Program Overview

Introduction to the Spanish Culture Course

The Spanish culture course, titled "Spain and Europe: origins and evolution," is designed to provide students with a comprehensive overview of the history of European cultures, focusing on the Hispanic area. This course aims to explore the transformations that have taken place from prehistory to the current time, with a particular emphasis on the Mediterranean world after the Islamic expansion.

Course Description

The course is divided into two blocks: the first covers prehistory until the end of the Middle Ages in the fifteenth century, while the second block spans the sixteenth to twentieth centuries. Students will delve into the new reality of the Mediterranean world, the conquest of Spain, and the domination of part of the Mediterranean. Additionally, the course will analyze changes in the European framework, which were defined and characterized in the region that is now known as the European Union.

Methodology

Each session will include a presentation of the topic based on a PowerPoint that students will study and prepare. Students are expected to participate actively, sharing their understanding of the topic and clarifying any doubts with the help of the lecturer.

Assessment System

The assessment system for this course includes:

• Class participation and attendance: 20%
• Exam on the first part: 40%
• Exam on the second part: 40%

Syllabus

The course syllabus covers a wide range of topics, including:

• Introduction: Origin of Europe, concept, and space
• The first settlers: Paleolithic, Neolithic, and the Metal Ages
• The Spanish environment: Iberians and Celts, Tartessians
• Greece: The birth of the polis, The Age of Pericles, Greece in the Iberian Peninsula
• The birth of Rome: From monarchy to republic, The great Roman institutions, The expansion, The conquest of the Peninsula, Roman Spain, The Roman legacy
• Emergence and expansion of Christianity
• Barbarian Europe and the crisis of the Roman Empire
• Islam and its expansion into the Mediterranean area, Al-Andalus
• Carolingian Europe, Spain: Christian kingdoms of the north
• Feudalism
• Europe in the High Middle Ages, Spain in the High Middle Ages: Christian kingdoms against Islam
• The great recessions, Wars, plagues, hunger, The Late Middle Ages in Europe and Spain, The Catholic Kings
• Humanism and Renaissance, The great inventions and scientific advances
• The new monarchies, The conquering Europe
• Reformation and Counter-Reformation, The wars of religion, The new European order
• Absolutism, War of succession in the Spanish crown, The Bourbons in Spain
• The Age of Enlightenment, The French Revolution, Napoleon and the new European order
• The industrial revolution, Romanticism and Nationalism, The liberal revolutions
• The Russian revolution and the birth of the USSR
• First World War, Fascism, Second World War, The Universal Declaration of Human Rights
• Spain: First and second Republic, The dictatorship of Primo de Rivera, Civil War
• The new international order: The Cold War and the bipolar world
• Decolonization and its repercussions in Europe, Spain during the Franco regime
• Democracy in Spain
• The European Union

Bibliography

The course bibliography includes works by various authors, such as:

• CARR, R. (2007): Historia de España, Barcelona, Península
• FUSI, J. P. (2012): Historia mínima de España, Madrid, Turner-El Colegio de México
• GARCÍA DE CORTÁZAR, F. (2004): Memoria de España, Madrid, Aguilar
• RIVERO, I. (1999): Síntesis de Historia de España, Madrid, Globo
• VALDEÓN, J.; PÉREZ, J.; JULIÀ, S. (2011): Historia de España, Madrid, Austral
• VILAR, P. (2010): Historia de España, Barcelona, Crítica

Course Details

• Language: Spanish
• Type: Culture
• Duration: 90 hours
• Credits: 12 ECTS credits
• Format: Face-to-face

Fees

• General price: 983.00€
• Reduced price: 884.70€

Additional Information

For more information on courses in Spanish culture, diploma in Hispanic Studies, certificate in Hispanic Studies, cancellation and course changes, and cancellation of enrollment, please refer to the relevant sections of the university's website.