European Studies: Culture, History and Integration

Course: European Studies: Culture, History and Integration
Course number: CH3021
ECTS credits: 6
Prerequisites: None
Description
This course will cover relevant political, economic, and social aspects of European
history and culture by examining the interaction among nation-states and their impact
on other parts of the world. Students acquire basic intellectual skills through critical
thinking, considering questions of why and how events occurred. Topics will include
European expansion, political revolutions, industrialization, nationalism, colonialism,
European wars and the creation of the European Union.
Learning objectives
Students who successfully complete this course will be able to:
- Understand the historical development of European politics, economics, society
and culture
- Improve their knowledge of Europe and its diversity
- Critically follow and interpret the main social, economical and political aspects of
European History from the 1500s to the present
- Analyze various issues and trends in modern and contemporary Europe
- Debate ideas and concepts of Europe and European integration
- View Europe within a wider international and global perspective
- Recognize and analyze the contributions of cultural diversity to Europe's past and
present
- Synthesize information from a variety of sources, including written sources,
documentaries and film.
Educational activities will be developed by means of different didactic
strategies:
- Theory and Practice
- Collective and individual tutoring
- In-class presentations
- Daily assignments
- Team work assignments
- Workshops and additional training
- Extra-curricular activities
Contact Hours: 45
Methodology
The course syllabus follows the Communicative Approach methods, based on the core
principles of procedure conception and constructive acquisition of knowledge. The
methodology is based on the teaching-learning procedures, focused on the learner,
which encourages active participation and results in the development of general and
specific competencies that provide knowledge, capacities and attitudes for their future
professional careers.
Form of Assessment
The form of assessment is based on the core principles of the educational
assessment, i.e., an active and participative teaching-learning process focused on the
learner. The instructor uses numerous and differentiated forms of assessment to
calculate the final grade received for this course. For the record, these are listed
below. The content, criteria and specific requirements for each assessment category
will be explained in greater detail in class.
The final grade consists of three parts: class participation, daily work and exams
- 33% Active in-class participation
- 33% daily work
- 34% exams
Grading Scale goes from 0 to 10.
Numerical Grade Range Letter grade Percentage
Range
10 A+ 100%
9.5 ? 9.9 A 95 -99%
9 ? 9.4 A- 90-94%
8.5 ? 8.9 B+ 85-89%
7.5- 8.4 B 75-84%
7 ? 7.4 B- 70-74%
6.5 ? 6.9 C+ 65-69%
6 ? 6.4 C 60-64%
5 ? 5.9 C- 5-59%
0-4.9 F 0-49%
The final grade will be the average of active in-class participation, daily work and exams.
Attendance Policy
Attendance is compulsory. In order to excuse any absence, students have to deliver a
doctor's note or other valid justification.
An absence is equivalent to a session. Two late arrivals of more than 15 minutes will be
considered an absence.
Any unjustified absence will negatively affect the students' final grade by lowering
his/her participation grade.
The participation grade will be lowered as follows:
NÚMBER OF ABSENCES PARTICIPATION
3 unjustified absences - 30%
4 unjustified absences - 40%
5 unjustified absences - 50%
If a student has more than 5 unjustified absences, the PARTICIPATION GRADE will be
zero (0).
Any student with 7 or more absences will NOT pass the course. Those students whose
absences have been properly justified will get No presentado (N.P). Absences do NOT
excuse the fulfillment of tasks, papers or essays.
Active Participation
The methodology used in class demands from the student a daily participation
regarding the following:
- Debates about different topics;
- Questions posed in class;
- Opinions and comments;
- Documents and texts.
Criteria to evaluate participation Grade
The student very often contributes with important and original comments that
encourage debate, using critical and analytical arguments clearly based on reading,
investigation, daily work, and class work. 8.5 -10
The student frequently participates voluntarily and makes valuable contributions that
are generally based on reflection and daily work. 7- 8.4
The student makes eventual comments, practically only when asked, and shows no
clear interest in the course. The student does not start a debate nor shows a clear
understanding of the importance of class/homework and readings. 5- 6.9
The student makes no comments at all, or makes irrelevant or distracting ones during
class. This is usually a result from frequent absences or lack of preparation for the
class. 0- 4.9
4
Readings:
Compulsory readings will be provided by the teacher.
General Reference:
J. Merriman A History of Modern Europe. W.W Norton & Company, 2010.
T. Judt Postwar: A History of Europe since 1945. Vintage, 2010.
D. Leonard Guide to the European Union. The Economist, 2010.
H. Wallace, M. A. Pollack, A.R. Young Policy Making in the European Union.
Oxford University Press, 2010.
A. Best International History of the Twentieth Century. Routledge, 2008.
J.M. Roberts The New Penguin History of the World. Penguin Books, 2007.
P.N. Stearns A Brief History of the World. The Teaching Company, 2007.
A. Heywood Political Ideologies: An Introduction 4th Ed. Palgrave Macmillan, 2007.
H. G. Wells A Short History of the world. Penguin Classics, 2006.
Online Reference & Research Tools:
History Net http://www.historynet.com; The History Guide
http://www.historyguide.org;Bridging World History
http://www.learner.org/channel/courses/worldhistory, BBC History
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history; History Today http://www.historytoday.com/
The New York Times http://www.nytimes.com/; National Geographic
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/history; The History Channel
http://www.history.com/topics/worldhistory Annenberg Media: the Western Tradition.
Virtual Campus
The university offers a virtual platform (Blackboard) where students can revise
contents, do their tasks and interact with the other members of the group.
It is an e-learning environment and also a collaboration tool. The main goals of
Blackboard is to be a user-friendly and flexible system. It is a tool for good learning,
requiring minimal attention to the tools and allowing maximum attention to the content.

SESSIONS, TOPIC, READINGS
Week 1

Introduction
The Idea of Europe
- What is Europe?
- Europe and its diversity

Early Modern Times
- European Rebirth
- Rise of Nation States
- Age of discoveries and exploration
- New Ideas and Beliefs

The Intellectual Revival of the Europeans
Pages 230- 237

The Early Modern Period
Pages 34-39

The Renaissance and the New Humanist thought.
- Birth of Modern Man?
- Between faith and reason
- Da Vinci, Machiavelli, More and Erasmus
- European Renaissance

The Myth of the Renaissance
BBC article

Charles V and the Holy Roman Empire
- Idea of a Universal Empire
- Conflict and Struggles
- Charles V and the Protestant Reformation

The Reformation of the Latin Church The Emperor Charles V
Pages 238- 249

Week 2

The Protestant Reformation
- Martin Luther and John Calvin
- The Age of the Religious Wars
- Henry VIII and the Anglican Church
- Witch hunts in Europe
The Protestant Reformation
The History Guide

Pre-enlightenment
- Europe in the 17th century
- The Age of Reason
- The Scientific Revolution
- Hobbes, Locke, Galilei, Descartes

The Making of The European Age: Ideas Old and New
Pages 674-695
The Age of Absolutism
- Absolute monarchies
- Centralized national governments
- Louis XIV in France

The Age of Absolutism

Article

The Industrial Revolution
? Towards a modern industrial society
? The factory system
? First modern school of economic thought: Laissez faire
The Industrial Revolution
Article

Eighteenth Century
Enlightenment
- Against ignorance, superstition, and tyranny
- The Philosophes: Voltaire, Rousseau and Montesquieu
- European bourgeoisie

The Enlightenment
Article

Week 3

Political Revolutions
- What is the Third State?
- The End of the Ancien Regime
- France 1789: Rights of Man and Citizen.

The Origins of the French Revolution
History guide

The Long 19th Century

- The Congress of Vienna
- Nineteenth century ideologies
- Nationalism
- Colonial Empires

The Long 19th Century The Teaching Company Pages 62-67

Adam Smith, Socialist and Liberals
Article

World Conflicts and the Great Depression

- The Great War
- The Interwar Period
- The Rise of Fascism and National Socialism
- The Spanish Civil War
- World War II

The Causes of World War I
Article

The Ending of World War I and the Legacy of Peace
BBC articles

The search for European Stability
Pages 32- 55

The path to European War, 1930-1939
Pages 154- 185

Week 4

Post War Europe
- The Legacy of the war
- European Reconstruction
- The EEC and the Treaty of Rome
- A growing community: Widening vs.
Deepening

The Legacy of WWII: Decline, Rise and Recovery.
BBC articles

Starting the Cold War
Article

European Integration
- The European Union: Institutions and Policies
- Europeanism vs. Nationalism
- Europe today

The European Union. Introduction. The Origins. The Evolution 1958- 2010
Pages 3- 43