Department of European Studies & Modern Languages, Unit Catalogue 2007/08 |
EU20676 Cultural memory and the Spanish transition to democracy |
| Credits: 6 |
| Level: Intermediate |
| Semester: 2 |
| Assessment: CW 33%, ES 67% |
| Requisites: |
| Before taking this unit you must take EU20556 |
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Aims: To discuss the theoretical relevance of the concept of 'memory'; to discuss the relation between the concepts of 'memory' and 'history'; to explore the role of memory in processes of transition to democracy; to investigate the relevance of cultural narratives in the reconstruction of a collective past in the present; to examine memory as the effect of private/public and individual/collective discourses; to examine memory as the effect of other constituencies of the self (gender, class, sexuality, etc); to apply all the above to the case of Spain after the end of the Dictatorship in 1975.
Learning Outcomes: On successful completion of this unit, students will be able to: * explain the theoretical relevance of the concept of 'cultural memory'; * analyse the intersection of different identity constituencies (gender, class, sexuality, ethnic, etc) in the construction of memories about a collective past; * understand the differences and similarities between various technologies of memory: cultural industries (cinema, literature), cultural institutions (museums, the Academia), the media (TV, the press); * understand the peculiarities of the Spanish transition to democracy; * assess the importance of memory in cultural discourses during the Spanish transition to democracy. Skills: Skills in critical analysis, conceptual thinking, precision in the use of written and spoken language, exercise of independent judgement, reasoned argument, effective communication in the target language, teamwork and the planning/conduct/reporting of non-quantitative research are developed and assessed in this unit. Content: Theories of cultural memory; theories of political change and transitions to democracy; the role of culture in transitions to democracy; the case of Spanish transition to democracy; the role of cinema (Canciones para después de una guerra by Basilio Martín Patino, Volver a empezar by José Luis Garci, El espíritu de la colmena by Víctor Erice, El corazón del bosque by Gutiérrez Aragón); the role of literature (El cuarto de atrás by Carmen Martín Gaite, El fantasma del cine Roxy by Juan Marsé, El pianista by Manuel Vázquez Montalbán). The unit is taught in Spanish. |