Taught In English

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

GENERAL OBJECTIVES OF THE COURSE

Acquisition of general knowledge of the Spanish History and Art (architecture) from the pre-historic period till 20th Century and the outcomes in the Spanish way of life.

EVALUATION

30% attendance and active participation in class
30% daily work
40% exams

PROGRAM

1. GEOGRAPHY AND ITS RELATION TO THE HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT OF SPAIN

2. THE EARLY SETTLERS

a. Spanish pre-history:
Palaeolithic.
Neolithic.
Task: Charles Darwin’s Theory of evolution.

b. Pre- Roman cultures:
The Indo-Europeans: the origins of our language.
The Celtic.
The Phoenician.
The Greek.
The Carthaginian.
The Iberian.
Task: Comparing different cultures. Formal presentation in class.

3. ROMAN SPAIN
a. The Roman Conquest: stages.
b. Romanization of the conquest territory.
Political organization.
Social organization.
Art and culture.
Task: Most relevant roman remains in Spain. Formal presentation in class.

4. GOTHS
a. Political organization.
b. The kingdom organization.
c. Task: Visigoths quiz. (Computers Lab).

5. PRE-ROMANESQUE STYLES
a. Visigothic.
b. Mozarabic.
c. Asturian.

6. THE MUSLIM CONQUEST
a. Main transformation in Al-Andalus.
b. Political Institutions.
c. Religion.
d. Art.
e. Task: The Alhambra.

7. CHRISTIAN SPAIN: THE RECONQUEST.
a. The Reconquest.
b. Social changes.
c. Art and culture:
Romanesque art.
Gothic art.
d. Task: Key differences between Romanesque and Gothic Art.

8. A BRAND NEW NATION: SPAIN (THE SPANISH EMPIRE)
a. Ferdinand and Isabella: The Catholic Monarchs.
b. Economy and society.
c. The discovery of America.
d. Absolute Monarchy:
Charles I.
Philip II.
e. Monarchy in the seventeenth century (“Validaje”).
Philip III.
Philip IV.
Charles II.

9. CRISIS AND DECLINE
a. The Habsburgs: sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.
b. Renaissance Art and Architecture.
c. Baroque Art and architecture.
d. Task:
True or false statements.
Getting the main idea.

10. FROM THE 1898 CRISIS TO FRANCO’S DICTATORSHIP. XIX CENTURY: CHANGES
a. The disaster of 1898 and the crisis of the Parliamentary Monarchy.
b. From the republic to the civil war and General Franco’s dictatorship.
c. 98 Generation: new ideas.
d. The loss of colonies.
e. A new society: The new middle class.
f. Task: True or False Statements.

10a. THE CIVIL WAR
g. The second republic.
h. Pre-War atmosphere.
i. The war.
j. Task: Guernica.

10b.THE FRANCO PERIOD
k. Isolation and self-government
l. Society

11. TRANSITION TO DEMOCRACY
a. The years after Franco.
b. Parliamentary monarchy.
c. Political reform.
d. The 80s.

12. ART AND CULTURE IN SPAIN TODAY.

a. Political situation.
b. Society.
c. Art and culture.