HI3436 Europe Reformed 1540 – 1600

Module Organiser: Dr. Graeme Murdock
Duration: All Year
Contact hours: 3 hours per week
Weighting: 20 ECTS
Assessment: 20% Essay; 80% Examination.

This module examines the impact of ideas about religious reform on sixteenth-century politics, society and culture. It seeks to understand how the Reformation changed European societies by examining the development of Reformed religion between 1540 and 1600. Classes look at the key ideas of Calvinism, its Genevan origins, and its spread across the Continent. Using a range of contemporary texts, this module analyses the impact of ideas which lay at the heart of this movement about God, politics and morality. Did Calvinists think that they alone were predestined to go to heaven? Calvinists often took part in rebellions against royal power, but is an image of Calvinist republicanism justified? Why and how did Calvinists try to tame European society; to stop people swearing in Hungary, ban dancing in France, and curb excessive drinking in Dutch towns? This module will consider whether indeed Calvinism produced a new sort of European citizen, dedicated to hard work and personal discipline, thereby promoting the spirit of modern capitalism.

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this module, students should be able to:

• Explain in detail reformed religion in early modern European societies
• Engage with relevant theoretical and critical approaches to the history of religion
• Critique relevant historiography in the light of study of primary sources
• Undertake an advanced analysis of a wide range of relevant primary sources
• Present verbally analysis of the history of Reformed religion
• Write-up analysis of the impact of different aspects of Reformed religion on early modern European politics, society and culture
• Defend such a synthesis in written and oral presentations.