A Resource about Coexistence, Cooperation and Early Multiculturalism in Medieval Spain

Education is a key component of the move towards building acceptance and understanding of diverse cultures among Alberta’s students. This vision can be achieved if educators and education developers remain committed to using resources produced for these purposes and remain committed to such an overall vision.

This resource is about more than the history of medieval Spain. It encourages students to think critically about history and how it is told, while considering how these analysis tools can be used to understand the world around them.

This resource provides opportunities for students to:

Historical Craft

Students learn how to analyze primary source documents, cultivate an understanding of historiography, develop an appreciation for how literature can (mis)shape history and for the importance of history in forming identities.

Critical Analysis

Students uncover how national mythologies are created and what purposes they serve in the past and the present. They will also discover how the stories we tell about the past reflect the values, beliefs and concerns of the present.

Students will study the efforts required for social and religious coexistence, as well as exploring how respectful cooperation and competition allow society and all of its social groupings to flourish.

Building Acceptance

Students will critically analyze how the boundaries of identities are formed and will discover problems associated with maintaining artificial rigidity in them. They will also discover what valuable societal benefits are lost when acceptance is not the norm.
[{"document_url": "https://buildingacceptance.com/", "unformatted_src": "https://buildingacceptanceblog.files.wordpress.com/2016/10/www-islamic-arts-org.jpg", "src": "https://buildingacceptanceblog.files.wordpress.com/2016/10/www-islamic-arts-org.jpg", "formatted_filename": "www islamic arts org"}, {"document_url": "https://buildingacceptance.com/", "unformatted_src": "https://buildingacceptanceblog.files.wordpress.com/2016/10/alhambra-spain-6.jpg", "src": "https://buildingacceptanceblog.files.wordpress.com/2016/10/alhambra-spain-6.jpg", "formatted_filename": "alhambra spain"}, {"document_url": "https://buildingacceptance.com/", "unformatted_src": "https://buildingacceptanceblog.files.wordpress.com/2016/10/www-islamic-arts-org.jpg", "src": "https://buildingacceptanceblog.files.wordpress.com/2016/10/www-islamic-arts-org.jpg", "formatted_filename": "www islamic arts org"}, null]