essay

1-The Black Death was a trauma that left western European society much smaller and scarred by death.  But the subsequent period of western history has been characterized as a rebirth—a Renaissance.  What were the key intellectual, cultural, and social developments of the Renaissance and how did they represent a “rebirth”?

2-  The Reformation was a critical moment in the history of western Europe.  It allowed for an expansion of religious expression, it created more accountability in the religious institutions, and had significant cultural impacts.  What were the central debates of the Reformation and what impact did those debates have on western Europeans?  Identify other Early Modern cultural, social, and/or institutional developments and explain how they emanate from the Reformation?