The Spanish Civil War HST 279 - 4 credits

This seminar analyzes and discusses a truly significant twentieth century conflict. The Spanish Civil War, often characterized as a dress rehearsal for World War II, involved the Loyalists’ defense of republican Spain against insurgent fascist Nationalists under Francisco Franco, aided by Hitler and Mussolini. Focus will be placed on the intervention of thousands of foreign volunteers, including Americans, to help defend the beleaguered republic. Aspects explored include the war’s content, causes, development, consequences, conflicting interpretations and historiography. A course highlight brings class members together in Madrid for field trips to important battle sites.

History of Spain I HST 357 - 4 credits

This course will examine and explore the political, economic and social history of Spain from antiquity to 1700. Topics include: Spain before the Roman Conquest; Roman Spain; from slave society to feudal society; the Islamic state and the Christian Reconquest; the formation of the national state; the Spanish Empire and the Golden Age; the Hapsburg state; Spain and the Counterreformation; the Hapsburg decline; the crisis of 1700.

History of Spain II HST 358 - 4 credits

This course will examine and explore the political, economic and social history of Spain from 1700 to the present. Topics include: the War of Spanish Succession; the Bourbon state; the Enlightenment in Spain; the impact of the French Revolution; Spain in the Napoleonic Wars; the rise of liberalism, socialism and anarchism; the crisis of 1898; the problems of modernization; the Spanish Civil War and the Franco regime; the transition from dictatorship to democracy; Spain’s international position today.

Franco’s Spain HST 359 - 4 credits

The principal objective of this course is to examine and explore one of the twentieth century’s most interesting and significant political systems: the Franco régime in Spain (1939-1975). The long and short-term causes of the emergence of Franco will be examined, and placed within the relevant international context. Special attention will be paid to the ideological synthesis of the régime, with relevant comparisons being made with other authoritarian systems. The principal political, economic, social and cultural developments during the Franco period will be explored, with a special focus placed on the role of women, the political manipulation of sport, as well as repression in Catalonia and the Basque country.

Europe in the 20th Century HST 412 - 4 credits

This course will examine the political, economic, social and cultural history of Europe in the 20th century. It will analyze the main events in the history of the continent: World War One, the Russian Revolution and World War Two. It will also study the division of the continent into the Eastern and Western Blocs during the Cold War, and the process of European integration, from the Treaty of Rome to the European Union. Finally, it will focus on Europe after the Cold War.

Nazi Germany HST 414 - 4 credits

German and European preconditions; the Versailles Treaty and the failure of the Weimar Republic; Hitler’s ideas, collaborators and institutions; Nazi foreign and domestic policy; World War II and the concentration camps.