Module VISU3131: Special Subject: The Spanish Imaginary (20 credits)

Department: Modern Languages and Cultures (Visual)

VISU3131: Special Subject: The Spanish Imaginary (20 credits)

Prerequisites

• None

Corequisites

• None

Excluded Combination of Modules

• VISU3082 Special Subject: The Spanish Imaginary (40 credits)

Aims

• To develop advanced understanding of the defining features of visual representations of Spain and Spanishness from the nineteenth century to today
• To develop advanced understanding of such representations in relation to the wider cultural, historical and artistic contexts.
• To develop student’s ability to apply theories of cultural translation to visual and textual analysis
• To complement the current provision of research-led final-year modules in Spanish.

Content

• Indicative topics covered will include:
• The cultural discovery of Spain in the age of Romanticism
• Cultural translation
• Spain as Europe’s Orient; tropes of oriental Spanishness; reincarnations of the ‘Black Legend’
• Speaking back to stereotypes
• Spain at world’s fairs and universal exhibitions
• The ‘Spanish Craze’ in the USA
• Alhambra-style architecture and design in Spain, Britain and the US
• Collecting and displaying Spanish art and artefacts
• Velázquez, Goya, and El Greco as proto-modernists
• The ‘Spanishness’ of modern Spanish artists
• Cultural propaganda under Franco: “Spain is different”
• The syllabus will develop in line with the interests of individual students and the group as a whole. They will take increasing responsibility for the course content as the module progresses and as they begin to formulate the research questions that will inform their own research projects. The module encourages students to make use of local collections of Spanish art and artefacts at Durham University, the Bowes Museum, and the Spanish Gallery at Bishop Auckland.

Learning Outcomes

• On completion of this module students should:
• have a comprehensive understanding of cultural representations of Spain and Spanishness from the 19th to the 20th century, in particular in France, Britain, the USA and Spain.
• Have a secure grasp of relevant cultural theory and concepts
• Have in-depth knowledge of case studies of art, architecture, exhibitions, and film

• On completion of this module students will develop:
• an ability to demonstrate knowledge of visual representations of Spain in a wide range of media
• an ability to explain how cultural relations with Spain and Spanish culture impacted on the Western imagination
• an ability to explain how the engagement with Spanish art and architecture impacted on the development of art, architecture, and collections
• an ability to communicate (verbally and in writing) knowledge and critical understanding of cultural theory relating to visual representations
• the ability to apply theoretical approaches and concepts in the process of visual analysis
• the ability to identify the cultural and political contingencies underpinning a specific form of cultural production
• command of a broad range of vocabulary and an appropriate critical terminology
• the ability to identify research questions and devise a research plan that will allow them to address those research questions

• By the end of this module, students will develop:
• visual and verbal analysis
• critical analysis and reasoning
• independent research
• academic writing, including argumentation and structure, presentation, referencing, and bibliographic skills
• personal organisation and time management
• presentation skills and the ability to deal with questions from an audience
• skills in leading a discussion
• IT skills: word-processing; online databases and other web-based resources; powerpoint

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

• This module will run in Term 1 if offered concurrently with the 40-credit version of the module, or in either Term 1 or Term 2 if the 40-credit version is not being offered in a given year.
• Weekly seminars (2 hours) will facilitate in-depth and sustained discussion of the module’s key topics, developing students’ grasp of historical and theoretical material as well as practising image-analysis on a weekly basis. Seminar will be interactive, so students will also develop their verbal communication skills, and skills in critical reasoning. As the module progresses, students will take responsibility for presenting topics and leading the discussion.
• Small-group tutorials (1 x 1 hour) will allow students to explore and develop their research questions and plans, responding to questions from the group and giving and receiving peer feedback.
• The assessment will allow students to develop their skills in academic writing, as well as demonstrating directly or indirectly all other skills and knowledge that the module seeks to develop.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Summative Assessment

Formative Assessment:

Seminar presentations and student-led group discussions on specific visual representations.

■ Attendance at all activities marked with this symbol will be monitored. Students who fail to attend these activities, or to complete the summative or formative assessment specified above, will be subject to the procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be required to leave the University