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Spain and the Atlantic World, 1450-1830 - History 180
Dr. Fernando Gonzalez de Leon
Springfield College, Fall 1998
I. Course Description and Objectives:
This course explores the development of the first global, empire in history
during the early modern era through its relations with Europe, the Americas
and the rest of the world. It studies the political, military and economic
factors involved in the rise of Imperial Spain, its survival in competition
with other colonial powers, and its ultimate decline and fall in the early
nineteenth century, as well as the major aspects of the culture of the Spanish
Golden Age. A previous knowledge of the history of early modern Europe though
not essential, should prove very useful in this study. Furthermore, since
this course fulfills the College's writing requirement, students will learn
the rudiments of historical argument in the form of an interpretive essay.
In addition to the readings some videos and slides will be shown to appraise
the visual and material evidence and the class may go on a day trip to the
Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York to examine its Spanish holdings.
II. Required Readings:
Henry Kamen. Spain 1469-1714. A Societv of Conflict. New York: Longmans,
1983.
John Lynch. Spain and America 1598-1700, Oxford: Basil Blackwell, 1969.
John Lynch. Bourbon Spain 1700-1808. Oxford: Basil Blackwell, 1995.
J.H. Parry. The Spanish Seaborne Empire. Berkeley: University of California
Press, 1990.
III. Methods, Assignments, Exams and Grading Policy:
Students will be expected to come to class having read that week's reading
assignments and to take thorough notes from the readings before they are explained
in class in order to participate effectively in discussions. The purpose of
the lectures and discussions is to point out the most relevant and important
persons, facts and issues of the weekly topic, but not all you will be expected
to know in the examinations. I will not simply go over the texts and thus
you may find new material in my lectures that is not covered in the readings
and for which you will be responsible. There will be some slide sessions and
videos that will explore the visual evidence (if time allows), and you should
take notes on them as well as on the readings and lectures.
Final Grade. I will reach your final grade in approximately this -manner:
Midterm Exam .20%
Final Exam 30%
Essay Assignment 35%
Class Participation 10%
Attendance 5 %
Attendance: Attendance counts towards the final grade. Students will be expected
to attend class regularly and attendance will be taken every day. More than
three absences without official written
excuse will have a negative impact on the final grade. (The class participation
grade obviously depends also on attendance).
Exams: There will be a Midterm Exam on October 9 and a comprehensive Final
Exam on December 17. Both of them will consist of short essays and/or factual
identifications. Exams missed without a valid (documented) excuse will not
be made up. In any case, make-up exams will cover the same material but will
be different in content from those taken in class.
Essay Assignment: Formal writing is a major component of this course without
which the final grade will be F regardless of the other results. Students
will expected to complete an opinion paper (not a research paper) of 12-15
pages on a topic or topics I will assign later and which will be due in class
on November 20. (This may include a book and/or film review on which see instructions
below). I will grade this paper on both style and content and will work with
you at every stage of the writing process to achieve specific results such
as clarity of expression, adequate syntax and grammar, effective handling
of facts and information, and the thesis, development and conclusion of the
paper. Late papers will have their grades diminished accordingly and thus
I expect you to bring up any problems with this deadline well in advance,
and not when the assignment is imminent. I recommend preparing a detailed
outline, going through at least three drafts before handing it in and consulting
with the Writing Center. (I stand ready to help you prepare your paper but
I will not read any draft that has not been corrected first by the staff at
the Writing Center). I will grade the essays according to these criteria:
1. Clear thesis directly stated in the first paragraph.
2. Sharp focus on the thesis throughout: do not digress.
3. Good organization and structure: work from an outline.
4. Adequate command of basic knowledge: check your facts.
5. Overall sense: well-stated arguments.
6. vivid and effective examples: dates whenever necessary.
7. Use of specific details and proofs: avoid vagueness.
8. Sound internal logic, without self-contradictions.
9. Clarity and diction: correct grammar and accurate spelling (consult a dictionary
for the meaning of unclear words).
10. Lively style: avoid repetitions, use synonyms (consult a Thesaurus).
11. Sharp conclusion (recapitulation).
12. Proper format and length (at least 12 full pages, 8.5" x 11"
in size, double-spaced with one inch margins on all sides).
Ethics: Although none of these requirements lends itself easily to cheating
and I assume everyone to be honest, students should know that plagiarism of
any kind will not be tolerated, that I am particularly active against it and
that the grade for work tainted with it will be zero. In written assignments
plagiarism consists of using concepts and ideas or four or more consecutive
words from a source other than your mind and misleading the reader into considering
them your own. The same applies to paraphrasing or translating into your own
words the written thoughts of another. However, the facts found in the texts
are common property and you can use them without citation. If you have any
doubts on the application of these rules, consult with me before handing in
the paper.
IV. Topics and Reading Assignments. Read in the order indicated.
Week 1: Medieval Origins of Spain. Readings: Kamen, xii-xiv. Parry, 27-37.
Week 2: The Imperial Design of the Catholic Kings.
Readings: Kamen, Chapter 1. Parry, Chapters 1-2.
Week 3: Government and Economy under Charles V: Europe.
Readings: Kamen, Chapter 2.
Week 4: The Overseas Empire of Charles V.
Readings: Parry, Chapters 3-6.
Week 5: Philip II's Catholic Crusade in Europe.
Readings: Kamen, Chapter 3.
Week 6: Philip II and the Consolidation of the Indies.
Readings: Parry, Chapters 7-10.
MIDTERM EXAM
Week 7: Spain in Decline: the Reign of Philip III. Lynch, Spain and America,
Chapters I-III.
Week 8: The Empire's Last European Offensive in the Seventeenth Century: Philip
IV and Olivares' Reform Program. Readings: Kamen, Chapter 4. Parry, Chapters
11-13
Lunch, S~ain and America, Chapters IV-V.
Week 9: The Low Tide of Empire: Spain the Late XVII Century, Crisis and Recovery.
Readings': Kamen, Chapter 5.
Lynch, Spain and America, Chapters VI-X.
Week 9: War of Succession and Dynastic Change.
Readings: Lynch, Bourbon Spain, Chapters 1-4. Parry, Chapter 14. .
Week 11: The Bourbon Program of Reform.
Readings: Lynch, Bourbon Spain, Chapters 5-6.
Week 12: Charles III's Enlightened Absolutism. Readings: Lynch, Bourbon Spain,
Chapters 7-8.
ESSAY ASSIGNMENT DUE .
Week 13: Charles III's Policies in America and Renewed Imperial. Expansion.
Readings: Parry, Chapters 15-16.
Recommended reading: Lynch, Bourbon Spain, Chapter 9.
Week 14: The Challenge of Revolution in Europe.
Readings: Lynch, Bourbon Spain, Chapter 10.
Parry, Chapter 17.
Week 15: The End of the Spanish Empire in America. Readings: Parry, Chapter
18 and Conclusion.
FINAL EXAM
V. Guidelines for Book and Film Reviews.
Book Reviews. Book reviews should be between 4-5 pages long on a work chosen
in consultation with me. The stylistic guidelines are the same as those of
the opinion essay. However, a good book review must go beyond a simple summary
of the contents to cover these points:
a. What sort of book is this? Is it a general history, a monograph or focused
study on a particular topic, period or event(s) or a biography?
b. What are the author's goals? What is his thesis?
c. Does the author prove his point? How well?
d. Does the author have any noticeable biases? Is he fair and objective in
his approach to the subject of his work?
e. Does the author have any subtle presuppositions or prejudices? Does he
for example assume all human beings to .be good or evil, or all men to be
anti-female, or some such thing? If so, how can you tell? (Be careful with
your evidence).
f. Is the book based on archival research of original documents or simply
on the evidence found by other historians and extant in other books?
g. Is the work complete? Does the author have all the evidence needed to prove
his point? What sort of evidence should .have been included but was not? What
sort of evidence might have best been left out? What topics should have been
covered and were missing from the book?
h. What did this book teach you? Was it worth reading? Can it be used as a
tool in a course of this sort or is it too complex for the average reader?
Does it assume previous knowledge of the subject or can anyone understand
it?
i. How well or badly written was this work? Was it a good read or perhaps
a bore? Did it entertain you as well as inform you?
j. Would you recommend this book? Why? To whom?
Film Reviews. Film reviews should be between 4-5 pages long on a film chosen
in consultation with me. The stylistic guidelines are the same as those of
the opinion essay. However, in terms of content, a good historical film review
must go beyond a simple summary of the plot and highlights to address these
points:
a. What sort of film is this? Does it portray a certain period of history,
a series of events or the life of an important historical figure?
b. Who is the director, where was the film produced, and what is its nationality
and date of issue? Does that give us any clues as to its possible biases or
ideology?
c. What are the director's visible goals? What did he try to do with this
movie? What might be his thesis?
Does he prove his point to your satisfaction? How well?
e. Does the film have any noticeable biases? Is it fair and objective to the
subject? Does it portray its subject in a negative or positive light? How
can you tell?
f. Is the movie based on a written work of history? Did it have any historical
advisors? (Look carefully at the credits).
g. Does the film cover its topic well? Does it leave out major aspects, events
or personalities that you think should have been included?
h. What did this film teach you? How does it portray the historical period,
person or event it deals with? Was it worth watching? Can it be used as a
tool in a course of this sort or is it too complex and difficult for the average
college viewer? Does it assume previous knowledge of the subject or can anyone
readily understand it without having taken a history course?
i. How well or badly..crafted was this work? Does the dialogue flow smoothly
or are there too many silences or far too much dialogue for the adequate presentation
of the topic? Too much action perhaps? Too little? Did it entertain you as
well as inform you?
j. Would you recommend this film? Why? To whom?
© 2002 by The President and Fellows of Harvard College.
Created November 2002.