COURSE TITLE: Spain and Europe

COURSE TITLE: Spain and Europe: from Classical Antiquity to the Beginning of the
Modern World
Universitat de Barcelona
20 Contact Hours
Offered at Level A (Beginner & Intermediate) and B (Advanced & Superior)
COURSE DESCRIPTION FOR ALL LEVELS:
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 (Fall 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