HIS32440 Florence 1400-1530

Academic Year 2024/2025

Florence is one Europe’s greatest cities and the birthplace of the artistic and cultural movement known as the Renaissance. Although a relatively unimportant centre until the thirteenth century it thereafter grew rapidly in size, wealth, power and prestige. This expansion was based on a thriving economy dominated by the textile industry, commerce and banking. Despite a decline following the devastating Black Death (1348) by the early fifteenth century Florence had become one of the leading city-states in the politics of the Italian peninsula during together with other large states such as Milan, Venice, Naples and the Papacy. At this time one of the city’s great banking families - the Medici - became rulers of the city in all but name, firstly under Cosimo il Vecchio (1434-64), and then his son Piero (1464-69) and grandson Lorenzo ( 1469-92), known as 'the Magnificent'. Art and architecture flourished under Medici patronage and Florence became the leading centre of the Italian Renaissance. However, following French and Spanish invasions of Italy in the late fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries, the political importance of the city declined. The Medici were expelled and papal Rome surpassed Florence as cultural and artistic centre. The Florentine republic was revived episodically between 1494 and 1512, an era associated with such famous figures as Savonarola and Machiavelli, and again more briefly in the late 1520s, before the Medici returned to rule as Dukes of Tuscany. The module will study Florence in its heyday, paying particular attention to themes such as the tension between republicanism and family power; changes in social structure and class consciousness; factionalism and conflict; territorial expansion, war and municipal patriotism; commerce and banking; civic humanism and education; the writing of history and the shaping of the past; ecclesiastical organisation and popular piety; trends and symbolism in the private and public patronage of art, architecture and literature.

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Curricular information is subject to change

Learning Outcomes:

On completion of the module students should be able to:
- Demonstrate familiarity with and understanding of the principal events of Florentine history in the Renaissance.
- Critique relevant primary sources in translation.
- Identify themes and engage with debates in the modern historiography of Florence.
- Demonstrate knowledge of the spatial development of Florence in the period studied and of the significance of the principal buildings and monuments of the city.
- Participate effectively and contribute knowledgably to class discussions .
- Produce in-depth and scholarly written work on an aspect of Florentine history.

Student Effort Hours: 
Student Effort Type Hours
Specified Learning Activities

70
Autonomous Student Learning

100
Lectures

11
Seminar (or Webinar)

22
Total

203
Approaches to Teaching and Learning:
This is a small-group seminar-based module. It is taught through a one-hour weekly lecture and a two-hour seminar. The lecture provides an overview of the week's topic and provides context for the material studied in the seminar. The seminar is based around in-class discussion of primary sources, online Discussion Boards on Brightspace and peer review. The module is assessed through a weekly learning journal and a end of trimester essay (3000 words). Autonomous student learning is encouraged in tandem with instructor mentoring of both assessment components. 
Requirements, Exclusions and Recommendations

Not applicable to this module.


Module Requisites and Incompatibles
Not applicable to this module.
 
Assessment Strategy  
Description Timing Component Scale Must Pass Component % of Final Grade In Module Component Repeat Offered
Reflective Assignment: A reflective journal (400 words) submitted weekly on the VLE that provides a comment on the source material studied in class. Students must submit a minimum of eight journals. Week 1, Week 2, Week 3, Week 4, Week 5, Week 6, Week 7, Week 8, Week 9, Week 10, Week 11, Week 12 Graded No

40

 No
Participation in Learning Activities: Participation in class discussion, group work and online post on the VLE. Week 1, Week 2, Week 3, Week 4, Week 5, Week 6, Week 7, Week 8, Week 9, Week 10, Week 11, Week 12 Graded No

20

 No
Assignment(Including Essay): An essay 3000 words. Students will have the opportunity to have input into the list of essay titles available. Week 14 Graded No

40

 No

Carry forward of passed components
No
 
Resit In Terminal Exam
Spring No
Please see Student Jargon Buster for more information about remediation types and timing. 
Feedback Strategy/Strategies

• Feedback individually to students, on an activity or draft prior to summative assessment
• Feedback individually to students, post-assessment
• Peer review activities

How will my Feedback be Delivered?

- Feedback on Learning Journals given online in VLE and through one-to-one meetings by appointment throughout the semester. - Feedback of draft assignments prior to summative assessments given online in VLS and through one-to-one meetings by appointment. - Peer review of essays ( consultation on essay titles and group work on essay plans) is conducted in class.