Department of European Studies & Modern Languages, Unit Catalogue 2008/09 |
EU20676 Cultural memory in post-1975 Spain |
| 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: 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 post-authoritarian states; 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: Learning objectives. 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). * Assess the importance of memory in cultural discourses in Spain after 1975. Skills: Skills in critical analysis, conceptual thinking, precision in the use of written and spoken language, exercise of independent judgement, reasoned argument, teamwork and research methods are developed and assessed in this unit. Content: Theories on cultural memory ; theories on 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, Soldados de Salamina by David Trueba); the role of literature (El cuarto de atrás by Carmen Martín Gaite, Maquis by Alfons Cervera, El pianista by Manuel Vázquez Montalbán) |