Cultural icons from the Hispanic world

Elective Course

This course explores a variety of cultural icons related to the Spanish speaking world from the fields of art, music, architecture, history, cinema and other cultural manifestations. It will introduce students to the origin, meaning and values related to some of the most common icons of the Hispanic world from a local and global perspective. It will also look at country specific cultural referents and their role in the formation of identity and language. In addition to that, the course will explore the roles played by media, advertising and internet in the creation of a cultural icon in today’s world. Students will be encouraged to reflect on their own culture, establish comparisons and identify and critically assess their own preconceived ideas. Reading and oral practice will be an essential part of the course. Overall, the course’s main objective will be to reinforce and expand students’ general knowledge of Hispanic cultures and to improve their linguistic skills.