Arts and Letters 100: Narratives of Cultural Identity in ...



Arts and Letters 100: Narratives of Cultural Identity in Contemporary Spain

Fall 2012

Professor Julián Daniel Gutiérrez-Albilla

Office Hours: Mondays and Wednesdays 9:00 am to 9:50 am and 1:00 pm to 1:50 pm and by appointment

THH 156, (213) 740-1258

juliangu@usc.edu

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Objectives

This course offers the opportunity to explore different narratives of cultural identity in contemporary Spain, particularly from the period of the political transition from Franco’s dictatorship to democracy in 1975 up to the present. We will consider narratives of regional or peripheral nationalisms (Basque and Catalan), narratives of gender and sexuality, narratives of the Civil War and the Franco Regime, narratives of ethnic, racial and migrant identities, or narratives of postmodernism by way of looking at different texts and media, particularly FILM, but will also include: DANCE, MUSIC, VISUAL ARTS, MONUMENTS, SPORTS (SOCCER), MUSEUMS, ARCHITECTURE or PHOTOGRAPHY. This course will allow you to gain critical awareness of narratives of cultural and political identities and issues in Spain since 1975. We will analyze and historically contextualize a variety of cultural media that deal with how identities are shaped and contested in what can be defined as post-Franco Spain. Students will work with a variety of media and forms of cultural production in order to draw wide conclusions about the topics covered.

Films to watch in class

• Pedro Almodovar, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown

• Pedro Almodovar, All about My Mother

• Iciar Bollain, Flowers of Another World

• Guillermo del Toro, Pan’s Labyrinth

• Julio Medem, Basque Ball

• Trisha Ziff, The Mexican Suitcase

In addition, we will upload onto BLACKBOARD the required readings for each topic a week before we cover that specific topic

Course requirements

Four short papers (1000-1250 words each) 50%

Midterm exam 10%

Final exam 20%

Class participation and attendance 10%

Class presentation 10%

Class Schedule: Mondays and Wednesdays 10:00 am to 11:50 am THH 119

Week 1: Monday August 27: Introduction to Post-Franco Spain and Spanish Cultural Studies and Wednesday August 29: Theories of Nationalism and Catalan Nationalism

Week 2: Monday September 3: Labor Day and Wednesday September 5: FC Barcelona

Week 3: Monday September 10: Basque Nationalism and Julio Medem’s Basque Ball and Wednesday September 12: Julio Medem’s Basque Ball

Week 4: Monday September 17: Discussion of Medem’s Basque Ball and Wednesday September 19: Memory of the Civil War and the Franco Regime in Contemporary Spain (PAPER 1 DUE)

Week 5: Monday September 24: Picasso’s Guernica and Valle de los Caídos and Wednesday September 26: Guillermo del Toro’s Pan’s Labyrinth

Week 6: Monday October 1: Discussion of Guillermo del Toro’s Pan’s Labyrinth and Wednesday October 3: Trisha Ziff’s The Mexican Suitcase

Week 7: Monday October 8: Discussion of Trisha Ziff’s The Mexican Suitcase and Wednesday October 10: Women in Contemporary Spain

Week 8: Monday October 15: Pedro Almodovar’s Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown and Wednesday October 17: Discussion of Pedro Almodovar’s Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (PAPER 2 DUE)

Week 9: Monday October 22: Revision of mid-term and Wednesday October 24: Midterm exam

Week 10: Monday October 29: LGBT in Contemporary Spain and Wednesday October 31: Pedro Almodovar’s All About My Mother

Week 11: Monday November 5: Discussion of Pedro Almodovar’s All About My Mother and Wednesday November 7: Theories of Postmodernism in Post-Franco Spain (PAPER 3 DUE)

Week 12: Monday November 12: Discussion of Cities, Museums and Photography and Wednesday November 14: Gypsies in Spain

Week 13: Monday November 19: Discussion of Flamenco Popular Music and Dance and Wednesday November 21: THANKSGIVING

Week 14: Monday November 26: Migration in post-Franco Spain and Wednesday November 28: Iciar Bollain’s Flowers of Another World

Week 15: Monday December 3: Discussion of Iciar Bollain’s Flowers of Another World and Wednesday December 5: Revision Session for our final exam (PAPER 4 DUE)

Final Exam: Monday December 17 from 8 am to 10 am. I will meet with you before our final exam to return the first draft of your 4th essay, so that you can submit a new version on the day of your final exam.

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