Intellectual History from Antiquity to the Renaissance
3/4 Honours Course (20 credits)
Course proposers - Hannah Dawson and Thomas Ahnert.
Supporting Material for Course Proposal
A. Rationale
The proposed course would strengthen the School’s teaching in European and British
intellectual history. It would provide students with an understanding of the central
moral philosophical, legal, and political debates of classical antiquity and the
Renaissance and would complement the existing courses on “Republicanism and the
Social Contract” (Hannah Dawson) and “The Scottish Enlightenment” (Thomas
Ahnert). It is also hoped that the proposed course will encourage students to take the
planned MSc in Intellectual History, which will be proposed for entry from the
academic year 2007 - 2008.
B1. Course Aims and Objectives
The aim of the course is to introduce students to the study of intellectual history in
general, and to provide them with an overview of the main debates and currents of
thought in European intellectual history from classical antiquity to the Renaissance.
The main objective is to enable students to develop their analytical and conceptual
skills, in written work, presentations, and seminar discussions. There will be no
overlap with existing courses.
C. Student Intake
The course is aimed at third- and fourth-year students, who have a pass in any first
level historical course or equivalent and any second-level historical course or
equivalent. There will be a minimum of 6 for the course to be viable.
D. Content of the Course
This course will introduce students to the foundations of western intellectual history.
It will begin with an introduction to the main aims and methods of intellectual history.
It will then move from key texts of Antiquity to those of the Renaissance, such as
Plato’s Republic, Augustine’s City of God, Machiavelli’s Prince and Thomas More’s
Utopia. These authors asked fundamental questions such as “what is the good life for
human beings?” and “what is the relationship between the individual and the state,
and between the temporal and spiritual realms?” They developed fascinating theories
of virtue, freedom, and the nature, necessity and dangers of political authority. The
course will explore these authors’ key arguments in their historical contexts. The
themes of the individual seminars would be as follows:
1. Introduction
2. Plato
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3. Aristotle
4. Cicero
5. Augustine
6. Aquinas
7. Dante
8. Marsilius
9. Machiavelli
10. More
11. Bodin
E. Organization of Teaching
The course organizers are Hannah Dawson and Thomas Ahnert. Teaching will be
conducted in seminars of one hour and fifty minutes, which will take place once a
week. Each seminar will include a presentation by students, which will involve the
discussion of primary sources relevant to the topic of the seminar.
F. Student Assessment and Guidance
Students will be required to prepare and give seminar presentations. In addition to
these, all students must submit one essay of c.3,000 words. Students will be required
to sit a two-hour closed-book examination at the end of the academic year.
The essay written during the course will be worth one third of the final mark and the
examination two thirds. All essays and examination scripts will be marked by the
course organiser. They will either be double-marked or be sent to the external
examiner, who can amend any final mark and whose decision is final.
G. Feedback and Evaluation
Students will be able to comment on both the teaching and the content of the course
through a questionnaire issued towards the end of the course. During the course,
students will have the opportunity to provide informal and formal feedback via the
tutor’s office hours and a staff-student liaison committee. Student results as well as
the reports of the external examiner will provide other criteria to assess the course.
H. Resource Requirements
The course will be taught by Hannah Dawson and Thomas Ahnert. No additional
tutors will be required. The Main Library is well provided for the topics under
consideration. The course organizers are in the process of consulting the librarian
Frances Abercromby about resources available and will recommend the purchase of
books with this course in mind. The course would not require contributions to
resources from students. Please also see the appendix for an indicative bibliography
for the course.
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I. Documentation
A calendar entry will be prepared in the usual way. There will be a course booklet in
accordance with standard practices in History.
Dr Hannah Dawson
Dr Thomas Ahnert
February 2006
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APPENDIX
Indicative Bibliography
Primary sources
Aristotle, Politics. Various translations, e.g. trans. B. Jowett, rev. J. Barnes, ed. S.
Everson (Cambridge, 1996) or trans E. Barker (Oxford, 1946; rev. R.F.
Stalley, 1995) or trans. T. Sinclair, ed. T. Saunders (Penguin, 1981).
Aquinas, Political Writings, trans. R. W. Dyson (Cambridge, 2002), or On Law,
Morality, and Politics, 2nd (Indianapolis, 2002).
Augustine, The City of God against the Pagans, trans. R.W. Dyson (Cambridge,
1998), or Concerning the City of God Against the Pagans, trans. H. Bettenson
(Harmondsworth, 1972).
Bodin, Bodin on Sovereignty: Four Chapters from the Six Books of the
Commonwealth, trans. J.H. Franklin (Cambridge, 1992)
Cicero, On Duties, trans. M. Atkins and M. Griffin (Cambridge, 1991)
Cicero, De republica and De legibus, trans. J. Zetzel (Cambridge, 1995) or The
Republic; and, The Laws, trans. N. Rudd (Oxford, 1998)
Dante, Monarchy, ed. P. Shaw (Cambridge, 1996)
Machiavelli, The Prince, ed. Q. Skinner, trans. R. Price (Cambridge, 1988)
Machiavelli, Discourses on Livy, ed. J.C. and P. Bondanella (Oxford, 2003) or ed. B.
Crick (Penguin, 1970)
Marsilius, The Defender of the Peace, trans. Annabel Brett (Cambridge, 2006) or
Defensor Pacis, trans. A. Gewirth (1956, repr. 2001).
More, Utopia, trans. G.M. Logan and R.M. Adams, rev. edn (Cambridge, 2002)
Plato, Republic. Various translations, e.g. G.W.F. Ferrari and M. Griffith
(Cambridge, 2000).
Secondary sources
A. Black, Political Thought in Europe 1250-1450 (1992).
B. Bradshaw, ‘More on Utopia’, Historical Journal, 24 (1981), 1-27
J.H. Burns, ed., The Cambridge History of Medieval Political Thought, c.350-c.1450
(1988)
A.K. Cassell, The ‘Monarchia’ Controversy: An Historical Study (2004)
J.M. Cooper, ‘The psychology of justice in Plato’, American Philosophical Quarterly,
14 (1977), 151-57, repr. in Cooper, Reason and Emotion (1999).
J.H. Franklin, Jean Bodin and the Rise of Absolutist Theory (1973).
N. Kretzmann, A. Kenny, J. Pinborg, E. Stumb, eds., The Cambridge History of Later
Medieval Philosophy (1982)
U. Limentani, ‘Dante’s political thought’, in Limentani, ed., The Mind of Dante
(1965), pp. 113-137
A.A. Long, ‘Cicero’s politics in De officiis’, in Justice and Generosity, ed. A. Laks
and M. Schofield (1995)
R.A. Markus, Saeculum: History and Society in the Theology of St Augustine (1970)
Q. Skinner, Machiavelli (1981; new edn, 2000)
Q. Skinner, The Foundations of Modern Political Thought (2 vols; 1978).
Q. Skinner, ‘Political philosophy’, in C.B. Schmitt and Q. Skinner, eds, The
Cambridge History of Renaissance Philosophy (1988).
Q. Skinner, ‘Sir Thomas More’s Utopia and the language of Renaissance humanism’,
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in The Languages of Political Theory in Early-Modern Europe, ed. A. Pagden
(1987), pp. 123-57; rev. in Skinner, Visions of Politics (3 vols; 2002), vol. II:
Renaissance Virtues, ch. 8.
C. Rowe and M. Schofield, eds, The Cambridge History of Greek and Roman
Political Thought (Cambridge, 2000).
P. Weithman, ‘Augustine’s political philosophy’, in The Cambridge Companion to
Augustine, ed. E. Stump and N. Kretzmann (2001), pp. 234-52
B. Williams, ‘The analogy of city and soul in Plato’s Republic’ in E.N. Lee, ed.,
Exegesis and Argument (1973)
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