Senior Capstone – Power, Violence & Sex in the Spanish Golden Age
This course explores literary texts from Golden Age Spain, from the Renaissance to the Baroque. We will learn to read these texts within the wider cultural context of Imperial Spain, its rise and decline. We will examine these works according to one related and recurrent aspect throughout time: the obsession with power (and connected to this, violence and sex). In order to gain an overview of the culture and literature of the Golden Age, we will investigate extra literary aspects, such as the historical, social and political conditions that influenced the creation of these works. We will read not only literature, but also philosophy as well as political theory. Finally, special attention will be paid to diverse art forms affected by power, such as painting, sculpture and architecture.