Central to what distinguishes modernity from the ages preceding it was the development of a new conception of the self. This course traces the history of the modern self in its European cultural expressions. We will begin in the Renaissance, considering genres such as the novel and essay, and how these express new conceptions of the self. We will also examine crucial early modern developments such as the colonization of the New World, the rise of Protestantism, and the Counter-Reformation, through the lenses of philosophy, literature, and other aesthetic expressions.