This course will explore the political, social, and cultural history of Europe from about 1350 to 1550, two centuries of momentous change: scholarship recovered the lost texts and ideas of the ancient Greek and Roman worlds; critical reading of texts inspired a dramatic questioning of religious authority; art, medicine, and philosophy renewed an interest in the physical and psychological nature of man; scientific calculation put the sun rather than the earth at the center of the universe; exploration made Europeans aware of sub-Saharan Africa and the Americas; and the printing press made all of these changes available to a wider public. We will explore the substance and consequences of such changes, including some negative ones, such as the expulsion of Muslims and Jews, colonial exploitation, and the censorship of ideas. Lectures will provide students with a structural approach to the period; discussion sections will provide close engagement with historical sources.