Madrid, Spain (Summer)
Complete Manhattan University course requirements with an overview and discussion of literary and cinematic reflections on immigration in Spain, especially over the last thirty years. How has contemporary Spanish literature, culture, and politics been shaped by migration, movement, and debates around diversity – racial, religious, ethnic, and linguistic.
From the Reconquista in the Middle Ages to the present, Spanish society has been battling with the multiple cultures that have moved inside and outside of its borders. Taking the fraught legacy of “convivencia” - or peaceful coexistance - as a theoretical point of departure, we will examine the way in which Spain’s multicultural heritage has been represented in modern Spanish culture, through an analysis of literature, art, music, journalism, and politics. This intensive 2.5 week course will study such topics as Spanish colonialism in Africa, the gitano or Roma population in Spain, the legacy of the Civil War and Francoism in regional independence movements, current immigration to Spain from North and Sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America, and China, as well as the movement to repatriate Sephardic Jews to the Peninsula. Trips to Madrid’s neighborhood of Lavapiés, a flamenco show, and vibrant museums such as the Reina Sofía and the Prado, as well as an excursion to Toledo, will bring the material to life for students as they explore the cultural richness of Madrid and its surrounding areas. This course is conducted in Spanish.
Dates Offered
This is a Summer Intersession program.
- June 14 - 30, 2026
Courses & Credits
This program is open to all majors.
- SPAN 320: Migration and Diversity in 20th and 21st Century Spain