Great Thinkers and Creators of the Early Modern Era

We were all born to create; the desire to do so is one of the deepest yearnings of the human soul. Throughout history, individuals have risen above doubts and criticisms to create things that have progressed humanity. Their impact can still be felt today. Beginning with the invention of the printing press, we will meet the thinkers and creators who stepped up to define the Age of Exploration, the Renaissance, the Reformation, the Scientific Revolution, and the Enlightenment.

While we dig into the history, we will explore how the culture shaped the individual, look at their lives and discuss how they overcame personal struggles (or didn’t), and leaned into their strengths to do their great good. We will discuss the moral gray areas and challenges that the individuals faced, and how it parallels what we might face today. We will play with art, music, science, math, and more to gain a better understanding of what they created and why it matters. Armed with what we discover, we will also take a deeper look at our own curiosities and how we can be inspired to do the next right thing, even in the midst of our own challenges and successes.

Students will be invited to participate through: weekly journal prompts, writing assignments and debates, book discussions, presentations and projects, along with optional memorization challenges.

Class Outline:

• Unit 1: Expanded World Views through Literacy and Exploration (~ 4-6 weeks)
• • Impact of Literacy
  • Navigation Advancements
  • Expansion of Geographical Knowledge
  • World Religions

• Unit 2: Independent Thinking and the Ethical Dilemmas (~ 2-3 weeks throughout the year)
  • Shift from Religious Leadership to Secular Thinkers
  • Rebellions

• Unit 3: Advances in Mathematics and Science (~ 6-8 weeks throughout the semester)
• • Anatomy and Physiology
  • Astronomy, Inertia, and Planetary Motion
  • Physics and the Laws of Motion
  • Probability and Statistics
  • Chemistry and the Periodic Table

• Unit 4: Movements in Music and Art (~ 8-10 weeks throughout the year)
  • Early and High Renaissance: 1490-1520 Italy, then northern Europe
  • Mannerism: 1520-1600 Florence and Rome
  • Baroque: 1600 Europe
  • Neoclassicism: 1700-1800 Europe and America
  • Rococo: 1700 France
  • Classical: 1700 Greece and Rome
  • Romanticism: 1750-1800 France, Britain, and America

• Unit 5: Enlightened Thinking and Advances in Philosophy (~ 3 weeks)
  • The Philosophical Method
  • Rationalism vs. Imperialism
  • Modern Philosophers
  • How to Break Apart Ideas