HIST 259 - Special Topics in European History

THE TITLE OF THIS SEMINAR FOR SPRING 2021 (SEC. 01) IS: CRIME AND PUNISHMENT IN EARLY MODERN EUROPE: 1450-1800

Studying what actions were criminalized and how such crimes were punished can tell us a great deal about the early modern world, from its values, to the reach of church and state, to the gap between official ideals and those of the people. This course will look at crime and punishment across Europe and its colonies from 1450 to 1800. We will examine legal and carceral systems established by both church and state as they changed over this period and focus on crimes such as murder, witchcraft, rape, infanticide, and rebellion, as well as shifting ideas about those who committed them. Finally, where possible, we will consider the ways in which judicial systems then, as now, treated different populations differently by social status, race, religion, sex, and gender.

Prerequisites: