The Humanistic Tradition I
From the Ancient World to The Reformation

Web Page Links

The Humanistic Tradition (HON 200) is an interdisciplinary seminar in the humanities that introduces mankind’s most enduring creations in art, architecture, literature, thought, and music.  It begins with the invention of civilization in the Near East and concludes with the Protestant Reformation.  Because this time span covers thousands of years of eventful human history, we will encounter, and even then all-too-briefly, only a few of the finest examples of mankind’s achievements.  Owing to the overwhelming importance of Greek civilization, one of the three major roots (the Classical) of our western cultural tradition, for the subsequent history of western art, architecture, literature, and thought, we will give an extended study to this ancient people and the many superlative works conceived and constructed by them.  We will next, after venturing but a passing glance at the Hellenistic era and the “grandeur that was Rome,” focus our attention on the origin, nature, and early history of the Christian religion, the second of our cultural roots (the Judeo-Christian), and on that great medieval civilization, rooted in the culture of the Germanic barbarians (the third of our cultural roots) yet permeated with the spirit of Christianity, that grew up, flourished, and then declined in the thousand years between AD 500 and 1500.  Our semester will conclude with a study of new movements in the arts and in thought that appeared during the Late Middle Ages and that gave birth to the Renaissance and the Reformation, the beginning of modern times.  This course satisfies the UNC Pembroke General Education objective that students "should demonstrate knowledge of, appreciation for, and understanding of the contributions to society of" the arts, literature, history, and ideas.

Selected Web Page Links for HON 200

Web Gallery of Art
http://www.wga.hu/

The WebMuseum (Useful Image Collection)
http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/
Links for HON 200 are up-dated on a regular basis. Please let me know if a link does not work. Suggestions for additional links are welcome. Send them to Robert W. Brown (robert.brown@uncp.edu).

This Page is Maintained by Robert W. Brown
Last Update:  21.VIII.2006

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