Spanish Culture I
A.Y. 2021/2022
Learning objectives
The course aims to deepen the history of contemporary and current Spanish culture, showing its historical and cultural roots and highlighting the long-lasting phenomena of the previous centuries. The main political, social, economic and cultural changes in Spain will be examined through the detailed analysis of some historical moments and the cultural productions related to them. It will highlight the relationships between culture, discursive strategies, social phenomena, mass communication, production and consumption of cultural products (with special reference to literary disciplines, visual arts and music), with a humanistic and interdisciplinary approach. In order to achieve this objective and to facilitate the understanding of the topics presented during the course, adequate linguistic and semiotic tools will also be provided.
Expected learning outcomes
The course aims to refine the ability to understand the most significant cultural changes that have characterised contemporary and current Spain, also taking into account its relationship with the past, whose reading and interpretation allows us to understand the present and contributes to entering critically and planning for the future. Students will acquire the necessary tools to approach the subject studied from an interdisciplinary perspective.They will also be able to communicate the knowledge acquired during the course with linguistic and content-related appropriateness.
Lesson period: Second semester
Assessment methods: Esame
Assessment result: voto verbalizzato in trentesimi
Single course
This course cannot be attended as a single course. Please check our list of single courses to find the ones available for enrolment.
Course syllabus and organization
Single session
Responsible
Lesson period
Second semester
Lessons will be mainly held on the Microsoft Teams platform (access code available on ARIEL) and can be followed both in synchrony (as scheduled) and asynchronous because they will be registered and left available to students on the same platform for a limited period of 15 days. All the most important information will be provided through the course's ARIEL website.
Course syllabus
Course title: From 'Me duele España' to 'national emotions' in the political space of the current crisis.
Unit 1:
Spanish twentieth century history: an overview.
A historical overview of 20th up to the 21st century Spain will be covered, with specific insights into the end of the colonial empire, the Second Republic, the Civil War and the subsequent Franco dictatorship, the Democratic Transition up to the current scenario.
Unit 2:
Spain's cultural production between the 20th and 21st centuries.
Some important cultural productions belonging to various disciplines will be analysed (especially cinema and art), contextualising them not only within a necessary historical profile, but also introducing them to the field of cultural studies and providing insights into the theoretical foundations of mediation that outline old and new areas for future mediators, emphasising the openness towards other cultures and the potential for disciplinary hybridisation that mediation can offer.
Unit 3:
Literary products in the evolution of cultural studies: from "Me duele España" to "national emotions" in the political space of the current crisis.
How do individuals construct a cultural identity and a political positioning and what relations do they establish with the public space? What does it mean to approach historical and social phenomena "from" culture? In this last section of the course, the reading of three novels corresponding to three key moments of the Spanish democratic era will be proposed; through these readings and through a path chosen by the student, an interpretative trajectory of the historical and social phenomena that characterise contemporary and current Spain can be outlined, from the literary sphere of the black novel, through collective memory and up to the Affect Theory of cultural studies.
Unit 1:
Spanish twentieth century history: an overview.
A historical overview of 20th up to the 21st century Spain will be covered, with specific insights into the end of the colonial empire, the Second Republic, the Civil War and the subsequent Franco dictatorship, the Democratic Transition up to the current scenario.
Unit 2:
Spain's cultural production between the 20th and 21st centuries.
Some important cultural productions belonging to various disciplines will be analysed (especially cinema and art), contextualising them not only within a necessary historical profile, but also introducing them to the field of cultural studies and providing insights into the theoretical foundations of mediation that outline old and new areas for future mediators, emphasising the openness towards other cultures and the potential for disciplinary hybridisation that mediation can offer.
Unit 3:
Literary products in the evolution of cultural studies: from "Me duele España" to "national emotions" in the political space of the current crisis.
How do individuals construct a cultural identity and a political positioning and what relations do they establish with the public space? What does it mean to approach historical and social phenomena "from" culture? In this last section of the course, the reading of three novels corresponding to three key moments of the Spanish democratic era will be proposed; through these readings and through a path chosen by the student, an interpretative trajectory of the historical and social phenomena that characterise contemporary and current Spain can be outlined, from the literary sphere of the black novel, through collective memory and up to the Affect Theory of cultural studies.
Prerequisites for admission
Knowledge of the Spanish language isn't mandatory, but some study materials will have to be consulted in the original language. Beginner students will be provided with the support needed for a correct interpretation of the sources.
Teaching methods
Mixed distance teaching through synchronous lessons; PowerPoint material; bibliographical material uploaded on ARIEL.
Assessment methods and Criteria
The final written examination will be aimed at ascertaining the ability to describe the social and cultural phenomena addressed during the course and to illustrate how these issues are reflected in the works and critical materials proposed. Students will also have to analyse the materials critically and with a good degree of autonomy, using appropriate terminology. The exam will be held in Italian or Spanish, at the student's choice. The examination will take place in person or remotely, depending on the directives in force at the time of each session. Examination procedures for students with disabilities and/or DSA must be agreed in accordance with the relevant office.
L-LIN/05 - SPANISH LITERATURE - University credits: 9
Lessons: 60 hours
Professor:
Calabrese Giuliana Antonella
Professor(s)