GALILEO'S EUROPE:
Science, Religion & the Florentine Court
Florence University of the Arts - Florence - Italy
Dr Robert A. Hatch - HIS 4956
Summer A - 14 May - 27 June 2010
Working Syllabus

During the Early Modern period, Florence (and Europe more generally) saw dramatic changes in the way scholars, writers, and artists joined the Republic of Letters, a new community that would eventually form the Public Sphere. Florence was the jewel of Renaissance art and learning. Under the eye and aegis of the Medici family Florence enjoyed an international reputation for its High Culture, for its bold contributions to philosophy, science, and the arts, which helped lead the way for Europe in the packaging of ideas for a wider consumer public, not only by means of the printing press (with a flood of books and journals) but through the arts, theatre, and new learned academies. In this Readings Seminar, which is taught in English, we address these issues, along with other topics from popular culture. The key focus of our concern is the transition from Renaissance Humanism to the New Science, and closely related, the role of patronage & the Medici Court and the relationships between Science & Religion, Science & Literature, and Artistic Representation. We also address issues of architecture, city planning, and the politics of state craft. Please note that the course title is a slight misnomer, as our concerns touch on much larger issues. To be clear, we address the history of Florence in the broader context of Italian history and the unfolding of early modern Europe on the eve of the Enlightenment. More specifically, we then aim to assess how Galileo and the Medici court came to represent a pivot point in Florentine and European history, and indeed, how these developments gave shape to modern culture and the modern mind, a new vision of knowledge and democratic polity in the emerging Public Sphere. Key issues include concepts of knowledge, reason, and faith, as well as notions of individual freedom and the public good. Taught as a Readings & Discussion Seminar, this course is based on excellent scholarly works (cultural, intellectual, political) and readily accessible primary historical texts (in electronic format). This is a challenging course and will require individual effort. That said, the course is designed to integrate classroom excellence with unique on-site experiences that will cement classroom abstractions in the daily life of living in Florence.
What is important in a Readings Seminar is that students have an opportunity to read and discuss significant secondary and primary sources, and not least, to conduct original research. This allows students to assess for themselves how scholarly debate and research differ from traditional lectures and standard textbooks. But Florence offers much more. To walk the streets along the Arno, around the Santa Croce, to visit Arcetri where Galileo lived his last days, and to savor Florence's world-famous Institute & Museum of History of Science--these experiences remove the binding of textbooks and classrooms. Florence evokes different times by putting us in place. Properly prepared, students will gain background, detailed insight, and critical reading and writing skills that open avenues of understanding about how Florence helped shape the modern world. The academic center for this Readings Seminar is situated near the heart of the city at the Florence University of the Arts in the historic Palazzo Doni, not far from the Piazza Santa Croce. Like no other, Florence has always been a cosmopolitan city, sophisticated and rich in library and cultural resources yet alive, friendly, and pulsing with simple pleasures. In addition to tours and visits listed below, excursions outside Florence help shape the Seminar experience, and special resources and presentations will be coordinated with the Museo, an international focal point for Galileo and Florentine cultural and social studies. Apply by clicking on this link.
Readings are taken from the following three printed books and additional electronic sources (Please See Below):
Required Books
Pre-departure: Purchase & please make every effort to become familiar with each book before arriving in Florence - Gator Textbooks or Amazon.

J.R. Hale, Florence & the Medici.
James Reston, Jr. Galileo, A Life. (See Overview)
Maurice A. Finocchiaro, The Essential Galileo. (See Overview)

Selected Electronic Sources - Primary Documents
 Clio Electric: Clio Electric: Examples of Primary & Secondary Sources include:
Voltaire - Age of Louis XIV - Science & Learning
René Descartes, Six Metaphysical Meditations
Margaret Cavendish - See Selections Click; Anna Maria van Schurmann, The Learned Lady
Christiaan Huygens, The Celestial Worlds Discovered.
Electronic Help (Very Selective):
The Galileo Project (Van Helden)
Galileo's Telescope (One of many examples from Florence)
The Scientific Revolution HomePage (Hatch)
Clio Electric: Browse & Graze: Clio Electric
Electronic Research Resources - Primary Documents: Click
How to Read Primary Sources: Click
Women of Learning - 17th Century: Click

Recommended Books (For Enthusiasts):
 Mario Biagioli, Galileo, Courtier. (See Overview)
Maurice A. Finocchiaro, The Galileo Affair.
Maurice A. Finocchiaro, Galileo & the World Systems.
Maurice A. Finocchiaro, Retrying Galileo, 1633-1992.
Dava Sobel, Galileo's Daughter.
Course Requirements & Evaluation:

1. Completion & comprehension of assigned readings & participation in class discussions. Attendance is mandatory. All course work must be completed to receive a course grade. Required Reading - Read Prior to Arriving in Florence: Read: What is Expected - What do I Need to Know?
2. Attendance & participation in class discussions; possible unannounced quizzes {Approximately 20%}: Read: How to Survive Seminar Discussions
3. Essay Critiques: Participants will write a Critique for each set of weekly readings, 750 words (3 typed pages). 60% - (Read: How to Write a Critique)
4. Last Essay: Participants will write a Take-Home Essay in response to a question drawing together key themes of this Readings Course. (20%).

Evaluation requirements are straightforward. Please plan your schedule with care. Mantra One: When in doubt: Consult the syllabus; Ask questions; Read ahead. All course requirements must be met to obtain a final course grade. This WebSite contains useful items for students (bibliography, WebLinks, Search Engines, etc.) as well as practical guides for research and writing essays: http://www.clas.ufl.edu/users/rhatch/pages
Excursions, visits, and activities include an introduction to Florence, several guided walking tours, a scheduled visits to the Pitti Palace and to the internationally famous Institute & Museum of History of Science. Other activities in Florence will be announced as arrangements are completed.
PART I:    BACKGROUND - Italy, Florence & the Medici Court:
Foreshadowing Enlightenment

WEEK I: 17-21 May 2010

Florence - Background - Historical & Philosophical
Seminar Orientation: Florence, Worldviews & the Public Sphere
Readings: Hale: Florence & the Medici: Chpts 1-3; 3-6.
Begin Readings for Week II: Reston, Galileo, A Life.
Review: Clio Electric: Clio Electric
See Teaching Resources : Hatch - Study Guide
 Discussion Topic: History of Florence; History of Learning
Friday, Walking Excursion

WEEK II: 24-28 May 2010

Between Humanism & Science - Galileo's Early Life & Career
Readings: Reston, finish: Galileo, A Life.
Begin Readings for Week III, Begin Biagioli: Mario Biagioli, Galileo, Courtier. (See Overview)
 Continue WebSite, Quick Review: Hatch - Study Guide
Discussion Topic: Intellectuals, Science, Religion
Thursdays: Computer Research, Reading, Writing
Friday, Walking Excursion

PART II:    SCIENCE & RELIGION: Primary Sources

WEEK III: 31 May - 4 June 2010

Copernicanism, Galileo & the Telescope - New Worlds
Readings: Finish: Biagioli: Mario Biagioli, Galileo, Courtier. (See Overview)
Begin Readings for Week IV, Finocchiaro, The Essential Galileo. (Selections TBA)
Clio Electric: Clio Electric
Continue WebSite Hatch - Study Guide
Discussion Topic: New Philosophy Calls All in Doubt 
Thursday: Visit
Friday, Walking Excursion

WEEK IV: 7 - 11 June 2010

Galileo & the Scientific Revolution - Myths Old & New
Readings: Continue: Finocchiaro, The Essential Galileo.
Begin Readings for Week V, Continue: Finocchiaro, Essential Galileo.
Clio Electric: Clio Electric (See Bios & Primary Readings)
Continue: Hatch - Study Guide
Discussion Topic: Knowledge, Science, The State
Friday, Walking Excursion

PART III:    THE WAKE OF GALILEO: Primary Sources

WEEK V: 14 - 18 June 2010

Galileo & Rome - Reason, Faith, Politics
Readings:
Read: Finish Finocchiaro, The Essential Galileo. (selections TBA).
Review Previous Readings for Week VI.
Discussion Topic: Science & Religion; Reason & Faith; Knowledge & Belief
Friday Coffee Discussion Group

WEEK VI: 21 - 25 June 2010

In Galileo's Wake: Florence, the Cimento & the Republic of Letters:
Synthesis: Group Seminar Discussion {followed by Cafe Conversation}.
Readings:
Review all Required Readings: Knowledge, Power, Public Intellectuals?.
W: Last Essay Due & Group Open Discussion

Last Group Meeting - Evening Farewell



 


Professor Robert A. Hatch

Dr ROBERT ALAN HATCH - Department of History

Bob Hatch will be teaching Galileo's Worlds: Science, Religion & the Medici Court - which is perhaps a slight misnomer. This course addresses the history of Florence from its founding up to the early Enlightenment while focusing on Galileo's Europe. Bob Hatch has conducted research in Florence for three decades where he has also presented invited scholarly papers. He is intimately familiar with the archive treasures of Italy, particularly in Florence and Rome, as well as the sights and smells that continue to evoke images from the Age of Galileo and the Medici family. If Florence is a metaphor of tradition and transformation, the course aims to expose the excitement of freethinking, the tension that came with the Counter Reformation, and the sense of concern that rocked the world in the wake of the Copernican Revolution and Galileo's Condemnation. What is little discussed by scholars, much less by students in their classrooms, is how dramatic innovations in art, literature, philosophy, and science associated with Florence spread to broader audiences, and how scholars met challenges associated with a radical shift in intellectual, cultural, and social responsibilities. This course takes students to the heart of Florence and the core meaning of 'Study Abroad.' Concerted effort will pay unforgettable academic rewards and life-long memories.



Hatch with Frizzy Hair - Museo - Florence
Florence - 2007

For further information, see the HomePage of the Florence University of the Arts and follow the links, or contact Dr Robert A. Hatch: ufhatch@ufl.edu

To apply, see the application page for the University of Florida in Florence.


Questions? Please e-me: ufhatch@ufl.edu


 
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