Rome, Italy

The Making of Europe: Rise of Civilization

This two-week course will bring you to the heart of Rome, where you will learn about the political, social and religious history behind the Roman Empire, the Middle Ages and the birth of the Renaissance and Baroque. You will study the astonishing Italian accomplishments of the Ancient to early modern era. You will also visit a variety of beautiful ancient sites in the city such as the Pantheon, Colosseum and many more!

During these two weeks we will travel through Roman and Italian history, studying its fascinating political, religious and cultural development in relation to Europe. Beautiful Rome was and is, in various ways, the ancestor of modern Europe: capital of the glorious Roman Empire, Rome rebuilt itself towards the end of the Middle Ages to rival the Florentine Renaissance. It even became the birthplace of the Baroque, with genius artists like Bernini and Borromini.

We will explore the city of Rome, enjoying its remarkable architecture, art and museums, such as the Pantheon, the forums of Caesar and Augustus, the Capitoline museum, the accomplishments of Michelangelo on Saint Peter’s Basilica and the many beautiful early churches like the Santa Prassede. During classes we will treat topics like the Roman Republic and Empire, ancient religion - including the birth of Christianity - and the confusing Middle Ages that were characterized by political and religious strive. After treating the Renaissance and Baroque period, we will even glimpse ahead shortly to Mussolini’s Rome. By the end of this truly interactive course you will have seen some of the most breath-taking highlights of European history and have unravelled the politics behind it!

NB: Wish to combine this course with a course in the Netherlands? This course is part of the track 'Founding Europe: From Antiquity to the 19th Century'. You can even extend this with a course in Berlin, in our track 'The Making of Europe'.

Course leader

TBA

Course aim

At the end of this course, students should be able to:
• Describe and evaluate different theories and conceptualisations of the historic development of Europe, with specific attention for Italy
• Show an understanding of various historic monuments and their relation to historic developments
• Demonstrate an understanding of political, socio-economic and cultural aspects of the European developments
• Demonstrate this critical knowledge and understanding in written and verbal form.

Fee info

EUR 1075: Course + course materials
EUR 600: Housing fee. You will be housed in a hotel for the duration of this course.