popular culture
Scientific Revolution: anatomical dissection; dualism of mind and body; and the body as machine
Enlightenment: equality, race, and slavery; the discovery of childhood

Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)

Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities	Guided independent study	Placement / study abroad
40	260	0

Details of learning activities and teaching methods

Category	Hours of study time	Description
Scheduled Learning and Teaching	10	10 x 1-hour lectures
Scheduled Learning and Teaching	20	10 x 2-hour seminars
Scheduled Learning and Teaching	10	10 x 1-hour workshops
Guided Independent Study	260	Reading and preparation for seminars and assessment

Formative assessment

Form of assessment	Size of the assessment (eg length / duration)	ILOs assessed	Feedback method
Written assignment proposal	500 words or equivalent	1-9	Oral and/or written, as appropriate

Summative assessment (% of credit)

Coursework	Written exams	Practical exams
70	0	30

Details of summative assessment

Form of assessment	% of credit	Size of the assessment (eg length / duration)	ILOs assessed	Feedback method
Group Presentation	30	30 minute live, group presentation, + supporting materials; also evidenced by reflective coversheet (1-2 sides A4)	1-9	Written
Written Assignment	70	3000 words	1-9	Written
	0
	0
	0
	0

Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)

Original form of assessment	Form of re-assessment	ILOs re-assessed	Timescale for re-assessment
Group presentation	750-word-equivalent recorded presentation with other materials as standard; if not possible, then 750-word script for presentation with other materials as standard	1-9	Referral/Deferral period
Written assignment	Written assignment	1-9	Referral/Deferral period

Re-assessment notes

The re-assessment consists of a 3000-word written assignment, as in the original assessment, but replaces participation in the group presentation with an individual presentation equivalent to an individual’s contribution, to be recorded and submitted with all supporting materials as for the original assessment; failing this, students should submit a written script that could be delivered in such a presentation (750 words) along with all supporting materials as for the original assessment.

Deferral – if you miss an assessment for certificated reasons judged acceptable by the Mitigation Committee, you will normally be either deferred in the assessment or an extension may be granted. The mark given for a re-assessment taken as a result of deferral will not be capped and will be treated as it would be if it were your first attempt at the assessment.

Referral – if you have failed the module overall (i.e. a final overall module mark of less than 40%) you will be required to submit a further assessment as necessary. If you are successful on referral, your overall module mark will be capped at 40%.

Indicative learning resources - Basic reading

Late Middle Ages

Wallis, F., ed. (2010) Medieval Medicine: A Reader [C15] Toronto: U of Toronto Press
Nutton, V. (1995) 'The medieval body', in The Western Medical Tradition , eds Conrad, L., M. Neve, V. Nutton, R. Porter, and A. Wear. Cambridge and New York, pp. 175-183

Renaissance

Pico della Mirandola (2012), Oration on the Dignity of Man [1486] : A New Translation and Commentary, eds F. Borghesi, M. Papio, M. Riva. New York: Cambridge U Press
Eden, K. (2012) The Renaissance Discovery of Intimacy . Chicago/London: U of Chicago Press

Reformation

Erasmus (2012), ‘The Freedom of the Will’ [1524], and Martin Luther ‘The Bondage of the Will’ [1525], in The Battle over Free Will , ed. C. Miller. Cambridge: Hackett Publishing
Clark, S. (1997) Thinking with Demons. The Idea of Witchcraft in Early Modern Europe . Oxford: Oxford U Press

Scientific Revolution

Andreas Vesalius (1952) On the Human Brain [1543], ed. C. Singer. London: Oxford U Press
Cottingham, John (2005) 'The Mind-Body Relation', in Blackwell Guide to Descartes' Meditations , ed. S. Gaukroger. Oxford: Blackwell, 2005, pp. 179-193

Enlightenment

Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1979) Emile, or On Education [1762], tr. A. Bloom. New York: Basic Books
Cunningham, H. (2006) The Invention of Childhood , ch. 3, 'The Eighteenth Century'. BBC Books, pp. 109-121

Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources

ELE – https://vle.exeter.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=11604

Key words search

Early modern history, cultural history, intellectual history, history of medicine, religion, renaissance, reformation, scientific revolution, enlightenment, individual, body, mind, soul, gender

Credit value	30
Module ECTS	15
Module pre-requisites	None
Module co-requisites	None
NQF level (module)	5
Available as distance learning?	No
Origin date	23/06/2014
Last revision date	30/01/2023