Explores the intellectual, social, and political history of women in Renaissance Europe. Despite the overwhelmingly patriarchal nature of early modern society, many women wrote treatises, dialogues, and poetry in which they argued for a broader role for women. Students will examine these primary texts (some by famous figures, others by much less well-known writers) within the context of a burgeoning social history that has provided a more nuanced view of gender relations and power in this period.
Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies