Spanish 380 Special Topics

 Culturas de Espana

Spring 2004

Professor Ian Davies

TR 6:30-8:10p.m.   Sonderegger 104

    The course on contemporary culture in Spain will explore many different aspects of life, society, politics, economy, art and literature in Spain since the 1936-1939 civil war, with particular emphasis on societal changes the last twenty five years.  We will begin by discussing and defining the notion of "culture" and see what this word can mean for different people.  Students will be encouraged to question their own understanding of the notion "culture" and how it applies it to the course.  Throughout the semester we will compare and contrast our own attitudes and values living here in the US with those we see and read about in class with regard to Spain. 

John Hooper's text The New Spaniards is a thorough yet compact and very readable account of the changes in Spanish society over the last twenty five years.  He helps place Spain in a global context and explains the driving forces behind Spain's movement towards Europeanization, modernization and political integration with the rest of the world.  From his book we will abstract key elements such as the role of the family, religion, tradition, the monarchy, the police and the military, Spain's particular brand of socialism, and the importance of youth and popular culture.  In class, students will be expected to discuss their own personal reactions to the images of Spain received from the readings, comparing and contrasting them with their lifestyles here. 

Sandra Harper's literary reader is important to us primarily because its contents present imaginatively, poetically and in Spanish the broader topics with which we shall deal.  Linguistically it is a challenging text and is a fine source for cultural and literary bibliography.   The short stories range from the 1920s to the present, exploring various themes such as rural versus urban life, gender and power relations, education and generational conflict, amongst many others.  Both Puntos de Vista and Hooper's book will then form the basis for research for an end of semester oral presentation and short term paper. 

    During the semester we will watch various videos (both television documentary and feature film) that shed light on different aspects of contemporary Spain.  In addition, students will perform searches of the World Wide Web (which offers many sites of interest and relevance) and report back to the class on their results.  Additional sources are satellite TV, newspapers and magazines: all available in the language laboratory (309 DeRicci), on the internet and on local cable TV.  In the laboratory we shall also listen to audio sources from Spain (radio programs or pre-recorded audio magazine items from Puerta del Sol).  Students will respond orally and in writing to these resources. 

  Course evaluation will be distributed evenly across:- 

Although the main text is written in English, the classes will be conducted in Spanish.  Use of a good dictionary is recommended.

Required texts:

Hooper, John.  The New Spaniards.  London: Penguin, 1995.

Harper, Sandra.  Puntos de vista.  Narrativa espanola moderna.  Lexington, Massachusets: D.C. Heath, 1993.