Analyzing the big questions of glamorous and troubled 15 th -16 th century Europe, this course will answer the questions: What were the Renaissances reviving and what were the reformations trying to reform? Why do we know the names of men like Michelangelo and DaVinci and not Dürer? What role did women play in these movements? We will explore the massive upheaval of western civilization by the intellectual and artistic movements of the Renaissances and the religious movements known as the Reformations, the roots of these movements and their impact on the culture and politics of Europe and broader western culture. Credit may be earned in HIS 240W or HIS 240HW , but not in both.