Last modified: 25 Mar 2016 11:36
Spain's transition from authoritarianism to democracy has been lauded as one of the paradigm cases of democratic transition. But is this reputation deserved? Revisiting some of the key political events since Spain's democratic Transition, this course questions both the claims surrounding the Transition and the nature of the democracy which followed.
| Study Type | Undergraduate | Level | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Term | First Term | Credit Points | 30 credits (15 ECTS credits) |
| Campus | None. | Sustained Study | No |
| Co-ordinators |
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This course will examine some of the central political developments in post-democratic Spain. These will include the Transition itself; the
new Spanish Constitution of 1978 and the Statute of Autonomies (1979); Spanish
and peripheral nationalisms; ETA's attempt to undermine Spain's fledgling
democracy; the Socialist party and the Dirty War against ETA, as well as events
of a more contemporary nature, such as memory and the politics of memory;
the effect of the economic crisis on Spain, especially upon Spanish youth; the
emergence of new social movements in the wake of the 'crisis'; and the Catalan
'referendum' of November 2014. This post-democratic socio-political
landscape will be examined via a number of theoretical standpoints ranging from
theories of democracy and democratic transitions, nationalism and
ethno-nationalism and terrorism, as well as theories of conflict resolution.
On completion of the course students will be equipped with:
1. A comprehensive understanding of one of the paradigm cases of democratic transition in Western Europe.
2. A knowledge and understanding of some of the theoretical prisms through which some of the key political events in post-democratic Spain might be approached.
In order that:
3. These theories can be used to approach an analysis of a particular facet of the politics of post-democratic Spain via an extended group-based, problem-oriented exercise
4. The results of this extended group-oriented problem-based exercise can be presented and displayed in a high quality poster format
5. Students are able to record and reflect via an individual research diary, not only upon the way in which the poster addresses the requirements of the problem-oriented learning exercise, but also upon the process and dynamics via which the poster was produced.
Information on contact teaching time is available from the course guide.
Group poster development and presentation (group mark 50%) Research diary of 2500 to 3000 words (individual mark 50%).
Students will be required to give a group presentation, which will be peer-assessed.
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