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Academic Year 2005/2006

The Trauma of the Spanish Civil War: Representations on Narrative and Film
COL 309 FA
Crosslistings:
SPAN 245

This course will study the Spanish Civil War through some of its contemporary representations in narrative and film. The Spanish Civil War was not only the threshold of the fascist dictatorship in Spain, but also an international battlefield that served Hitler as an experiment for the Second World War. As the first international fight against fascism, the non-intervention decision taken by the United States, among other democratic countries, will be analyzed. The course will focus on the representation of this historical event through novels that range from the end of the war to the present. Special attention will be given to the effects on literature of the transformation of cultural and political frameworks that accompanied the transition to democracy in 1975, and also to the many different approaches taken by contemporary writers and artists to represent the most significant historical occurrence of this century in Spain. Also, some in class time will be devoted to the study of the depiction of the war in a number of famous films and documentaries.

MAJOR READINGS

Paloma Aguilar Fernandez, MEMORY AND AMNESIA: THE ROLE OF THE SPANISH CIVIL WAR IN THE TRANSITION TO DEMOCRACY
Ana Maria Matute, SCHOOL OF THE SUN
Manuel Vasquez Montalban, THE PIANIST
Antonio Munoz Molina, PRINCE OF SHADOWS
Dulce Chacon, THE SLEEPING VOICE

EXAMINATIONS AND ASSIGNMENTS

The students will write four essays (4 pages each), in which they are expected to provide a thorough understanding of the ideas developed through the close reading of the novels in class. In order to help the students think about some controversial issues, the professor will provide them with a list of questions somehow related to the content of each novel. During the first weeks of the course, the students are expected to read a historical study of the Spanish Civil War at their own pace. As a midterm project, they will have to turn in a summary (5 pages) of the main ideas from that book. Also, each student will have to do an oral presentation of some reading material previously assigned.

COURSE FORMAT: Lecture/Discussion

REGISTRATION INFORMATION

Level: UGRD    Credit: 1    Gen Ed Area Dept: HA CHUM    Grading Mode: Student Option   

Prerequisites: NONE Links to Web Resources For This Course.

Last Updated on MAR-30-2006

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