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Madrid

Spanish Language and Culture Trimester - Spring 3 2009
History of Spanish Thought

10
Language Level: High Intermediate / Advanced / Superior
Placement Exam Required
History of Spanish Thought
Language of Instruction: Spanish
Course taken with: International Students
Complutense University of Madrid (Madrid, Spain)

Course Description

Area of Study

Hispanic Culture Lectures

Hours & Credits

10

Hours of Instruction

0

Semester Credit Units

1

Quarter Credit Units

Prerequisites and Language Level

Note: A placement exam will be required when you arrive on site.

High Intermediate
This course is designed for students who have completed or tested out of a minimum of three semesters (or five quarters) of college-level Spanish. However, students must take a placement exam to determine the course level into which they will be able to enroll.
Advanced
This course is designed for students who have completed or tested out of a minimum of four semesters (or six quarters) of college-level Spanish. However, students must take a placement exam to determine the course level into which they will be able to enroll.
Superior
This course is designed for students who have completed or tested out of a minimum of 2 upper-division college-level Spanish courses. However, students must take a placement exam to determine the course level into which they will be able to enroll.

Overview

Fall:

-The "being" of Spain. Caste and cultures. The historical-cultural conflict: Christian-Arab-Jew. Characteristics of Spanish thought: individualism, theology, mysticism, senequism, and feelings of insecurity.

-Liberal and conservative thought in the 19th century. Political and ideological conflicts in the 19th century.

-Ideology and politics in the 20th century. The second republic and Franco.

-Miguel de Unamuno. The finite-infinite conflict, faith-reason, death-immortality. The interpretation of the figure of D. Quijote and the historic reality of Spain.

-Ortega and Gasset. The man and the "circumstance." The anthropology category of the people. History and society. Ortega's and Gasset's cultural perspectives.

-Eugenio D'Ors. Man and nature. Culture as "colonizer" of nature. Art and thought.

-María Zambrano. Aesthetic knowledge.

-Zubiri. The man, the time and the history. The cultural moods and intellectuals of our time. Spain and today's European culture. The intellectual preoccupations of today.

Winter:

-Conflicts between Tradition and Modernism. Bourgeoise conflict, workerism, Españolismo-Europeísmo conflict

-Traditional vision of Spain. Characteristics: anti-illustrated theology, christianism: dogmatic and moral, historical Providentialism of Spain, historic imperialism, representatives of the traditional vision. Menéndez and Pelayo, Jaime Balmes, Donoso Cortés, Ganivet, Ramiro de Maeztu—reformist vision of Spain. Characteristics: rationalism, social reformism, and political reformism. Spiritual vision of Spain, "Krausism" as an ideology and praxis. The Free Institution of Teaching. Goldós and his vision of society and the culture of Spain. Galdós' naturalism.

-The Generation of 98. The new vision of the culture and history of Spain. Representatives: Unamuno, Machado, Azorín, Valle Inclán, Baroja, etc.

Study of Unamuno.

Spring:

-Goya, a sociologist through art. Politics and society after the death of Fernando VII. The Carlist wars and their posterior repercussions.

-The renovation of the Spanish vision in the "Generation of 98"—the tradition and history.

-Politics during the 20th century. Alfonso XIII, Franco and the monarchy today. The Spanish constitution of 1978.

-Social, aesthetics, religious and philosophical conflicts in the Spanish culture of the 20th century. Spain and the cosmopolitan culture. Its integration into contemporary society. Today's aesthetic and social models.

-Political and social problems of today.