Course description

This course offers a broad introduction to modern and contemporary Spanish culture of the late 19 - early 21 centuries. Throughout the semester we will examine key works from various cultural genres, with particular emphasis on the visual arts, including film, painting, photography, poetry, documentary, newsreels, theater, and architecture, with the main objective being to explore diverse perspectives that are all unique to the ever-evolving place we call “Spain.” Additional topics of study include: empire and nation-state formation, Generación ‘98, intellectual literary and artistic movements, architectural movements and styles, dictatorship and democracy, folklore and tradition, Catholicism, fascism, revolutionary aesthetics, the politics of censorship, modernization, la Apertura, counter-cultural movements (such as the NCE-nuevo cine español and La movida), gender and identity, Francoism, nationalisms and regionalisms, and the politics of Historical Memory.

Conducted in English. Forbidden Overlap: due to an overlap in content, students will not receive credit for both SPAN 2230 and SPAN 2235.

Summer 2025: Off campus