write about one of the topics listed

This document briefly describes the topics of your final take home essay and oral presentation. Remember that the final exam is take home. You need to write an essay on any of the four listed topics. You should read these paragraphs as guidelines that can help you to plan your argument. Your answer/oral presentation has to be structured in an essay form; following the formal requirements we have been working throughout this semester. It is very important that at the beginning of your answer you clearly state what you want to argue. You must use at least three bibliographical sources (essay and oral presentation). Include a title. Minimum 1500 words.

1.— Analyze how does The Golden Balls represent Spanish culture during the mid 1990’s. This answer has to bear in mind the political and economic transformation of Spain after the year 1992; just before the arrival of Aznar. Since this movie also represents the Spanish Housing Boom, Luna’s film has to be framed within that epoch (1998) A) Reflect upon the role of Benito’s fantasy. How does he achieve his dream? B) Does Bigas Luna trace any parallelism between patriarchal power and the idea of materialism and accumulation of power? C) What role do women play in this film? How does Benito change throughout the film? Is the geography of the film pertinent? D) What role does the US culture play in shaping Benito’s fantasy? F) How does Benito represent the Housing Boom?

2.— Select four works from Santiago Sierra (links to his website can be found on moodle). Two of these works have to be new. Discuss how your selected works reflect the dark side of neoliberal capitalism and how this can make you think about the consequences of the 2008 economic crisis. In order to do so you may want to consider the following ideas A) working exploitation, ambition & accumulation of power, greed and as well as the status of politics as a source of power or wellbeing B) the significance of culture in the age of financial crisis C) the moral limits of the market D) the relevance of the idea of national identity in the neoliberal age.

3.— Magical Girl and the aftermath of the 2008 crisis. This oral presentation has to interpret how does Carlos Vermut reflect the cultural and sociological consequences of the 2008 crisis. In order to do so, you need build a solid argument on the impact of neo-liberalism on Spanish society right after the aforementioned crisis. Check the assigned readings that deal with this issue. Then you may want to consider how do the math and literature teacher in Magical Girl behave in regards to their desperate situation. What are the moral consequences of their actions? Do they cross any limit? Are both male characters representative of those Spaniards that suffered the most the austerity measures passed by the Spanish Government? On the other hand, this presentation has to bear in mind the role of both female characters as the ones that suffer the consequences of the desperate actions of the male characters.

4.— Tourism Bye bye Barcelona is an excellent documentary that can be found on YouTube. It offers a well informed and balanced approach to the lights and shadows of tourism in the city in which you are living. As an economic activity, tourism is spread all across Europe and can affect the intercultural experience a sojourner might have while being abroad. This presentation should offer a concise approach to the evolution of the industry of tourism in the city of Barcelona since the 1992 Olympic Games. At the same time, this presentation should demonstrate an awareness of how tourism affects the living conditions of the other: gentrification, Airbnb, neighborhood protests, social initiatives & the new mayor Ada Colay. Furthermore, this presentation should also be a personal account on how a sojourner maneuvers within a urban space that is affected by tourism. Bear in mind the class delivered by Jordi Bosch, specially in regards to the contradiction between public policies and the context of the post-crises in Spain.