CLS 51 — Dante at 700: His World, Works, and Legacy
Quarter: Spring
Day(s): Tuesdays
Course Format: Live Online (About Formats)
Duration: 9 weeks
Date(s): Mar 30—May 25
Time: 7:00—8:50 pm (PT)
Refund Deadline: Apr 1
Unit: 1
Grade Restriction: No letter grade
Tuition: $445
Instructor(s): Christy Junkerman, Paula Findlen, Emanuele Lugli
Status: Open
Spring
Date(s)
Mar 30—May 25
9 weeks
Refund Date
Apr 1
1 Unit
Fees
$445
Grade Restriction
No letter grade
Instructor(s):
Christy Junkerman, Paula Findlen, Emanuele Lugli
Open
Course Description:
This course celebrates the works, the ideas, and the culture of Dante Alighieri, Italy’s most celebrated writer, on the 700th anniversary of his death in 1321. To honor the structure of Dante’s Divine Comedy, we offer three major themes to explore from three different perspectives, giving us a multidisciplinary appreciation of Dante’s world, works, and legacy. We will explore Dante’s beloved Florence when the city faced unprecedented urban growth, political unrest, and a cultural and artistic awakening, along with other cities in which he found shelter during his painful exile. Then we will explore his major writings in relationship to his experience of his world. We will read some of his most famous poems, including cantos from The Divine Comedy, and compare them to the production of his intellectual network, thus re-examining Dante’s artistic innovations and political intuitions. Finally, we will consider the reasons behind Dante’s instantaneous fame by exploring the books and artworks that, even as a fictional figure, he inspired over the centuries.
The reading for this course will be in English. Please see the syllabus for more details regarding recommended readings.
Weekly Topics:
DANTE'S WORLD
Session 1: "Dante’s Life in the Medieval Cities"
Emanuele Lugli, Assistant Professor of Art History, Stanford
Session 2: "Dante and the Politics of the Inferno"
Maureen Miller, Professor of History, UC Berkeley
Session 3: "Dante's Exile"
Rowan Dorin, Assistant Professor of History, Stanford
DANTE'S WORKS
Session 4: "Dante Gets Underway"
Robert Harrison, Professor of French and Italian, Stanford
Session 5: "Poetic Feet: Why Dante Walks"
Nicholas Jenkins, Associate Professor of English, Stanford
Session 6: "Philosophers Between Heaven and Hell: How Dante Lived Dangerously”
Paula Findlen, Ubaldo Pierotti Professor of Italian History and, by courtesy, of French and Italian Department of Art and Art History, Assistant Professor, Department of Classics, by courtesy, Stanford
DANTE'S LEGACY
Session 7: "Picturing Hell: Dante and the Renaissance Painters"
Christy Junkerman, Lecturer Emerita in Art, San Jose State
Session 8: "Dante’s Afterlife in Text and Image"
Sarah Prodan, Assistant Professor of French and Italian, Stanford
Session 9: "Dante’s Cosmos and Its Interpreters”
Fabio Barry, Assistant Professor, Department of Art and Art History, Assistant Professor, Department of Classics, by courtesy, Stanford
Note: Students may also be interested in the course, "Dante's “Paradiso": A 700th-Anniversary Exploration of The Divine Comedy" with Associate Professor Nicholas Jenkins. For more information, please visit the course page.
COURSE INSTRUCTORS:
This course celebrates the works, the ideas, and the culture of Dante Alighieri, Italy’s most celebrated writer, on the 700th anniversary of his death in 1321. To honor the structure of Dante’s Divine Comedy, we offer three major themes to explore from three different perspectives, giving us a multidisciplinary appreciation of Dante’s world, works, and legacy. We will explore Dante’s beloved Florence when the city faced unprecedented urban growth, political unrest, and a cultural and artistic awakening, along with other cities in which he found shelter during his painful exile. Then we will explore his major writings in relationship to his experience of his world. We will read some of his most famous poems, including cantos from The Divine Comedy, and compare them to the production of his intellectual network, thus re-examining Dante’s artistic innovations and political intuitions. Finally, we will consider the reasons behind Dante’s instantaneous fame by exploring the books and artworks that, even as a fictional figure, he inspired over the centuries.
The reading for this course will be in English. Please see the syllabus for more details regarding recommended readings.
Weekly Topics:
DANTE'S WORLD
Session 1: "Dante’s Life in the Medieval Cities"
Emanuele Lugli, Assistant Professor of Art History, Stanford
Session 2: "Dante and the Politics of the Inferno"
Maureen Miller, Professor of History, UC Berkeley
Session 3: "Dante's Exile"
Rowan Dorin, Assistant Professor of History, Stanford
DANTE'S WORKS
Session 4: "Dante Gets Underway"
Robert Harrison, Professor of French and Italian, Stanford
Session 5: "Poetic Feet: Why Dante Walks"
Nicholas Jenkins, Associate Professor of English, Stanford
Session 6: "Philosophers Between Heaven and Hell: How Dante Lived Dangerously”
Paula Findlen, Ubaldo Pierotti Professor of Italian History and, by courtesy, of French and Italian Department of Art and Art History, Assistant Professor, Department of Classics, by courtesy, Stanford
DANTE'S LEGACY
Session 7: "Picturing Hell: Dante and the Renaissance Painters"
Christy Junkerman, Lecturer Emerita in Art, San Jose State
Session 8: "Dante’s Afterlife in Text and Image"
Sarah Prodan, Assistant Professor of French and Italian, Stanford
Session 9: "Dante’s Cosmos and Its Interpreters”
Fabio Barry, Assistant Professor, Department of Art and Art History, Assistant Professor, Department of Classics, by courtesy, Stanford
Note: Students may also be interested in the course, "Dante's “Paradiso": A 700th-Anniversary Exploration of The Divine Comedy" with Associate Professor Nicholas Jenkins. For more information, please visit the course page.
COURSE INSTRUCTORS:
Christy Junkerman, Lecturer Emerita in Art, San Jose State
Christy Junkerman, a specialist in Italian Renaissance art, has taught several courses for Stanford Continuing Studies and UC Berkeley, and recently retired from the School of Art and Design at San Jose State where she taught art history and coordinated the writing program. She received a PhD in art history from UC Berkeley.Paula Findlen, Ubaldo Pierotti Professor of Italian History; Director of the Patrick Suppes Center for History and Philosophy of Science, Stanford
Paula Findlen’s many publications include Leonardo’s Library: The World of a Renaissance Reader, which accompanied an exhibition in Stanford’s Green Library (May–December 2019). She received the Galilei Prize in 2016 and is a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. She received a PhD from UC Berkeley.Emanuele Lugli, Assistant Professor of Art History, Stanford
Emanuele Lugli teaches and writes about late medieval and early modern art. He is the author of two monographs, The Making of Measure and the Promise of Sameness and Unità di Misura: Breve Storia del Metro in Italia. He received a PhD from the Institute of Fine Arts, New York University.Textbooks for this course:
There are no required textbooks; however, some fee-based online readings may be assigned.