"Nasty, Brutish & Short": How the Enlightenment Gave Us the Modern World and Transformed Our Lives

Fall semester 2012 honors seminar with study tour to the United Kingdom.

For nearly all of human history, life, as Thomas Hobbes observed, was “nasty, brutish and short.”  This began to change in some of the lands of Northern Europe during the 18th century, the era known as the Enlightenment.  This interdisciplinary course will focus on the developments of that era, especially as they were experienced in Great Britain.  It will examine the evolution of the Enlightenment and its importance to the emergence of the modern world, with a focus on its themes of scientific and technological progress, improved living standards, accountable government, individual human rights, and the revolutionary role of arts and culture in social progress. 

Students will travel to the United Kingdom, a "cradle land" of the Enlightenment, to visit sites associated with the Enlightenment and meet with representatives of institutions that continue to promote it.

Tentative Itinerary

Travel dates are expected to be December 12 - December 23, 2012.

December 12 - Depart CVG for London Heathrow (overnight flight)

December 13 - Arrive London Heathrow; day at leisure to explore London; opening dinner at the Oxford & Cambridge Club, 7:00 p.m.

December 14, in London -

• Lecture:  "Improvements In the Human Condition Since the Enlightenment – and Remarks on the Role of Gresham College in the Emergence of the World's First Scientific Society," Professor Sir Roderick Floud, FBA, Provost of Gresham College or his designee.
• Docent-led tour of the Enlightenment Gallery at the British Museum

December 15, in London -

• Tour of the Royal Society and lecture:  "The Birth of Modern Science and the Role of the Royal Society in the Scientific Developments of the Last Three-and-a-Half Centuries," Dr. Peter Collins, Director of the Royal Society Center for the History of Science or his designee
• Docent-led tour of the 17^th and 18^th collections at the Tate Britain Gallery

December 16, in London -

• Guided, interpretive tour of the historic Royal Observatory at Greenwich (topics:  time and the solution to the longitude problem, seafaring and maritime might)
• Concert by the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment (or other Baroque music group), if available

December 17, in London -

• For the Fit:  Hike to the top of the Monument to the Great Fire of London (themes:  "the cleansing fire" and the rebuilding of London)
• Guided Triforium Tour of St. Paul's Cathedral (themes:  Christopher Wren and the English Baroque style)

December 18, in London -

• Tour of the Royal Society of Arts and lecture:  "21^st Century Enlightenment, the Organizations Promoting It and How You Can Contribute," Matthew Taylor, CEO of the Royal Society of Arts
• Docent-led tour of Baroque, Rococo and Neo-Classical galleries at the Victoria & Albert Museum

December 19, travel to Cambridge -

• Depart London Kings Cross Station on First Capital Connect Train to Cambridge Station.  Travel to Queens' College by taxi.
• Day at leisure to explore Cambridge.

December 20, in Cambridge -

• Lecture:  "Where Does It All Begin?  The Antecedents to the Enlightenment's Scientific Revolution," Professor Piers Bursill-Hall, historian of science, Department of Pure Mathematics, Cambridge University
• Tour of Trinity College, including Chapel Antechamber (Newton Statue), Wren Library, etc.
• Lecture:  "Developments in Political Thought in Great Britain in the 17^th & 18^th Centuries," Professor John Robertson or Dr. Mark Goldie, Faculty of History, Cambridge University

December 21, in Cambridge -

• "The Re-Enlightenment Project, CRASSH, and Other Organizations Promoting 21^st Century Enlightenment," Professor Peter de Bolla, Director of the Re:Enlightenment Project, Director of Studies (18^th century British Cultural History) and Fellow of King's College, Cambridge
• Docent-led tour of the 17^th and 18^th Century collections at the Fitzwilliam Museum
• Concert of 18^th Century music by the Musical & Amicable Society (if available)

December 22, travel to London -

• Depart Cambridge Station on First Capital Connect Train to London Kings Cross Station.  Taxi or walk to Goodenough College.
• Day at leisure to shop for Christmas gifts and say goodbye to London
• Closing dinner at Over-Seas House, 7:00 p.m.

December 23, travel home -

• Return flight from Heathrow Airport to CVG.

Course Information

Course details:

• 23PLAN3090
• Meets Tuesday evenings from 5:00-7:40pm
• Course Attributes:  H, I, T
• BoK:  HP, HU
• Credit Hours: 3
• Honors seminar

Course Directors:

• Craig Vogel, MID, FIDSA, Professor in the School of Design, Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Studies, College of DAAP, and Director of the Center for Design Research and Innovation in the College of DAAP
• Terry Grundy, MA, FRSA, Adjunct Associate Professor of Community Planning in the School of Planning, College of DAAP

Application

The application for this seminar is now closed.

UC undergraduates who are not in the University Honors Program are welcome and encouraged to apply, provided the student has a cumulative university GPA of 3.4 or above. Graduate students are not eligible to enroll. 

Costs

Estimated cost is $3500** per student, based on 20 students.

**University Honors will provide each student with an $800 honors grant, making the actual expected cost $2700.

Costs include airfare, accommodations, some ground transportation, some meals (breakfast in London and Cambridge, dinners in Cambridge, two group dinners in London), tours and guides, entrance fees, speakers, and a program fee (which covers faculty costs).

Costs do not include baggage fees, passport, ISIC card, insurance (travel/medical), some meals (any not listed above), some ground transportation, immunizations, or other personal expenses.

Students are required to purchase an ISIC (International Student Identity Card) from UC International for $25 or show proof of other insurance. This is not included in the total expected cost.

Participants can apply for grants from UC International.

Vaccinations and Health Precautions
Contact your physician to discuss what vaccinations and heath precautions are recommended, if any. All participants should carefully read the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's webpage for the United Kingdom.

Questions?
Contact Debbie Brawn (debbie.brawn@uc.edu) in University Honors.

And from my pillow,
looking forth by light
Of moon or favouring stars,
I could behold
The antechapel where the statue stood
Of Newton with his prism and silent face,
The marble index of a mind for ever
...Voyaging through strange seas
of Thought, alone.
                                                Wordsworth