Is all history understandable?

Prime Minister Modi is in this country to reset his relationship with the Untes States

Renaissance Exam Study Guide

has been posted under the page entitled, "Exam Study Guides."

Machiavelli Harkness Discusion & Online Videos

Thursday Machiavelli and the New Monarchs Harkness Discussion:  Don't leave the reading of chapters 15-19 (skip ch. 20) and pages 73-77 in Palmer on the New Monarchs until the last minute. It will likely take 90 minutes to work through the readings.  Think about Machiavelli's view of human nature. Is it persuasive?  How does his view impact how he suggests the prince should rule?  Finally, consider how Machiavelli would have viewed each of the New Monarchs discussed in Palmer (and perhaps leaders today). Who likely won his approval?  Who wouldn't?   Below I have posted documentaries below for those absent and/or interested.

Posted is Part 1 of 5 clips (each about 7 minutes) from a documentary on Machiavelli, originally shown on History Channel. You can click on parts 2-5 using the sidebar on the right-side of the screen.

Entire program on Machiavelli (45 minutes) from the British Broadcasting Company (BBC), with scenes included from the original House of Cards (British) series and applied to the government of Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, the first (and only) female prime minister of Great Britain.

More on that Borgia family . . .

http://www.npr.org/2013/06/20/193898148/blood-beauty-capturing-the-ruthless-infamous-borgias-family

Why Machiavelli Still Matters Today (NY Times, Dec. 2013)

This reading is REQUIRED, per the Assigned Work page, and DUE for CLASS THREE this week.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/10/opinion/why-machiavelli-matters.html?_r=0

Three Cheers for Pluralism over Separatism

The next big issue: what will be the future shape of the United Kingdom?

Monday: Renaissance Family

And the Scottish Independence Vote is in . . .

The "no" vote won the day, with 55% of voters voting to stick with the UK and 45% of voters voting to break away.  85% of eligible voters showed up at the polls.  Many (on both sides) have hailed the vote as showcasing the peaceful and legitimate democratic process.  Others have noted the stark difference between this democratic process and that of Russia's "process" in Crimea.  See, for example, http://www.rferl.org/content/why-is-crimea-different-from-scotland-or-kosovo/25296187.html 

Cameron lists all the things Scottish he can think of

Even if the "No" wins, Britain will face wrenching problems with the Union going forward.

See the art work of Charlotte Salomon as she sought refuge from the Nazis in Southern France at the Illinois Holocaust Museum in Skokie through this Friday

Good article by Niall Ferguson on the history of the union between Scotland and England and the dangers of a Yes vote

Renaissance Harkness Discussion (Monday and Tuesday)

Before the sophomores head out for retreat on Wednesday, we are investigating the extent to which history influenced Renaissance values in Southern and Northern Europe.  Make sure you are through pages 301-315 (stop where the spread of the Renaissance begins) of the Perry reading handed out late last week for Monday's class.  And, below are some links to helpful videos since we will cover this period quickly:

Annenberg Learner: The Western Tradition (27 minutes)
Renaissance humanists made man "the measure of all things." Europe was possessed by a new passion for knowledge.  http://www.learner.org/vod/vod_window.html?pid=843

(History Channel) Humanism Triggers the Renaissance (1 min, 20 seconds) 

http://www.history.com/topics/enlightenment/videos/humanism-triggers-the-renaissance?m=528e394da93ae&s=undefined&f=1&free=false

(Crash Course) The Renaissance: Was it a Thing?  (11 minutes, 33 seconds) 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vufba_ZcoR0

(PBS) Magnificent Medici  (55 minutes, begins a series on the family) 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iBlGkTTol9E

Decision Time (September 18): Independent Scotland or reunited United Kingdom?

BALLOT PAPER Vote (X) ONLY ONCE

Do you agree that Scotland should be an independent country?

YES

NO

* This is the real deal ballot (minus a couple squared).  See http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/0038/00386120.gif

Friday's class: Scotland Independence Vote Debate

On Friday, we will have a mini-debate in class on whether Scotland should vote in favor of a referendum for independence of Scotland from the United Kingdom.  Interestingly, Sean Connery (a/k/a James Bond) is in favor of independence, while JK Rowling (a/k/a Harry Potter) is against. Students should focus on different arguments, including for/against politics, for/against economics, for/against culture, for/against societal, and for/against global/international.  

AYE
Transcript of a speech given by Alex Salmonds (first minister of Scotland)
http://www.newstatesman.com/politics/2014/03/alex-salmonds-new-statesman-lecture-full-text

NAY
Transcript of David Cameron's speech from February 2014:
https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/the-importance-of-scotland-to-the-uk-david-camerons-speech

OTHER RESOURCES (both AYE and NAY):

https://drive.google.com/a/ucls.uchicago.edu/file/d/0BznLwNoYB267VFpiWDhSdklQTlk/edit?usp=sharing  (full debate materials)

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/07/opinion/sunday/why-scotland-should-stick-with-britain.html?_r=0  (nay)

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/08/opinion/paul-krugman-scots-what-the-heck.html  (nay)

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/sep/04/scottish-independence-yes-vote-leaner-meaner-scotland (aye)

http://www.theweek.co.uk/uk-news/scottish-independence/55716/pros-and-cons-of-scottish-independence-referendum-countdown (aye and nay)

Wednesday/Thursday Harkness Discussion: How A Revolution Saved An Empire

Please remember to use the sidebar link to subscribe to the blog with your email address.  Next class period, we will ask you to discuss how to apply Manchester's concepts of catena (understanding gleaned from chains of circumstance) and kaleidoscope (historical interpretation) to Michael Rose's article How A Revolution Saved an Empire.  What is Rose's catena?  What is Rose's kaleidoscope?  

Facilitators questions on  How a Revolution Saved an Empire by Michael Rose.