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Course: 2023/2024

Cultural Studies: Spanish culture/s from 1940 to the present

(755)

Hispanic Studies (Plan: 285 - Estudio: 84)

Coordinating teacher: BRANCIFORTE MAZZOLA, LAURA MARIA

Department assigned to the subject:

Type: Compulsory

ECTS Credits: 6.0 ECTS

Course: 1º

Semester:

Requirements (Subjects that are assumed to be known)

This course is esigned for American students. It is recommended but not necessaryt to have a basic knowledge of contemporary Spanish history.

Objectives

The course is designed so that students will acquire and develop the following competences: recognize, describe and evaluate Spanish cultural expressions in their historical contexts; and to present an analysis both orally and in a written form. More specifically, this course will allow students to acquire and develop their knowledge of a crucial period in Spanish history, which will ultimately allow them to better understand Spain today and its cultural policies.

Description of contents: programme

The second half of the 20th century is a time of intense social, political, and economic transformations in Spain, and its cultural production reflects as much. Cultural Studies offer an interdisciplinary approach to study these complex phenomena and how they materialize in specific cultural objects. These objects are not transparent nor self-explanatory, they emerge from, are part of, and motivate diverse relationships with the people that create and enjoy them. In this course we will be looking into different cultural manifestations produced in Spain since 1939, taking into account the complex and changing historical and social contexts in which they are produced. We will focus both on so-called "high culture" and popular culture, by analyzing film, photography, comics, propaganda, art, sport, academic texts, and entertainment, as well as the tensions behind their creation and distribution. There will be a strong emphasis on the role of women and the evolution of their role in society, analyzing various cultural products that bear witness to these changes. Principal topics: 1. Introduction to Cultural Studies 2. Culture and Politics from 1939 to the Present 3. Cultural symbols of Spain since 1939 to Nowadays 4. Political and Cultural Representations in Film, TV and Advertising 5. Cultural and Social Gaps in Spain ( generational and gender gap) Students are expected to study the assigned readings on a daily basis. Class attendance is mandatory.

Learning activities and methodology

Class participation is paramount Activities: - Debate of films and material proposed - Thinking about "historical memor"y - Viewing guide for Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown - Oral Presentation

Assessment System

Class evaluation is on-going throughout the course, it is based on class participation, weekly assignments, two exams, and a group presentation about a cultural object (to be chosen among a list of topics proposed by the professor). 
Class attendance is mandatory and active class participation is fundamental. If a student is absent, he or she is responsible for making up the work and material covered on the day of the absence. 
The first unjustified absence to class is not penalized.

The second unjustified absence results in a deduction of -0,3 on the final grade.

The third unjustified absence results in a deduction of -0,5 on the final grade. 



Evaluation
- Midterm y final term (40 %).
- Class activities (40 %)
- 2 short papers (20 %).

Basic Bibliography

Chislett, Williams. Spain, What Everyone Needs to Know. Oxford University Press. 2013
Graham, Helen & Labanyi, Jo. Spanish Cultural Studies. An Introduction. Oxford University Press. 1995
Jordan, Barry & Morgan-Tamosunas, Rikki. Contemporary Spanish Cultural Studies. Arnold. 2000
Stapell, Hamilton. Remaking Madrid after Franco. Palgrave Macmillan. 2010

Detailed subject contents or complementary information about assessment system of B.T.

Go to the detailed contents

The course syllabus may change due academic events or other reasons.