History of the Azores

Objectives

1.To provide forms of systematizing of historical knowledge, making use of an attitude that priviledges research and reflection.

2.To analyze changing reality as a process challenged by scientific advancements associated with demands for broader knowledge and renovated methods of questioning and interpreting reality from new and old sources.

3.To search for the origins and evolution of historical developments in the Azores, in order to understand their trends and meanings as influenced by the islands' geography.

4.To be able to understand the present by studying the past.

Program

1. Introduction
1.1. The history and the historiography of the Azores
1.2. The paths of research

2. The knowledge of the existence of the islands and its colonization (XV Century)
2.1. The discovery
2.2. The settlement
2.3. The exercise of power
2.4. The economic organization
2.5. The importance of geography

3. The era of magnificence (from the XVI century to the end of the XVII century)
3.1. The administration
3.2. The economy
3.3. The strategy
3.4. The society
3.5. The culture
3.6. The Azores in the troubled periods of the history of Portugal

4. The syndrome of decadence and the return of prosperity (from the end of the XVII century to the beginning of
the XIX century)
4.1. The administration
4.2. The economy
4.3. The strategy
4.4. The society
4.5. The culture

5. The General Captaincy of the Azores

6. The Azores in the XIX and XX centuries
6.1. The pre-autonomic era (from 1836 to 1895)
6.2. The two autonomies (from 1895 to the present

Teaching Methodologies

The learning process integrates teaching and research, so that the transmission of knowledge results in the development of research efforts and in a greater skills for dealing with historical facts.Therefore, instead of being a faithful communicator of knowledge, the professor plays an advisory role on how to approach issues from different perspectives, in order to develop students’ ability to analyze and discuss them.

Practical assignments will supplement classroom instruction. Their purpose is to facilitate the application of acquired knowledge and skills, in such a way as to improve students' learning experiences. Besides observing student performance in regular discussions, periodical assessment practices will include at least two elements (each comprising 50% of the final mark), one of which must be a written test or report.

Bibliography

Arquivo dos Açores, 2ª ed., 15 vols., Ponta Delgada, UAç., 1980-84.
CHAGAS, Frei Diogo das, Espelho Cristalino em Jardim de Várias Flores, direcção e prefácio de Artur Teodoro
de Matos, s/l, SREC/UAç., 1989.
CORDEIRO, António, História Insulana das Ilhas a Portugal Sugeytas no Oceano Occidental, reedição da edição
prínceps de 1717, s/l, SREC, 1981.
FRUTUOSO, Gaspar, Saudades da Terra, 6 lvs., Ponta Delgada, Instituto Cultural, 1977-87.
MALDONADO, Manuel Luís, Fénix Angrence, transcrição e notas de Hélder Fernando Parreira de Sousa Lima, 3
vols., Angra do Heroísmo, IHIT, 1989-97.
MATOS, Artur Teodoro de; MENESES, Avelino de Freitas de; LEITE José Guilherme Reis (direcção científica),
História dos Açores. Do descobrimento ao século XX, 2 vols., Instituto Açoriano de Cultura, 2008.
MONTE ALVERNE, Frei Agostinho de, Crónicas da Província de S. João Evangelista das Ilhas dos Açores, 3
vols., Ponta Delgada, Instituto Cultural, 1960-62.