Please see the courses with openings below.
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Dean Wood
Literature as a Form of Knowledge
FIST 124
Fall 2015
Instructor(s): Souto Alcalde,David Times: .M.W… 02:40PM-04:00PM; Location: FISK312;
This course is an inquiry about the nature of fiction and the genealogy of literature–fiction and literature overlap but are not the same. Readings include different fictional genres of Spanish Golden Age and English, Italian, French texts of the 16th and 17th centuries., which is when literature as an institution has been established. Students will see what kind of knowledge fictional texts promote by putting them in the context of the so-called scientific revolution and the encounter with the New World. The course advances critical analysis and provides a solid background in the political, historical, and philosophical context of 16th and 17th centuries.
Being Golden: The Life and Afterlife of the Spanish Masters
FIST 126
Fall 2015
Instructor(s): Katz,Melissa R. Times: ..T.R.. 02:40PM-04:00PM; Location: WYL110;
The achievements of 17th-century Spanish painters justly made them protagonists of a Golden Age. Centuries later, their works took on new roles as inspirations for modern artists: Manet copied Velázquez, Picasso copied El Greco, and (famously in Project Runway) Christian Siriano copied Murillo. What allowed these complex works to resonate so strongly in another era? Is such influence automatically a sign of success? Students will develop a critical understanding of the religious, social, and cultural context of that gave rise to the great artists of Golden Age Spain, as well as insights into the role of art as cultural currency.