Problem
A. From the excerpt cited in the lecture, give an example of how Erasmus frames his argument against the sale of indulgences in his work of satire, In Praise of Folly. What is an indulgence to a "plundering soldier" or "bribe-taking judge?"
B. The Isenheim Altarpiece was considered the most gruesome painted image in its time. In an era when physical illness was considered to be a function of spiritual illness, where was this painting meant to be displayed, and what message was the painting's primary subject designed to deliver to this audience?
C. In Robert Campin's Merode Altarpiece, explain one example of symbolism discussed in lecture. Describe the image and explain what it means.
D. Explain how the Protestant Swiss militant Ulrich Zwingli lived his life in opposition to one aspect of Catholic theology that he disagreed with, and how he clashed with other Protestants like Martin Luther on the question of Transubstantiation.
E. In his passing of the Dissolution Act of 1536, King Henry VIII undermined the power and influence of the Catholic Church in England by doing what and how did Henry use this law to solidify the authority of the British monarchy?
F. The Inca were known to be masterful builders using a specific material, what is this material, what was unique about how the Inca used it, and what about the geography of the Inca Empire leaves us especially impressed with their architectural accomplishments?
G. Explain one example of "cultural syncretism" described in chapter 9. What cultures are involved, and what aspects of these cultures represent syncretism?
H. In the beginning of Chapter Nine, Homi Bhabha describes a problem we have in museums and in textbooks with the cultural artifacts we are studying from the Age of Encounter. What is this problem, and how can we try to address it?
I. The Portuguese navigator Bartholomeu Dias was the first European to sail where? Why was this an especially difficult achievement, and what did his voyage allow later Europeans to do?
J. Why is it difficult to estimate the total number of Africans taken across the "Middle Passage" in the slave trade, and what accounts for the fact that the largest African population in the Americas was in the Portuguese colony of Brazil?