Spring 2007
SPN 328 • Spanish Civilization
| Unique | Days | Time | Location | Instructor |
| 47805 to 47820 | Multiple Sections |
|
PEREIRO-OTERO | |
Course Description
On the one hand, as Benedict Anderson has demonstrated, nations have been historically constructed as an exercise of imagination performed by a community. Thus, unifying concepts such as "Espaïa" or espaïol are products of that collective endeavor of foundation. On the other and as a counterpart, Spaniards have always been aware of the fact that their country has never been one, but many. The term of las Espaïas mentioned in the first constitution ever drafted in Spain in 1812, implicitly acknowledged that, although one nation, the diversity of its parts presented many different faces. In this class we will explore the (de)formation of such (in)coherent entity known as Spain through the study of the cultural, historical and political processes that gave birth to it; but, at the same time, we will counterweigh the hegemony of that simple term with a more complex understanding of what could be considered Spanish civilization.
Grading Policy
4 Quizzes 40 % 1 Final exam 20 % 1 Final paper (2 pages) 20 % Attendance & Participation 10 % Discussion Session 10 %
Texts
Ugarte, Francisco, Michael Ugarte and Kathleen McNerney. Espaïa y su civilizaciñn. Boston: MacGraw Hill, 2004.
