This program offers you an in-depth and interdisciplinary study of the Renaissance (roughly 1350-1650), one of the most critical periods in European and world history, when changes in art and literature, social and political development, technology and science transformed European concepts of the individual, society and the world. Renaissance Studies is interdisciplinary in nature and comparative in approach, and brings together content and faculty from history, literary studies, philosophy, economics, and art history. Taught primarily in small, discussion-driven seminars, Renaissance Studies classes consider an exciting array of material including Michelangelo’s art, Machiavelli’s political ideas, Shakespeare’s sonnets, the history of gender and sexuality, and the origins of modern science. No other program in Canada provides such a unique opportunity to develop a variety of disciplinary skills in the focused analysis of a single historical period.
Program Contacts
Professor Jennifer DeSilva
Program Coordinator
jennifer.desilva@utoronto.ca
Chris de Barros
Academic Programs Liaison Officer
vic.academics@utoronto.ca
Program Details and Requirements
Renaissance Studies takes an interdisciplinary approach to a foundational period in European and global history, integrating material from a range of different disciplines into the coherent assessment of a seminal moment in time. The program is therefore particularly attractive to students of history, politics, literature, fine art, history of science, music and theatre.
Program Requirements | Specialist, Major, and Minor
The Renaissance Studies program offers you the opportunity to complete a Specialist, Major, or Minor. For detailed program requirements, please follow the link below.
EDI Resources
Equity, Diversity, Inclusion Resources for Renaissance Studies