Overview
The Enlightenment is often described as the age of reason, a period of intellectual and moral progress, and the source of modern liberalism, humanism, democracy, and human rights. Some present-day commentators tell us that Enlightenment values are under threat. But what does “Enlightenment values” mean? And how can ideas from the eighteenth century be relevant to us today?
The main text for this course is historian Ritchie Robertson’s magisterial study The Enlightenment: The Pursuit of Happiness 1680–1790. This text is supplemented by primary and secondary source readings and viewing assignments. We take a thematic approach, covering topics such as challenges to established religion; human nature; social and political theories; political revolutions; and human rights. We also consider the Enlightenment’s dark side. The eighteenth century was a period of European empires, colonialism, and transatlantic slavery, which both fostered the Enlightenment and were sometimes supported by Enlightenment ideas.
A central goal of this course is to develop your skills in thinking analytically about historiography, which means both the study and writing of history. History is not written in a vacuum; scholars respond to previous works, bring new perspectives and ask new questions, and engage in debates. Throughout the course, we examine how understandings of the Enlightenment have changed over time.
Outline
Unit 1: Introduction
Unit 2: Changing Knowledge of the World
Unit 3: Religious Toleration
Unit 4: The Religious Enlightenment
Unit 5: Doubts and Dangerous Ideas
Unit 6: Human Nature and Morality
Unit 7: Sociability and Social Settings
Unit 8: Innovation and Public Happiness
Unit 9: Society and Political Economy
Unit 10: Enlightenment Histories
Unit 11: Cross-Cultural Encounters
Unit 12: Theories of Government
Unit 13: Revolutions and Rights
Unit 14: Legacies of the Enlightenment
Learning outcomes
After completing HIST 407, you should be able to:
- Critically assess definitions and interpretations of the Enlightenment.
- Understand and discuss key terms, concepts, and figures of the Enlightenment.
- Understand and contextualize the ways in which the Enlightenment has shaped the modern world.
- Understand and discuss the continued relevance of Enlightenment debates and concerns in the modern world.
- Contextualize and evaluate assigned primary and secondary source materials.
- Understand the role of interpretation in history.
- Reflect critically on your own interpretations.
- Demonstrate scholarly research and analytical and writing skills in assignments.
Evaluation
To receive credit for HIST 407, you must complete all of the assignments, achieve a minimum grade of 50% on the Historiographical Essay, and achieve a course composite grade of at least D (50 percent). The weighting of the course assignments is as follows:
| Activity | Weight |
| Assignment 1: Reflection A | 10% |
| Assignment 2: Chapter Analysis | 15% |
| Assignment 3: Reflection B | 10% |
| Assignment 4: Article Analysis | 15% |
| Assignment 5: Historiographical Essay Outline | 10% |
| Assignment 6: Reflection C | 10% |
| Assignment 7: Historiographical Essay | 30% |
| Total | 100% |
To learn more about assignments and examinations, please refer to Athabasca University’s online Calendar.
Materials
Physical course materials
The following course materials are included in a course package that will be shipped to your home prior to your course’s start date:
Robertson, Ritchie. The Enlightenment: The Pursuit of Happiness 1680–1790. London: Allen Lane, 2020.
Outram, Dorinda. The Enlightenment. 4th ed. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2019.
Other Materials
The course materials include a Study Guide, Course Information, and online reading and viewing materials from the Athabasca University Library linked throughout the course.