Researching Cultures: Urban Iberian Cultures -- Barcelona and Madrid

In this course, we will explore the various urban cultures of two paradigmatic cities in the Iberian Peninsula: Barcelona and Madrid. This is a research-focused course that examines from interdisciplinary and collaborative perspectives the urban spaces and cultures that have shaped the life of the dwellers of these two key cities, both across time and with a focus on the contemporary moment. While the founding of the city of Barcelona, the capital of Catalonia, dates back to the Roman empire (i.e., the first century BCE), the city of Madrid, the capital of Spain, was established during the 15th century around a small fortification developed during Al-Andalus, soon becoming the political center of the Spanish Empire during the 16th century. Through an examination of the urban development of both cities across time and the various contemporary urban spaces and cultures of the 21st century, this course will explore the ways in which writers (Jorge Carrion, Belen Gopegui, Julio Llamazares), musicians (Joan Manuel Serrat, Rosalia), visual artists (Pablo Picasso, Cristina Garcia Rodero, Angeles Santos Torroella), filmmakers (Jose Luis Guerin, Isabel Coixet, Chus Gutierrez) and architects (Juan de Villanueva, Antoni Gaudi) have reflected on and explored through their work in both cities. We will also explore the political and social relevance of both cities today as related to their own urban planning and development as well as their political relevance in both Catalonia and Spain as a whole. This course will have a strong, mandatory and graded written communications component, and it is taught in Spanish. It also fulfills the Writing Intensive (WI) requirement for Arts & Sciences students. Students who have taken more than four Spanish culture or literature classes are not allowed in this course and must proceed to a Major Seminar.