S411 Spain:  The Cultural Context (3 credits)
"Constructing Contemporary Spain"
Professor Melissa Dinverno

Prerequisite:  HISP S331 or equivalent if matriculated to IU Fall 2001
or after.
HISP S275 or equivalent if matriculated to IU before
Fall 2001.

What is it that makes Spain "Spain"?  What images and/or stereotypes
make up our imagined collage of this country?  How do we define its
cultures and its cultural production?  This course takes a critical
look at our own constructions of Spain and "Spanish", seeking to build
a more complex understanding of its cultures, while providing tools to
facilitate future explorations.  We will consider historical
circumstances and current rewritings of the past that define
contemporary Spain, such as the experience and cultural memory of the
Spanish Civil War, the Franco Regime, and the Spanish Transition to
democracy.  We will also discuss issues dealing with notions of gender
and sexuality in the twentieth century, nationalisms and historical
autonomies, ETA, race and migrations, and constructions of gypsy
culture.  In addition to understanding the construction of
contemporary Spain, one of the main goals of the course is to provide
you with tools to analyze cultural materials and manifestations, to
"read" culture critically in this course and enable you to apply those
tools in contexts beyond the classroom.

In analyzing Spanish culture, we will work primarily through Spanish
films and literature.  "Literature" will be taken broadly to include
fiction and poetry, newspapers and magazines, and critical articles.
We will also use music, the visual arts, and architecture as we sketch
a new picture of Spain.

Class discussion and assignments will be in Spanish.  Many films will
be subtitled in English.  Course evaluation will most likely be based
on class participation, an oral presentation, short analytical writing
assignments, a midterm exam, and final paper.

S411   #4138  4:40P-5:30P   MWF   BH 205   Professor Melissa Dinverno

Note:  This course is highly recommended for students who plan to go
on the OVST Madrid Academic Year Program.