The University of Iowa: Madrid - Cultures of Spain

Cultures of Spain is a summer course held in Madrid, Spain that offers participants an overview of the cultural landscape of Spain through an interdisciplinary approach to its history. The course will pay special attention to the on-site study of the conflict between two antagonistic national projects: one that understands Spain as a homogeneous entity and one that advocates for a more pluralistic, inclusive view. The former has been historically based on authoritarian forms of government, the Catholic faith, and centralistic culture, while the latter emphasizes a liberal government, tolerance and cultural diversity. To study these issues, the course will devote a large portion of class time to field trips within Madrid and its neighboring regions and cities.

Taught by UI Department of Spanish and Portuguese professor Luis Martin-Estudillo, this four-week course carries 3 semester hours of credit and fulfills either the Values, Society and Diversity or the Foreign Civilization & Culture General Education Requirement for University of Iowa students