The Making of Europe

About

Dive into the thrilling history of Europe and its role on the world stage, zooming in to three of the most exciting cities of Europe: Rome, Utrecht and Berlin! The combination of three online courses, designed by three excellent European universities, will provide an overview of the history and workings of Europe. Immerse yourself in Europe’s history and culture.

During this course we will trace the making of Europe, from its most ancient roots to its most current affairs. This will be done through a multidisciplinary approach in which political, economic and societal perspectives will be offered. You will come to understand these historical developments from both a national and an international viewpoint. The programme will offer you the opportunity to explore a broad range of topics starting with the history of the Roman empire, continuing to the Medieval Era and the Renaissance.

The second part of this special track stretches from the Dutch "Golden Age" to the end of the 19th century and includes the topics of (Early) Modern European state-building, the rise of the bourgeoisie and the genesis of the modern welfare state. In the final part of the course you will be introduced to major developments of the 20th century: the First and Second World Wars, the Interbellum and the Cold War, the rise and fall of totalitarian regimes, and the birth of modern international relations and European integration.

The topics addressed in Rome, Utrecht and Berlin will have strong ties to the specific locations, but at the same time the broader European historical developments will be kept in focus during all lectures and excursions.

Course leader

Thom van Leuveren, Jet Weerkamp, Jelle van Bueren & Dr. Dörte Ohlhorst

Target group

The course is open to all students from different fields of study with an interest in culture, society and politics.

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, with specific attention for Italy, The Netherlands and Germany
• Show an understanding of various historic monuments and their relation to historical developments
• Demonstrate an understanding of political, socio-economic and cultural aspects of the European developments
• Demonstrate this critical knowledge and understanding in written and verbal form.

Fee info