This is a travel course through Spain. We explore the question of cultural identity--and how it changes-- through the study of history, art, and architecture. We visit about 10 cities, and do walking tours, trips to museums, and trips to key cultural monuments, including churches, museums, plazas, and palaces. . We will have discussions about what we see and experience, and discuss concepts of cultural identities and understand the history, values, and aspirations of the community that uses them.. Additionally, students will be introduced to the cultural expressions and the interplay between political movements and regional identities. Is there such a thing as a national identity? How is it determined? Can it change? Spain is a very vibrant and diverse country, with centuries of different cultures who have come and left their imprint, beginning with the Greeks and Romans and up through the 21st century These complex relationships have deeply influenced the development of local, regional and national identities. . It is a country known for its rich and varied history, its magnificent art and architecture, and also for its active atmosphere, evolving cultures and past-times, from food to dance to sports to music.. We will be getting a taste for all of this as we study about it!

Course Overview:

The course is a travel course through Spain. We explore the question of cultural identity--and how it changes-- through the study of history, art, and architecture. We visit about 10 cities, and do walking tours, trips to museums, and trips to key cultural monuments, including churches, museums, plazas, and palaces. We will have discussions about what we see and experience, and discuss concepts of cultural identities and understand the history, values, and aspirations of the community that uses them. Additionally, students will be introduced to the cultural expressions and the interplay between political movements and regional identities. Is there such a thing as a national identity? How is it determined? Can it change?

Spain is a very vibrant and diverse country, with centuries of different cultures who have come and left their imprint, beginning with the Greeks and Romans and up through the 21st century These complex relationships have deeply influenced the development of local, regional and national identities. It is a country known for its rich and varied history, its magnificent art and architecture, and also for its active atmosphere, evolving cultures and past-times, from food

Texts:

We will read selections from the following:

• Brooksbank Jones, Anny. Visual Culture in Spain and Mexico.

• Hensler, Christine. Spanish fiction in the digital age: generation X remixed.

• Song, H. Rosi. Lost in Transition: Constructing Memory in Contemporary Spain.

• Williams, Mark. The History of Spain. Europe's Most Dramatic Country, 3rd edition.

• Readings, podcasts and videos on Spanish architecture and painters.

• Readings, podcasts and videos on contemporary Spanish identity (selections).

• Multiple handouts related to travel, safety, geography and history.

Grading:

• Pre-Travel Orientation 10%

• Travel Journal 20%

• Class Post 5%

• Quizzes 10%

• Participation 20%

• Research paper and presentation 30%

Course expectations:

Pre-travel orientation. 

The course will meet 4 times in the early evenings in October and November. In these classes, we will have practical and academic orientation to Spain. The following is expected of each student during the pre-travel orientation:

• To prepare for the trip you will have readings, videos, and podcasts.

• Attendance and active participation in class discussions.

• Successful completion of quizzes and informal writing about the history, art, and architecture, as it relates to identity and culture.

Travel journal and Class Blog. 

While in Spain, students are expected to keep a journal, in which they will address each of the regions visited. This is not a diary in the sense of daily entries, but rather a focused journal relating to our course of study and your own personal observations and experiences. You will be given specific prompts to reflect on and you will be asked to use these ideas in our class discussions. We will collect them in Sevilla and offer you "mid-term" feedback. We will also keep a blog of our trip for our friends and family at home. You will be responsible for writing at least one blog entry detailing our activities for the day. It should include images and video.

Research project. 

Each student will complete a research assignment on one aspect of our course: either an important figure, a style of architecture, or a contemporary issue. In this way, you will have to become the "expert" on something in particular and make a connection with the country in a personal and individualized fashion. Follow these steps:

1. During our orientation sessions, you will choose a topic and begin your research. Before we leave, you will submit a proposal and bibliography.

2. Each student will prepare a handout for their presentation in Spain. We will review that before we leave and offer you feedback.

3. Make copies of your handout for all members of the course. When we are in Spain and talking about the subject, you will be the "expert."

4. You will then write a follow-up comprehensive essay about the subject, including both the factual and the personal reaction to the experience of learning about the subject. The final essay should be typed, with appropriate citation per College guidelines. It should be 6-8 pages. See research project handout for details.

Quizzes. 

When we are in Spain, we will periodically ask you to complete an online quiz using your phone to assess your understanding of the material that we covered that day. Travel participation. Each student is expected to comply with the requirements outlined in this course plan, the syllabus, and the contract. Please review the outline on participation for a travel course. Also consider that each "expert's" research presentation counts for participation, both in terms of the person presenting and the active and attentive engagement of the audience. We will also have group discussions while in Spain. At any and all times, you are a member of this course and please keep in mind the conduct expectations for our group, as well as all Saint Mary's students. Spain is a gorgeous, rich, vibrant country with much variety, intrigue and magic. You will not be the same after you know (saber y conocer) it!

By the end of this course, the students will be able to:

1. Summarize key time periods in Spanish history, including the key cultural/racial/ethnic groups that have contributed to its identity across time; contributions of the three primary religious groups across time (Muslims, Jewish, and Catholics), critical moments that changed the course of its history (Roman empire; the reconquista; unification under Fernando and Isabel; the colonization and migration to the Americas; changes between monarchy and republic; dictatorship of Franco; regionalism and separation in 20th and 21st centuries).

2. Identify the primary architectural movements in Spain, focusing on the Romanesque, Moorish, Gothic, Renaissance and Neoclassical, and Modern. This identification will include name, defining features, time period, and key examples.

3. Identify artists considered exemplars across Spanish history including El Greco, Murillo, Velázquez, Goya, Sorolla, Picasso, Dalí, and Miró and Gaudí. This identification includes name, time period, biography, defining features of their aesthetic.

4. Explore what it means to study a subject from a distance and then to immerse oneself in it, through hands-on engagement, discussion, and critical reflection in writing.

5. Discuss at length one subject they have researched before and during the trip.

Personal and Group Attitudes, Skills, and Values. These will be assessed through seminar style discussions, guided writing exercises, and written self-reflections. By the end of the course students will be able to:

1. Ask complex questions about at least two cultures, seek out and articulate answers to these questions that reflect multiple cultural perspectives. (Attitude of curiosity)

2. Interpret intercultural experience from perspectives of their own and more than one worldview and demonstrate ability to act in a supportive manner that recognizes the feelings of another cultural group. (Skill of empathy)

3. Articulate insights into their own cultural rules and biases (e.g. seeking complexity; aware of how their experiences have shaped these rules, and how to recognize and respond to cultural biases, resulting in a shift in self-description). (Skill of self-awareness)

4. Demonstrate an ability to assess the impact of assumptions, judgments, and/or biases related to one’s own and other cultures.