C400  Catalan Language and Culture I  ( 3 credits)
R:  Knowledge of another romance language.

Today’s globalized economies have torn down political barriers,
turned local spaces into tourist attractions, and made English and
other major languages the most efficient communication tools. In
this context, Barcelona has become since the Olympic Games of 1992 a
successful global city that offers a balanced combination of
European economic prosperity and Mediterranean lifestyle. Its
cultural centers and its sunny beaches, its architectural heritage
and its cool nightlife have also turned it into one of the world´s
most fashionable cities.

But at the heart of this success there seems to be an enigmatic
element that, given the homogenizing tendencies of globalization,
one might not know how to explain: the presence of Catalan language.
In the last decades, Catalan, spoken by approximately 10 million
people, has not only maintained its high cultural prestige but it
has also increased its public presence and remained a key political
tool in Catalonia.

This introductory course to Catalan language and culture has
three main goals. First, it aims to provide a basic knowledge of the
Catalan language. The course will be an intensive study of the
language, geared primarily at reading knowledge, but not limited to
it. A solid knowledge of another Romance language is assumed of all
students. Secondly, the course will also consist of a cultural
overview of Catalunya and the Catalan linguistic area (País
Valencià, Illes Balears, Andorra, Rosselló-Catalunya Nord, and the
city of l’Alguer). We will focus on the cultural history of this
nation in its always conflictive relations to the Spanish and French
states. Finally, the case of Catalonia and its both unique and
exemplary characteristics will be a perfect occasion to undertake
more general reflections on the intricate relations between
language, culture, the modern state, and globalization.

Students will work with a textbook and CD, by Dolors Badia, a
reader, and hand-out materials. Beginning with the second week, the
class will be primarily conducted in Catalan. There will be bi-
weekly quizes, and two exams, a presentation and a final paper.

HISP-C 400 #15324 9:05A-9:55A  MWF  Room=TBA   Professor Edgar Illas
Note:  This course can fulfill the elective 300/400 level
requirement for the Spanish major.