Perhaps “modern” seems like a peculiar term to use for the period from around 1600 to 1800.

Surprisingly, perhaps, it was in the 1580s that the term ‘modern’ came to refer to ‘present times’, according to the Online Etymology Dictionary.

The Modern Period is most associated with the concept of Enlightenment: the enlightenment of new relationships with nature, with God, and with one’s social order.  .

Readings

• All required readings for this module are in the module itself. Please read this material carefully, reflect on it, and read it again.

Learning Activities

M5 – Discussion 1 – The Blank Slate

How and why has this preference for the blank slate come about and what social and political factors are involved in its continuing promotion?

M 5 – Discussion 2 – At the Coffee House

A center of communication and discourse in the 17th and 18th Centuries was the Coffee House. The article The Lost World of the London Coffeehouse explores the scene as a haven of caffeine-fueled debate that helped shape the modern world. To what would you liken the Coffee House in today’s society?

M5 – Written Assignment – Lives of the Peasants

What was it like living in the 17th Century? In this assignment, take a closer look at some aspect of life then. The article Stuart Britain: A Look at Everyday Life will give you some ideas. Do you want to focus on marriage? On food? On transportation? On wars? On The Great Fire of London? Find three references that provide more depth, other than Wikipedia. Please have a paper of 500 words in length.