History of Truth

Catalog description

Truth has become a controversial topic lately. This course will take a historical look at truth and its opposites, including lies and false beliefs, in the history of the West from the Renaissance to the present. We will consider changing conceptions of evidence and knowledge in law, religion, science, the arts, and politics and the media. We will also consider the historian's responsibility to truth, in the past and today. Part of the course will focus on the discussion of readings in common, including both primary sources and secondary sources that introduce students to interpretive problems in this field. Part will be devoted to the construction of an extensive research paper in which students grapple with a problem of their choice related to the history of truth claims or lies. Class time will also be devoted to discreet steps involved in this process, including framing a question, building a bibliography, analyzing various kinds of evidence or sources, constructing an effective outline, and writing an argument-driven and well-substantiated seminar paper.