SPA 25203 - Spanish Civilization and Culture

This course offers an overview of Spanish History from the year 711, with the Muslim invasion of the Iberian Peninsula, through 1898, when the last territories of the Spanish Empire were finally lost. These two endpoints are of special importance to Spain’s history. The first marks the beginning of the era in which the Iberian Peninsula came to be known as Al-Andalus, a powerful Muslim territory that “broke” the homogeneity of Christian Iberia and greatly impacted what Spain is today. The second marks the fall of the Spanish Empire with the loss of Cuba, Puerto Rico and the Philippines. As a result, this moment also means a new national focus on internal, enduring problems, such as the need for modernization, economic development and the conquest of democratic values. The 20th century has been a struggle to achieve all this. The class will examine the main political, social, economic and cultural events that occurred during this time period, explaining the fusion of cultures during the Middle Ages, the “construction” of Spain at the beginning of the Renaissance, the rise and fall of the Hapsburg Empire, European hegemony and the struggle to modernize after the Enlightenment; an understanding of these events provides great insight into contemporary Spanish life, and explains why Spain is the way it is in the 21st century.

Offered: Fall

Semester Hours: 3