ARTH 398 - The Early Modern City: “Theater of the World”

An examination of the idea of the city—as material fabric of civic identity, artistic center, and hub of international exchange—in the early modern era (1400-1750) with a focus on five urban centers: Rome, Venice, Amsterdam, Constantinople (Istanbul), and Tenochtitlan (Mexico City). As today’s global cities like New York, Singapore, Dubai, and, indeed, Mexico City continue to explode in population and their importance on the global stage, this course will allow students to look back at the historical place of cities in the global early modern era. Students will study topics such as city planning and urban projects; planned and ideal cities; civic festivals; public spaces and urban monuments; maps, atlases, and city views; and pilgrimage and travel to cities. Ultimately, we will ask how the urban fabric of early modern cities shaped human activity.

Credits 1