The period of the late 18th to the mid 19th century was a time of dramatic change in Europe where new loyalties were formed on account of a series of revolutions that began in America and spread throughout the European continent. It is a period when the modern map of Europe was formed. Greece finally achieved its independence from the Ottoman Empire; Italy began its quest for a unified country (the Risorgimento); and modern Germany was formed. The era begins with the final years of the Bourbon dynasty and the extravagance of the Rococo followed immediately by the "Age of Reason" that saw the dominance of such literary and philosophical luminaries as Voltaire, Diderot and Rousseau. During the Enlightenment, scientific experimentation began to replace faith and superstition until this world was destroyed by the Terror of the French Revolution. The era ends superbly with the First Empire of Napoleon, Josephine, and the dominance of French culture and style that persists into our own day.

Fee: $700 for the eight-session semester

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