HISTORY OF SPANISH CULTURE

Academic year
2025/2026 Syllabus of previous years
Official course title
HISTORIA DE LA CULTURA ESPAÑOLA
Course code
LMI970 (AF:594156 AR:323261)
Teaching language
Spagnolo
Modality
On campus classes
ECTS credits
6
Degree level
Master's Degree Programme (DM270)
Academic Discipline
L-LIN/05
Period
1st Semester
Course year
2
Where
VENEZIA
Moodle
Go to Moodle page
As part of the core activity of the European, American and Postcolonial Languages and Literatures - Literature and Cultures curriculum, the course aims to provide students with an in-depth knowledge of the contemporary Spanish cultural-historical and artistic-literary context.
The course, therefore, aims to provide critical and methodological tools necessary for the acquisition of knowledge and skills related to the analysis of key works in the socio-cultural and historical panorama of contemporary Spain, which favour the ability to learn and autonomy of judgement.
The teaching and examination will be conducted in Spanish.
KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING
At the end of the course, you will have to demonstrate knowledge of
- the concept of culture from the point of view of semiotics and the sociology of culture;
- phenomena, authors and outstanding works from the peninsular Hispanic field of the period studied;
- critical approach and methodologies of analysis/interpretation of the materials examined.
ABILITY TO APPLY KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING
At the end of the course, you will have to demonstrate that you know how to
- relate elements of an artistic-literary, historical and socio-political nature, starting from the interpretation of the materials examined during the lessons;
- Critically present phenomena, authors and outstanding works of the Hispanic peninsular of the period studied;
- apply methodologies of analysis/interpretation of the materials examined.
AUTONOMY OF JUDGEMENT
At the end of the course, you should be able to make a critical judgement on the outcome of the analysis of the materials studied, based on the knowledge, skills and interpretative methodologies acquired.
COMMUNICATION SKILLS
At the end of the course, you will have to be able to communicate, with appropriate terminology and in the appropriate critical manner, the learning outcomes on the framing, critical-methodological approach and analysis of the materials analysed in class.
LEARNING ABILITIES
At the end of the course, you will have to demonstrate that you have acquired autonomous learning skills and the ability to self-assess your personal preparation in the field of the history of Hispanic culture, such as to enable you to undertake subsequent studies in this area with a high degree of autonomy.
Sound knowledge of the Spanish language, spoken and written; ability to analyse and critically comment on literary text.
Definition of the concepts of culture and cultural history from a contemporary perspective. Knowledge of crucial moments in the history and culture of present-day Spain. Analysis of (para)literary texts, essays, plastic-figurative, audiovisual and multimedia works, reflecting the thought and cultural codes of the contemporary peninsular Hispanic context.
Critical reference materials:
— Orazi, Veronica, "Introduzione", in Laila Ripoll, Radioteatro. Guernica. L'ultimo viaggio / Il convoglio dei 927, radiodramas with original text, Roma, Nova Delphi, 2025, pp. 5-86.
— Eco, Umberto, Cultura y semiótica, Madrid, Círculo de Bellas Artes, 2009.
— Lotman Juri; e Uspenkij, Boris, "Sul meccanismo semiotico della cultura", in Tipologia della cultura, Milano, Bompiani, 2001, pp. 39-68. In spagnolo: Iuri M. Lotman, La semiosfera III. Semiótica de las artes y de la cultura, Madrid, Cátedra/Universitat de València, 2000, pp. 168-193.
— Preston, Paul, La muerte de Guernica, Barcelona, Endebate, 2012.
— Alvar, Carlos; Mainer, José-Carlos; y Navarro, Rosa, Breve historia de la literatura española, Madrid, Alianza, 2014.
— Fusi, Juan Pablo, Historia mínima de España, Madrid, Turner, 2017.

Works to be studied:
— Ripoll, Laila, Radioteatro. Guernica el último viaje, radiodrama, RNEaudio, 2006, https://www.rtve.es/play/audios/ficcion-sonora/guernica-ultimo-viaje-laila-ripoll-concha-cuetos/6868388/
— Ripoll, Laila, Radioteatro. Guernica el último viaje / El convoy de los 927, radiodramas with original text, Roma, Nova Delphi, 2025.
— Preston, Paul; y García, José Pablo, La muerte de Guernica, comic, Barcelona, Debate, 2017.
The acquisition of the knowledge, skills and abilities described above will be verified through an ORAL INTERVIEW of approximately 20 minutes duration, with questions which may also make use of exemplifications on the materials studied. Preparation will be considered adequate (with a grade expressed in thirtieths - 30/30), if the student demonstrates knowledge of the syllabus; if he/she is able to expose, using the specific terminology, the contents developed in class; if independently -that is, without necessarily depending on the presentation of the topics offered by the texts- he/she demonstrates that he/she has acquired critical knowledge of the authors, works and theories studied; if he/she will be able to apply the knowledge acquired, recognizing and establishing interdependent relationships and connections between the topics studied; if he/she will be able to analyze and expose them critically, framing them in their respective periods and areas of reference.
oral
The mark will be determined by knowledge of the required topics (up to 10 points), the ability to go into the subject in depth (up to 5 points), detailed knowledge of the historical context (e.g., periods and framing events) (up to 5 points), accuracy of exposition (up to 5 points) and the ability to articulate independently (up to 5 points).
The course comprises a total of 30 hours of lectures (6 CFU) on the programme indicated, carried out with the aid of critical-literary and audio-visual materials, during which there will be time dedicated to interventions/activities for the students. During the lectures, theoretical discussion will be combined, starting from the critical materials indicated in the syllabus, with the interpretative analysis of the works studied: in addition to the lectures by the lecturer, the student will have to prepare the compulsory and supplementary readings for critical discussion during the lectures. Some works and critical materials will be made available on the Moodle platform.
Definitive programme.
Last update of the programme: 17/04/2025