Machiavelli (extra credit)

Please read Chapters 15-19 of Machiavelli's The Prince (either pp. 84-104 of the Signet edition or at the link below).

Add a comment or two here giving your impressions of Machiavelli. Try to say something that would help another students trying to prepare on essay on Renaissance achievements.

http://www.fordham.edu/HALSALL/basis/machiavelli-prince.html

Pico Della Mirandola (extra credit)

Renaissance humanists had a very positive view of mankind. They greatly appreciated past human achievements, and had an exceptionally high view of human potential . Read through some of Pico della Mirandola's Oration on the Dignity of Man. Cite a line or two that particular well illustrates Pico's "humanism," i.e., either his appreciation for the past or his optimism about human potential. As an alternative, just cite a line that you particularly like from this work and explain why you like it.

Joan of Arc (extra credit)

There are many fascinating stories connected with the Hundred Years' War and, fortunately for us, some good translations of some of the best source material for this period.  We have, for instance this account of the trial of Joan of Arc.  Read through the selection and note what you find particularly interesting or important.

Boccaccio's account of the Black Death (extra credit)

Read Boccaccio's account of the plague in Florence at the link below. What can you tell about Boccaccio's values and concerns from this account? In what ways might seeing the kinds of things he describes affect his writing and his general view of life?

http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/decameronintro.html

Heloise and Abelard (extra credit)

Choose one or two of the letters of Heloise and Abelard at the link here. What did you find particularly interesting in these letters?  Does anything particularly surprise you?

Muhammad and His Message

I will ask you to read in class a few selections from the Qur'an. That's really not enough to get a good feel for what the book is about.  If you have time, it would be good to pick a few selections to read on your own.

There is an excellent online translations of the Qur'an.  What's nice about this version is that it has a great search function.   You might find it hard to read complete Surahs, though, since this version goes back and forth between English and Arabic.

 You might find it easier to get a feel for the Qur'an by reading one of the Surahs (chapters) in this online translation of the Qur'an.  You might for instance, read through Surah 4 (women).

The Qur'an Surahs are organized according to length from longest to shortest.  If you want something short, you can look at Surah 114.

In addition to the Qur'an, Islam has what's called the Hadith "tradition."  These are teachings of Muhammad gathered after his life.  Browsing through this online version of the Hadith will also help you get a better understanding of Islam.

For extra credit, use the search feature for the online Qur'an and/or the online Hadith. Browse to a topic that interests you and comment on what you learned from reading the passage.  Do you see anything useful in helping you prepare on essay on  Islam as an attractive and compelling religion?

You might search for Noah, Jesus, Abraham, or Mary, noting what the Qur'an says about these figures.  You might also look for extra information on one of the pillars of Islam: faith, prayer, fasting, alms, and pilgrimage--or the almost-sixth pillar, Jihad.

Trojan Women (extra credit)

Please read Euripides' Trojan Women either at the link here or (probably better) in Moses Hadas' Greek Drama (available at the bookstore).

The Greeks regarded the words of their great playwrights as "theopneutos," i.e., God-breathed. Do you agree?  Cite a line or two from the play that might show why the Greeks regarded writers like Euripides as almost equivalent to prophets and explain why you find this line/these lines inspired or inspiring. Do you see here a line worth committing to memory?