The Making of Europe: Rise of Civilization

Discover Europe’s roots in this two-weeks course that takes you to the ‘Eternal City’: Rome, Italy. During this course you will make a voyage from Antiquity to the later Middle Ages, highlighting its politics, religious affairs and societal developments. See how these developments are also expressed in magnificent artistic accomplishments on its way.

Once the capital of the glorious Roman Empire; then rival to the Florentine Renaissance; birthplace of the Baroque and location of the Vatican, beautiful Rome is in various ways the ancestor of modern Europe. We will be studying Rome´s and Europe´s history from inside and outside the classroom, since many of its iconic places exist still nowadays. We will visit the tangible remains of the Roman era and discover the beautiful (early) churches which were transformed in later times by geniuses like Michelangelo and Bernini and unravel the politics behind these sights and works of art. You will certainly ´experience´ history this way!

Target audience

Students of the humanities and social sciences, including economics and business, political sciences, European studies, international relations, history, culture studies and sociology, the sciences and engineering at senior undergraduate or graduate level with an interest in culture, society and politics. A general background in the social sciences may help, but no specific expertise is required.

Course aim

At the end of this course, students should be able to:

• Describe and evaluate different theories and conceptualisations of the historic development of Europe, including Europe’s role on the world stage
• Discern and analyse key factors in facilitating this development
• Demonstrate an understanding of political, socio-economic and cultural aspects of the European developments
• Demonstrate this detailed and critical knowledge and understanding in written and verbal form.

Study load

12 hours of lectures per week; 12 hours of field trips per week (obligatory part of the course programme); appr. 30 hours of self study per week

Course fee

€1295 (course + course materials + housing)

Course fee includes entrance fees for all field trips that are part of the course programme.

Level

Bachelor