Course Description
This course will engage in an interdisciplinary study of Spanish culture along two axes. First, along a spatial axis (aquí y allá), it will look at the ongoing transatlantic dialogue between Spain and the Americas. With an emphasis on Miami in the Spring, and four Spanish cities in the Summer, the course will focus on the many social and cultural manifestations of this relationship, asking questions such as: How have the centuries-old, intertwined histories of Spain and the New World been reflected in the modern realities of both? What impact have the religion, art, literature, and popular traditions of Spain and the Americas had on each other as they cross and re-cross the Atlantic? Specifically, how has this mélange manifested itself in Miami, positioned as the contemporary center of European and Latin American relations?
Along a second, temporal axis (ayer y hoy), the course will study the history of Spain by concentrating on four eras and four regions that are significant not only for Spain but also for its influence on the Americas. Students will reflect on the foregoing questions while exploring these past and present mutual influences. They will then spend roughly four weeks in Madrid, Sevilla, Bil- bao, and Barcelona (with day trips to Toledo, El Escorial, Cordoba, Granada, Jerez de la Frontera, Montserrat, Guernica, and San Sebastian) studying Spanish culture and searching for American manifestations there.
For more information on the travel portion of the two-semester program, please refer to its Study Abroad page.