Through the study of current events in today's Spain, the course will grant a vast comprehension of the Spanish society at the present time. In order to achieve that, one major focus will be the study of contemporary Spanish History of the last century. In the context of a complex and rapidly changing world, the History of the twentieth century faces remarkable opportunities. It is an important factor of social cohesion, as it is one of the first forms of social consciousness and regional and group identity. Thus, a large part of the contents of the course will be linked to the Spanish national culture and vision of the past.
The course will therefore comprehend the study of the nineteen thirties, analyzing the modernizing project of the Second Republic, frustrated by the civil war and the subsequent Franco dictatorship. These decades, up to the present day -and the special emphasis given to the study of the transitionship to democracy- will be the basis to study the major issues that are today under discussion in Spanish society; the different political, but also cultural trends and problems that have shaped the current Spanish circumstances: the question of nationalism, the situation of women, the organization of the state, the political situation, the economic crisis, etc.
We will turn to the cinema, the media -the written press but also to audiovisual journalism- to investigate about the historic fundamentals of contemporary Spain. Likewise, the students will be presented with texts to analyze, political propaganda, pictures, documentaries and films that will help them assimilate a complete and detailed knowledge of the topics that will be studied during the course.