17th Century Dutch Texts

Catalog description

The course is specifically meant for PhD candidates, but undergraduates are welcome as well. Each week we read a different text, mainly from the 17th century, based on students' needs: topics of texts typically cover art history, law, history, literature etc. These materials help students greatly with the difficult task of reading challenging printed and handwritten texts from the late 16th and 17th centuries. The course starts with an overview of reading strategies that students learn to apply when approaching texts written in the 1600's. As the semester progresses, we read more and more complex texts. The last two weeks of the semester are devoted to handwritten texts and students get an introduction to various hands. The goal of the course is to prepare students for archival research.