The University of Texas at Tyler

Summer Semester II, 2009

HIST 5356 Seventeenth Century Europe
Professor Edward Tabri
903/566-7322 or etabri@uttyler.edu
Office Hours: M-H, 3:30-4:30
Course Overview and Student Learning Outcomes:
This course is an examination of the contemporary secondary literature on European history during the
seventeenth century. Our focus this semester will be on statesmen and statecraft but we will also consider
related topics such as the Thirty Years War, the Great Rebellion in England and the golden age of the Dutch
Republic. Students should come away from the course with a refined understanding of these topics, their
importance and the controversies evident in current scholarship about them. A general background
knowledge of the period is assumed. For review of the chronology and main issues, you may wish to
consult a good undergraduate textbook, such as that by D.H. Pennington In addition to introducing some of
the current scholarly work on this topic, the course is also intended to sharpen your reading, analytical and
writing skills.
Course Requirements and Grading Policy:
Your grade will be based on your written reviews of each of the books we are reading, along with oral
presentations of selected articles. Papers should analyze the authors thesis, sources and evidence,
methodology and perspective. They should be roughly 4-6 pages in length. Late papers will not be
accepted. Attendance and participation are mandatory.
Four written book reviews = 80% of course grade
Four oral presentations of articles = 20% of course grade
The articles are from JSTOR and the lists of choices will be distributed separately. Each student will
choose one article from each of four lists relating to supplemental topics.
Final Withdrawal Date: Friday, July 31
Required Books:
Lockyer, James VI and I
Knecht, Richelieu
Goubert, Louis XIV and Twenty Million Frenchmen
Cracraft, The Revolution of Peter the Great
Calendar of Meetings and Assignments:
Monday, July 13: Introduction
Thursday, July 16: Discussion of H. R. Trevor-Roper, The General Crisis of the
Seventeenth Century, Past and Present 16 (1959), 31-64.
Monday, July 20: Discussion of Lockyer: Book Review Due
Thursday, July 23: Presentations of articles on the English Civil War/Cromwell
Monday, July 27: Discussion of Knecht; Book Review Due
Thursday, July 30: Presentations of articles on the Thirty Years War
Monday, August 3: Discussion of Goubert: Book Review Due
Thursday, August 6: Presentations of articles on the Dutch Republic
Monday, August 10: Discussion of Cracraft; Book Review Due
Thursday, August 13: Presentations of articles on Peter the Great