CU on the Weekend: Dante, Petrarch, and Boccaccio and the Birth of Humanism

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Programs: CU on the Weekend

Dante, Petrarch, and Boccaccio and the Birth of Humanism: Why Public Engagement and Personal Growth Never Go Out of Style

Presented by: Valerio Ferme, Professor of Italian and Associate Dean for the Arts and Humanities

The Humanities are like that mystery object that everybody knows exists, but no one knows how to use. What some of us know is that the Humanities emerged as a field of study during the late Middle Ages, when a number of scholars, including many in Italy, decided it was time to ‘rediscover’ the Classics. That rediscovery led to one of the most incredible flourishings of culture and knowledge in the history of the West, the period we now call Renaissance. This talk explores the Humanities through the work of Italy’s “three crowns,” Dante, Petrarch, and Boccaccio, and shows how the values that they made central to their writings continue to engage us today, in an age that seems so distant and different from their own.

No registration required. The presentation is part of CU on the Weekend, which is free and open to the public.

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