Universitat de Barcelona - Academic Studies Abroad

Universitat de Barcelona
SUBJECT TITLE:
History of Spain (45 contact hours)
This Subject is comprised of:
-Spain and Europe: Origins and Evolution (22.5 contact hours)
-General History of Modern & Contemporary Spain (22.5 contact hours)
LEVEL B (ADVANCED & SUPERIOR):
Spain and Europe: Origins and Evolution
Fall Course Title:
Spain, Crossroads of Mediterranean Cultures
Spring Course Title: Spain, within the Framework of Medieval Europe
OBJECTIVES (Fall Semester)
During the course the intention is to offer an overview of the history of European cultures, of the
great transformations and changes, that took place since Prehistory until the consolidation of the
European Germanic kingdoms (V-VII centuries). The Hispanic area will be dealt with special
emphasis, as well as the Classical, Greek and Roman civilizations, within the European and
Hispanic framework. Students will have the opportunity to participate in the scheduled visits to
the Roman sites of Barcelona, and study in greater detail the evolution of the city, as an example
of survival and influence of the classical Roman world.
COURSE CONTENT (Fall Semester)
1. The prehistoric culture.
2. The first colonizations: Phoenicians, Greeks & Carthaginians in the Mediterranean.
3. Pre-Roman people in the Iberian Peninsula.
4. The Romanization of Spain.
5. The fall of the Roman Empire and the appearance of the new Germanic kingdoms.
Visigoths in Spain.
BASIC BIBLIOGRAPHY
Geografía e Historia de España y de los Países Hispánicos, IBÉRICA, (1989), Barcelona, Vicens Vives.
BLÁZQUEZ, J.M., (1974), La romanización, Madrid, Istmo.
MARTÍN, J. L., (1978), La Península en la Edad Media, Barcelona, Teide.
ORLANDIS, J., (1977), Historia de España. La España Visigótica, Madrid, Gredos.
SANTOS, J., (1997), Los pueblos de la España Antigua 2 vols., Madrid, Historia 16.
TARRADELL, M. - MANGAS, J., (1980), Historia de España. Primeras culturas e Hispania romana, Barcelona,
Labor.
THOMPSON, E.A., (1971), Los godos en España, Madrid, Alianza.
TOVAR, A. - BLÁZQUEZ, J.M., (1980), Historia de la Hispania Romana. La Península Ibérica desde el 218 a.C.
hasta el siglo V, Madrid, Alianza.
OBJECTIVES (Spring Semester)
The second term will enable students to confront the new reality that the Mediterranean world
showcases after the Islamic expansion in North Africa, the conquest of Spain and the domination
of part of the Mediterranean. The transformations and changes that took place within the
European framework will be analyzed, including the formation of the Carolingian empire, the
ascent of the Papacy, the rise of cities and the appearance of Universities., as well as the new
mentalities in the Romanesque world, the Gothic and first Humanism. Special attention will be
paid to the Hispanic world and guided visits to city of Barcelona will be carried out, as example of
a low-Medieval city, with the splendour of the Gothic.
COURSE CONTENT (Spring Semester)
1. Islam and its expansion within the Mediterranean area. Al-andalus.
2. Politics, society, economy and urban life in Andalusian Islamic times.
3. Carolingian Europe. Spain: Christian kingdoms of the North.
4. The great European expansion (XI-XIII centuries). The new monarchies.
Medieval plenitude in Spain: Christian kingdoms against Islam.
5. The Low Medieval crises. The Iberian Peninsula kingdoms and their tensions.
6. The results of the crises. The arrival of the first Humanism.
BIBLIOGRAFÍA BÁSICA
Geografía e Historia de España y de los Países Hispánicos, IBÉRICA, (1989), Barcelona, Vicens Vives.
ARIÉ, R., (1982), Historia de España III. La España musulmana (s. VIII-XV), Barcelona, Labor.
CHEJNE, A.G., (1980), Historia de España musulmana, Madrid, Cátedra.
DUFOURCQ, Ch.E. - GAUTIER-DALCHÉ, J., (1983) Historia económica y social de la España cristiana en la
Edad Media, Barcelona, El Albir.IRADIEL, P. - MORETA, S. - SARASA, E., (1989), Historia Medieval de la
España cristiana, Madrid, Cát
General History of Modern & Contemporary Spain
Fall Course Title:
Historical Making of Modern Spain
Spring Course Title: The Long Road to Democracy
OBJECTIVES
To introduce students to the history of Spain since the unification of the peninsula under the Catholic
Monarchs (end of the 15th century) until the crisis of the Ancient Régime at the end of the 18th century.
During this long period Spain was ruled by two monarchies – the Habsburg and Bourbons. The course deals
with interesting periods such as the Empire of Charles V, the Austrias and the Reformation of the Bourbons.
Visits to the historical area of Barcelona will show students the beginnings of the modern city.
During the second term and throughout the course we will study the history of contemporary Spain in the
19th and 20th centuries with special attention to events such as the establishment of the Liberal Régime, the
Carlist wars, the Bourbon Restoration, the military dictatorships, the division of society, right and left wing
ideologies, the proclamation of the Second Republic, the crisis that led to a bloody civil war (1936-1939), the
Franco Régime and Spain today.
COURSE CONTENT (Fall Semester)
• The Catholic Monarchs and the unification of the peninsula
• The Habsburgs and Spanish hegemony in the 16th century: from Charles I’s Empire to Philip II’s
Spanish Empire (1516-1598)
• Decline of the Austrias and the crisis of the 17th century: from Philip III to Charles II (1598-1700)
• 18th century Bourbon Reformism: from Philip V to Charles III (1700-1788)
• The end of the century and the crisis of the absolute monarchy.
READING LIST
Geografía e Historia de España y de los Países Hispánicos, IBÉRICA, (1989), Barcelona, VicensVives.
COMELLAS, J.L., (1993), Historia de España moderna y contemporánea, Madrid, Rialp.
ELLIOT, J.H., (1991), España y su mundo (1500-1700), Madrid, Alianza.
EVANS, J.W., (1989), La monarquía de los Habsburgos (1550-1700), Barcelona, Labor.
KAMEN, H., (1996), Una sociedad conflictiva: España 1469-1714, Barcelona, Altaya.
COURSE CONTENT (Spring Semester)
• From the crisis of the Ancien Régime to the Liberal system (1788-1833)
• Isabella II (1833-1868)
• The Revolutionary Sexennium (1868-1874)
• The Bourbon Restoration: Alfonso XII and Maria Cristina’s Regency (1875-1902)
• From parliamentary monarchy to Primo de Rivera’s dictatorship (1902-1931)
• The Second Republic and the Civil War (1931-1939)
• Franco’s dictatorship (1939-1975)
READING LIST
Geografía e Historia de España y de los Países Hispánicos, IBÉRICA, (1989), Barcelona, Vicens Vives.
ARTOLA, M., (1975-1976), Los orígenes de la España contemporánea, Madrid, Instituto de Estudios Políticos.
BIESCAS, J.A.-TUÑÓN DE LARA, M., (1980), España bajo la dictadura franquista (1939-1975), Barcelona,
Labor.
CARR, R.-FUSI, J.-P., (1983), España, de la dictadura a la democracia, Barcelona, Planeta.
CARR, R., (1988), España, 1808-1988, Barcelona, Ariel.
FERNÁNDEZ ALMAGRO, M., (1977), Historia del reinado de Alfonso XIII, Barcelona, Montaner y Simón.
JACKSON, G., (1977), La República española y la guerra civil (1931-1939), Madrid, Crítica.
PRESTON, P., (1978), España en crisis. Evolución y decadencia del régimen de Franco, Madrid, Fondo de
Cultura Económica.
THOMAS, H., (1976), La guerra civil española, Barcelona, Grijalbo.
ASSESSMENT
A written test, on one general or four specific questions, will be given at the end of the term in order to test
students’ understanding of the course material.