Course Description
The history of Imperial Spain in the time of Miguel de Cervantes (1547-1616). Topics of discussion will include the Armada of 1588, heresy and the Inquisition, art and artists, the discovery of the New World, and perspectives on the decline of Spain.
Athena Title
Spain in the Age of Cervantes
Prerequisite
Any HIST course or ENGL 1101 or ENGL 1101E or ENGL 1101S or ENGL 1102 or ENGL 1102E or ENGL 1102S or POLS 1101 or POLS 1101E or POLS 1101H or POLS 1101S
Semester Course Offered
Not offered on a regular basis.
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Student learning Outcomes
- By the end of this course, students will be able to arrive at conclusions about the history of Spain in the age of Cervantes gathering and weighing evidence, logical argument, and listening to counter argument.
- By the end of this course, students will be able to write stylistically appropriate papers and essays. Students will be able to analyze ideas and evidence, organize their thoughts, and revise and edit their finished essays.
- By the end of this course, students will be able to identify how the history of Spain in the Age of Cervantes has shaped diverse social and cultural attitudes and identities around communal and ethical norms, encouraging them to understand diverse worldviews and experiences.
- By the end of this course, students will be able to apply appropriate methodological approaches to their analysis of primary sources and to organize their evidence to show historical continuities and discontinuities.
Topical Outline
- Introduction: the life of Cervantes
- Politics in early modern Spain and its territories
- Religion and society
- Military history: the Spanish Road, the Spanish Armada
- Heresy and the Inquisition
- Art and artists in Spain
- The picaresque novel
- The decline of Spain as a historiographical model
Institutional Competencies Learning Outcomes
Analytical Thinking
The ability to reason, interpret, analyze, and solve problems from a wide array of authentic contexts.
Communication
The ability to effectively develop, express, and exchange ideas in written, oral, interpersonal, or visual form.
Critical Thinking
The ability to pursue and comprehensively evaluate information before accepting or establishing a conclusion, decision, or action.
