Debating Cultures: Representations of Gender Violence in Modern Iberian Literatures and Cultures
SPANISH 3210
The landmark law against gender violence in Spain, passed under the Socialist government in 2004, became the rallying point for feminist activists, even as it generated a vigorous backlash from among conservative sectors of Spanish society. More recently, the "La Manada" gang rape case in Pamplona in July 2016 provoked national outrage, and together with the #MeToo and the #NiUnaMenos movements in the US and Latin America, a global feminist movement was mobilized to protest sexual assault, femicide, and all other forms of gender-based violence. We will consider the works of (nineteenth-century through present day) Spanish women literary writers, journalists, filmmakers, and songwriters - including Emilia Pardo Bazan, Carmen de Burgos, Rosa Montero, Carme Riera, Lucia Etxebarria, Isabel Coixet, Iciar Bollain, and Roser Aguilar - who have spoken out against gender violence in a variety of fora. Their works will serve as points of departure for exploring the social and cultural causes and dynamics of gender-based violence, as well as the ways in which Spanish women have responded to this problem in their writings, film, popular songs and other forms of representation. Our analysis will be informed by the larger historical framework of the development of feminism in Spain, as well as by the recent global movement against gender-based violence. Course assignments will consist of daily readings, film viewings, group oral presentations, quizzes, Discussion Forum posts, and a final project that is orally based; students are also expected to engage actively in class discussions and in small group work. This course will have a strong, mandatory and graded oral communications component and is taught in Spanish. Prereq: Spanish 303 or 308D. Students who have taken more than two Spanish culture or literature classes are not allowed in this course and must proceed to a Researching Cultures class.
Course Attributes: EN H; BU BA; BU IS; AS HUM; AS LCD; AS LS; FA HUM; AR HUM; AS SC
