Engagement Details
HIST 110: Golden Age of Spain and Portugal - History and Culture
What to Expect
Study Abroad Location:
Madrid and Seville, Spain, and Lisbon, Portugal
Program Dates:
5/10/24-5/25/24
Course Description:
For Spain and Portugal, the 16th and 17th centuries are known as their “Golden Age” when they were the most powerful countries in Europe and ruled over empires that had colonies across the globe. Long before the British had an “empire on which the sun never set” in the 18th century, Spain and Portugal already had theirs in the 16th century. This program examines how Conquest and Colonization in the Americas, Africa, and Asia by the Spanish and Portuguese quite literally produced this “Golden Age” through extracting precious metals and other wealth from around the globe. Rather than only studying colonization with a focus on how it transformed colonies in the Americas, we will examine how it revolutionized the home countries of Spain and Portugal. Through visiting historic sites, museums, libraries, and churches in Lisbon, Seville, and Madrid constructed during the “Golden Age,” we will analyze how Conquest and Colonization in the Americas had direct consequences on reshaping Spain and Portugal. From a historical perspective, commemorating the “Golden Age” of Spain and Portugal involves examining how to both celebrate past historical achievements at historic sites, monuments, and exhibits, while also memorializing the impact colonization had on building and shaping the era. Our itinerary will include visiting: the Monument to the Discoveries and the Tower of Belem in Lisbon; the Cathedral, Royal Palace, and Torre de Oro in Seville; and the Museo de America, Museo Naval, and the Escorial in Madrid. Through visiting these locations, we will assess the challenges of celebrating a “Golden Age” when Spain and Portugal ruled the world, while at the same time memorializing the human costs of building such powerful empires, which has left long lasting social, cultural, and historical legacies to this day.
Term: Summer
Participation Instructions: See program requirements to determine student eligibility.