Overview
Location(s): Spain and Morocco
Date: Arrival Date: June 26, 2022 End Date: July 24, 2022
Program Overview
*Upcoming Info Session: Feb 16th at 2:30pm – Register Here
The Muslim Granada and Its Legacy program will take students to southern Spain and northern Morocco for a deep and focused look at how these cultures inform each other. Both countries are home to striking and rich cultures, which are starkly different from each other (linguistically, religiously) and yet share a variety of patterns and forms.
In this 4-week program, we will trace the development of Granada, today a cosmopolitan university city and major tourist destination, from its first rise to prominence as a Muslim city in the Ṭāʾifa Period (11th century) through its transformation into a Christian city in early modern Spain. Special emphasis will be placed on its role as a point of contact between Spain and North Africa (or the Latin West and the Muslim Mediterranean more broadly) and the city’s privileged position in the social and literary imaginaries of Muslims, Christians, and Jews, as a place of memory and intercultural contact. We will explore the city as a focal point in the collective memory and its evolving role in the encounter of Christian and Muslim (or European and Maghribi) societies into colonial and postcolonial transformations, as writers, artists, and musicians return to the city as a site of inspiration and investigation into religious and cultural relations, exploring missed opportunities, hidden and alternate pasts, and unacknowledged inheritances.
Through class lessons and cultural excursions and activities, we will explore these rich sites of cultural encounter and the ways the encounter has been imagined and invoked in Spanish, Arabic, and beyond. A series of field trips will trace the history of Muslims and Jews in Spain, from the Andalusī Capitals of Cordoba and Seville (sites of some of the most significant monumental Islamic and Mudejar architecture in the Peninsula) through the port city of Malaga, frontier towns such as Alcalá de la Frontera, and finally to a major site of settlement of Andalusī refugees in Morocco: the city of Tetouan (which later became the administrative capital of the Spanish colonial authority). Our physical movement through and across this historic frontier zone will be an integral part of the experience and will vividly illustrate how such zones are constructed, imagined, and negotiated (even today a “flashpoint” in contemporary migratory movements).
Language of Instruction: English
Course: Lit 141G Granada: The Moor’s Last Sigh and the Muslim Frontier, The City in the Mediterranean Imagination (6 units)
Max Enrollment: 25
Faculty Leader: Camilo Gomez-Rivas
Contact: globallearning@ucsc.edu
Program Highlights
- Immerse yourself in Andalusian culture by living with a local Spanish family
- Explore the natural beauty of Southern Spain, from the port city of Málaga to the rolling hills of Carmona
- Enjoy spectacular gastronomic offerings ranging from affordable tapas (pintxos) to savory Arabo-Andalusian cuisine
- Visit iconic sites including the Alhambra, the Great Mosque of Córdoba, the Giralda and Barrio Santa Cruz in Seville, some of Andalucia’s most famous attractions
- Investigate historical, social, and cultural perspectives on Muslim culture in Spain with engaging faculty and local experts
- Finish the program with a week’s stay in Morocco
How to Apply
- Review the below eligibility criteria
- Apply in the Global Learning Portal
All applications will be processed first-come, first-served. Students are encouraged to apply early due to limited capacity.
General Eligibility Criteria
- Good Academic and Disciplinary Standing at the time of application and every quarter prior to departure
- 2.5 cumulative GPA or higher at the time of application and every quarter prior to departure
- Be at least 18 years old by the time of departure
- Sophomore, junior, or senior class standing by the time of departure (45 units completed at time of depart.)