Taught In English

There is no language prerequisite for courses at this language level.

INTRODUCTION TO THE COURSE
This course examines the evolution of the Mediterranean Basin since the first
settlers to the current situation in the Mediterranean with a poor south and the wealthy
north. Studying all the civilizations, religions and political institutions of this small sea,
students will learn how the modern conflicts were configured in Ancient or Medieval
Times, Palestine, Clash of Civilizations, the Balkans or Turkey and Greece.
The last weeks of the course will focus on Politics, Economics and Sociology of
the Mediterranean since the end of World War II, 1945. That is why students will need
more understanding of the last century than the Ancient or Medieval times.
CONTENT
First Week
Introduction and Syllabus.
Introduction to Barcelona.
Useful Information and Possible Visits
Second Week
Ancient Mediterranean Cultures: Egypt and Phoenicians. Greece and Politics
Third Week
Ancient Mediterranean Cultures: Rome and the Mare Nostrum.
Religions of the Mediterranean: Hebrews and Jews
Fourth Week
Religions of the Mediterranean: Christians and the Empire. Muslims and the
Umma
Fifth Week
Modern Mediterranean Cultures: Italy and the Renaissance. Spain and the
World Domination
Sixth Week
Mid-term
Modern Mediterranean Cultures: France and the Enlightenment
Seventh Week
Debate: The Cultures of the Mediterranean
Debate: Who is who in the Mediterranean?
Eighth Week
Debate: Warfare in the Mediterranean
The French Revolution and the birth of Modernity
Ninth Week
The Mediterranean Society in the 19th century: Large Estate and Crony
Capitalism. Family and Mafia
Tenth Week
World Politics of the Mediterranean, 1815-1885
World Politics of the Mediterranean, 1885-1945
Eleventh Week
The Mediterranean Today: Modernization and Social Change
The Mediterranean Today: Post modernization and Social Change?
Twelfth Week
One Sea, two economies: the politics of dependency
Migrations and ecological collapse
Thirteenth Week
The Clash of Civilizations in the Mediterranean
Al Qaeda and the project of Modernization
Fourteenth Week
Final Exam
Closing Session
GRADING
The final grade of each student is determined considering the following weights:
Mid Term Exam (30%)
Papers (50%)
Final Exam (20%)