Summer Humanities Institute - The World of Niccolò Machiavelli: Power, Authority, and Representation in Renaissance Italy 

Niccolò Macchiavelli (1469-1527) grew up in one of the vibrant centers of humanistic investigation and artistic creativity. By digging into both earth and archives, Greek and Roman pasts were being recovered, reconstructed, and utilized, offering people new models of speaking, thinking, and visual representation. Over time an increasingly independent and fruitful dialogue with the ancient world emerged. No one engaged more vigorously in this dialogue with the past than Machiavelli as he reflected on and challenged ideas about political rule and community using the evidence of the ancients. In this course, after laying a common foundation of knowledge about Renaissance Italy, we will explore the analyses of Machiavelli and others (men and women) of the forms and functions of power in his world. We will watch as they use classical antiquity and contemporary history as different, but equally useful, tools with which to understand the force fields of authority, influence, and violence that surrounded them. What was power? What was authority? How were they gained and lost? What role did wealth, religion, gender, social status, and appearances play in the ability of individuals and groups to act? And what did those who wielded power (or wanted to) have to learn from the past? Throughout the course, students choosing history as their primary field will pursue individual research projects culminating in an extended research essay that they craft in consultation with the professor and an academic poster presentation based on this research. A $500 (included in cost) deposit is due with each general admission application. The remaining balance of $3,100 is due on of before the start of the program. If you are not offered admission into SCSI, the $500 tuition deposit will be returned to you. For accepted students, the tuition deposit is non-refundable. Please see the cancellation policy for further details.