Travel back in time to a medieval Europe in the throes of the Black Death with this two-course set. Start with After the Plague, in which, using firsthand accounts, famous literary texts, new scientific evidence, and cutting-edge historical interpretations, you’ll explore how people across the continent responded to the new realities that emerged during the Black Death. Then, in The Black Death: The World’s Most Devastating Plague, examine the epidemiological causes of the disaster; the social panic it spawned; its influence on religion, society, politics, economics, and art; and more.
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While the story of the Black Death is one of destruction and loss, it is also one of the most intriguing episodes in human history. Speaking to the full magnitude of this world-changing historical moment, and taught by celebrated medievalist Dorsey Armstrong, this course delves into the plague, its full human repercussions, and its transformative effects on European civilization.
Shine bright new lights on the so-called “Dark Ages” with this fascinating two-course set that brings together The Black Death: New Lessons from Recent Research and Medieval World. In the first course, revisit the past to examine what the medieval experience of the Black Death can teach us about our own world and the science of disease. Then, gain a different perspective on the society and culture of the Middle Ages: one that goes beyond a simple historical survey and entrenches you in the daily human experience of living during this underappreciated era.
In The Black Death: New Lessons from Recent Research, celebrated medievalist Dorsey Armstrong corrects explanations of the famous medieval pandemic that are now known to be inaccurate and offers a more robust description of plague biology. COVID-19 isn’t likely to be humanity’s last experience with a zoonotic disease, so what can we learn now from these two pandemics that could help us in the future?
Explore four centuries of radical transformation as a decimated Europe rose from the ashes of the plague to embrace the Renaissance and the Age of Enlightenment. In this course, you will explore the political, social, cultural, and economic revolutions that transformed Europe between the arrival of the Black Death in the 14th century and the onset of the Age of Enlightenment in the 18th century.
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