The Renaissance, which began in Italy during the 14th century before spanning across the rest of Europe until the early 17th century, was partly spawned by a renewed interest in classical thought (Law, 2011). The classical works of ancient Greece became an integral part of a new humanist curriculum (King, 2003). Throughout the Middle Ages, the liberal arts had consisted of number-focused subjects (arithmetic, geometry, astronomy, and music), as well as word-focused subjects (grammar, rhetoric, dialect, and logic) (King, 2003). During the Renaissance, humanists departed from this medieval curriculum, putting focus on the word-based studia humanitatis, or “studies of humanity” (King 2003). This new curriculum left number-focused subjects to be taught in schools of abaco (“abacus”), and focused on the mastery of verbal skills and communication (King, 2003). While the old medieval curriculum prepared students for specific professions, this new humanist curriculum was a more generalist method of education (King, 2003). Students were taught to communicate fluently about any issue without needing specialized professional training (King, 2003).
With this new emphasis on education brought about by the humanist movement, teaching methods became less lackadaisical. Schooling improved, and education was accepted by the aristocracy as a means to advancement of court (Hale, 1993). This resulted in more Europeans becoming literate. By the mid-16th century, an estimated 50 percent of Londoners were capable of reading and writing, with similar statistics in other European cities (Hale, 1993).
During the Middle Ages, churchmen and nuns were, for the most part, the only members of society who were capable of reading and writing (Bedos-Rezak, 2007). Therefore, the transmission of information occurred mainly through spoken word and imagery (Bedos-Rezak, 2007). The rise of literacy was a great departure from this previous method of communication, and would contribute to other shifts in communication which took place during the Renaissance.
(Image source: http://www.mrdowling.com/images/704erasmus.jpg)
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