Of Cobblestones and Coffeehouses: The History of Urban Life, 1500-1800

In this seminar we will explore the diverse forms of urban life that emerged in Europe between 1500 and 1800. Early modern cities became engines of global commerce, laboratories of public health and policing, and sites of civic and religious unrest. Moving from the street to markets, apothecaries, and coffeehouses, we reconstruct everyday urban experiences through close reading of primary sources alongside critical scholarship. Texts by travelers, reformers, and city officials, together with visual and material culture, invite us to analyze commerce, sexuality, festivals, and waste management. Through discussion, writing, and research, students develop skills in historical argument evidence-based analysis, and scholarly communication.