SPAN 2600 Intro to Literature and Culture from Spain in ...



SPAN 3550 Culture and Civilization of Spain

Cáceres, Spain, Summer 2009

Instructor: Dr. Isabel Asensio Campus office: EH 230

E-mail: isabelasensio@weber.edu Office phone: (801) 626-6777

COURSE DESCRIPTION

How does a country come to define itself as such? What diverse elements merge together to form a national and cultural identity? This course will study the development and construction of Spanish culture with a focus on the last century. Emphasis will be given to the development and construction of the Autonomous Community of Extremadura, and its cultural uniqueness within the peninsular culture. This course will search for the knowledge of the Spanish and European reality of the Twenty-first Century as well as breaking down the frequent clichés regarding this. Topics include the geography, political structure, family, education, gastronomy, Spanish university life, music, cinema, etc. Students will read a variety of essays and scholarly articles that examine Spain’s cultural, aesthetic, social, and political history.

COURSE OBJECTIVES

Upon completing this course, in addition to the historical perspective you will have gained about Spain, you will have further improved the critical thinking skills that are needed to interpret many forms of culture and human interactions. I hope your gains from this course will have both humanistic and practical applications. The course objectives are:

-To highlight main events of Spanish history and geography that have shaped its national identity.

-To identify and analyze various genres such as music, painting, literature, and film as manifestations of cultural identity.

-To analyze and articulate ideas about Spanish culture in class discussions and written papers.

Ultimately, the goals of this course are for all of us (1) to think critically about many of the elements that we often take for granted in concepts of cultural identity, be they in our own culture or those of others, and (2) to help you have a more rewarding study abroad experience.

READINGS

* Various chapters from The Buried Mirror (1999) by Carlos Fuentes.

* Various articles from Contemporary Spanish Cultural Studies (2000) by Barry Jordan and Rikki Morgan-Tamosunas.

EVALUATION

The final grade will be based on the following:

Participation in class discussions-----25%

(Including attendance)

Homework-----25%

(Readings and reading questionnaires)

Oral presentation-----25%

(Every day, a student will read an article from Tamosunas’s book and present its contents to the class)

Final project-----25% Due on Monday, June 29th, 2009

COURSE POLICIES

Class protocol: Besides completing the assigned homework, students are required to read the assigned pages and to prepare other materials for the class in advance. In class, students are required to be involved in the activities and they must show their preparation by participating in the discussions, by asking relevant questions, being critical and analytical with the contents presented in class as well as by sharing their ideas and opinions. In class the student is required to maintain a polite demeanor at all times and under every circumstance.

Honor code: The WSU Honor Code will be enforced. Students are responsible for knowing it and for using it on all assignments in this course.

DAILY PROGRAM

(Subject to changes by the instructor)

Week 1

Wednesday, May 13—Introduction to the course.

Thursday, May 14—Extremadura: Plasencia and Trujillo

Week 2

Monday, May 18—Readings: “Sun and Shadow” (TBM)

Tuesday, May 19—Readings: “The Conquest of Spain” (TBM)

Wednesday, May 20—Readings: “The Reconquest of Spain” (TBM)

Thursday, May 21—Extremadura: Mérida

Week 3

Monday, May 25—Readings: “1492: The Crucial Year” (TBM)

Tuesday, May 26—Readings: “The Age of Empire” (TBM)

Wednesday, May 27—Readings: “The Century of Gold”(TBM)

Thursday, May 28—Extremadura: Guadalupe and el Monasterio de Yuste

Week 4

Monday, June 1—Readings: “The Age of Goya” (TBM)

Tuesday, June 2—Readings: “Toward Independence” (TBM)

Wednesday, June 3—Readings: “Contemporary Spain” (TBM)

Thursday, June 4—Overall review.

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