Spring Semester Elective 2028
12 - 15 credits
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Jump toStudy and critical analysis of ethnographic cinema and its relationship with avant-garde cinema, proving itself a fertile territory and full of possibilities, but that continues on the margins, between art halls and museums and ignored by industry. Both ends touch each other. In the margins of usual production, creativity, dedication and social and cultural commitment survive. Both extremes are modes of representation of our culture and have many elements in common: their marginality, their creativity, a community of practitioners and followers, their influence on the cinematographic narrative of the real and fiction, and their questioning, in some cases, of the classic narrative. The goal of this seminar is to provide the student with a basic, but professional, level of knowledge of ethnographic and the- so called- experimental or formalist filmmaking. The seminar includes a practical exercise where the student can discover his or her particular way of seeing Catalan or Spanish reality. During class sessions, students and the professor will meet and discuss the history and situation of the contemporary ethnographic and Avant-garde filmmaking.
Throughout history, creativity has always been considered a mysterious and elusive phenomenon. The ancient Greeks believed that creativity arose from the divine inspiration and guidance of the muses. The Romans believed that each individual was born with a guardian entity, or genius, who would assist them in their lives and creative work. Come the Enlightenment, the popular explanation for creativity in the Western world shifted from divine sources to madness and chemically altered states. While much has changed in society, nowadays we still often see creativity as a mysterious and elusive special talent thats only present in certain individuals. However, the historical connection between creativity and craft as well as growing research in the psychological and physiological characteristics of creativity tell us differently. In this course, well seek to better understand creativity in order to awaken your own creative potential. Well start by briefly exploring humankinds relationship to creativity throughout history, the myths and realities surrounding the creative process and creative individuals, and provide a basic understanding of what creativity is and how it works from a psychological and neuroscientific perspective. Throughout the entire course, we will draw upon a variety of interdisciplinary activities designed to allow you to readily access your creativity and help you to develop your own creative process.
The course is devoted to delivering the knowledge on the pertinent issues of sustainable development through the prism of the use of circular economy principles. Understanding the concept of a circular economy demands the understanding as to how a circular economy deviates from the current linear system, being able to analyze and develop complex circular systems using a systems-thinking approach, assessing the use of Life Cycle Assessment and Agent Based Modelling. The course also teaches how to formulate improvements for a transition towards a circular design and the students learn how to use and apply complexity aspects and agent-based modelling. The concept of circular economy will be applied through policy considerations, legal aspects, economic and practical implications.
Says author Yuval Harari, that the capacity to organize ourselves collectively through a fiction or an intangible or abstract concept agreement (such as money) is the singled-out most distinctive characteristic of humans beings vs other species. In the managerial sphere of brands, corporations and organizations of all sorts, the question today, is: Should money still be considered the most valuable asset? Will it disappear? What will it be replaced with? What is value and which are the values ruling our current-future society? Shifting paradigms are proposing new ideas and tools to face the now inevitable purpose of maintaining our own sustainability: both as organizations and as humans. In so, how do rising collective responses differ from the individualistic approaches of the last Century? In the challenge but also the opportunity of our times, what kind of world do we want to live in and how are we going to get there? Arguing the principle that brands operate in societies, not just markets, students of this course will be encouraged to have critical views and to openly participate in the ethics discussions behind examples show-casing how collective entities of all sorts are currently coping/adapting to new context reality and how the innovation challenges of a Post non-entirely human era, as well as those derived from our consciousness over the natural limits of our planetary resources, are transforming our way of life, our values scale of expectations and thus our companies and enterprises managerial practices.The course in all will underpin examples of COLLECTIVENESS in the context of a ultra-highly CONNECTED society that can no longer solve the global challenges of the future, following individual strengths or singled-out efforts; following examples the innovation and knowledge transfer capabilities and responsibilities of in specific sectors/issues such as food and nutrition, architecture and living design, health and genomic sciences, fashion and responsible consumerism and production or travel and tourism and urban and global mobility, among others. The Collectivity Revolution is an account of the new paradigms of management and commerce across businesses and its communities, as a whole. The title of the course responds to a play-on-words between the terms Collective and Connection and the Revolutionary outcomes of its merging forces.
Este curso esta indicado para todos aquellos alumnos que quieran conocer un poco la lengua y la cultura de la ciudad en la que vienen a hacer sus estudios desde un enfoque contrastivo con el espanol y otras lenguas romanicas. Este conocimiento les permitira sin duda situar mejor la lengua y cultura catalana en relacion a la espanola y la europea en general.
Se ofrecern informaciones y anlisis sobre el proceso histrico de toma de conciencia ecologista (el surgimiento de las organizaciones conservacionistas y ecologistas, la publicacin de informes internacionales sobre los lmites del crecimiento y de libros sobre ecologa y ecologismo), las conferencias internacionales sobre el medio ambiente, la creacin y el desarrollo de los partidos verdes, las ideas y las propuestas del ecosocialismo y del ecofeminismo, las contradicciones y las propuestas de integracin entre el sindicalismo de clase y el ecologismo, las causas y las consecuencias de la crisis ecolgica global, de la emergencia climtica y de la sexta extincin de las especies, las respuestas institucionales al cambio climtico (conferencias de Naciones Unidas, informes del Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, gobiernos y parlamentos de Estados Unidos, China, Unin Europea y Espaa), las respuestas empresariales al cambio climtico, el movimiento ecologista actual en el mundo, en Europa y en Espaa, y las propuestas de decrecimiento, transicin energtica, Green New Deal y tica del consumo. Tambin se aportarn argumentos para responder a las siguientes preguntas: Es posible un capitalismo verde? Es necesario y viable un socialismo ecolgico?
This course offers an introduction to critical questions related to gender, sexuality, the body, and diversity in an increasingly globalized world. The course will provide students with theoretical and methodological tools derived from Gender and Feminist Studies so that they become able to analyze a variety of topics from a critical and engendered point of view. The topics examined will be diverse, and will include, among others, primate behavior interpretation, the origins of gender inequality, patriarchal violence, beauty canons, assisted reproduction, prostitution, transsexuality, intersexuality, contemporary sexualities, or new family models. With the objective that students develop a critical point of view in their own creative way, during the course the teaching staff will present the similarities and differences that exist between the main feminist movements in force today, as well as the perspectives from which these movements address the aforementioned themes. Two fundamental aspects will be transversal to the discussion of all the previous topics :1) the un-critical projection of the logics of the present into the past in order to justify/naturalize both current stereotypes and current issues related to gender, sexuality, the body, and diversity; and, 2) the incorporation of the analysis of historical trajectories and perspectives to understand how gender has shaped present societies and cultures throughout the world. This is neither a history nor an archeology course, but rather a transdisciplinary subject that aims to combine different areas of study to better understand the current stances of different collectives in relation to the aforementioned topics.
This course will navigate the complex and mutating field of gay, lesbian, bisex, trans, intersex and queer studies, exploring its history and developement since its inception. The course explores non-hegemonic identities and gender and sexual diversity from many different perspectives: their criminalization, pathologization or their fights for equality and rights. Social, legal, historical, and cultural implications of sexuality, articulating academic and activist perspectives will provide a framework and a context.Furthermore, to highlight the importance of understanding these topics as non-homogeneous and in an intersectional way students’s contributions will be asked for in order to build up an intercultural dialogue based on their own perspectives and geographies. The course aims to establish a dialogue between different positions within society and cultural production (such as cinema, literature, poetry, theatre, etc.) so as to reflect on the implications of visibility for the community and for the different representations of such dissident sexualities and identities.The assumption of stability of biological sex and the meaning and goals of gender expression will be subject to inquiry. Theoretical lectures, seminars and debates, critical workshops and field trips will be used to address in a critical manner the importance of (re)thinking our sexualities in a political and non-monolithic way.
The course will offer a systematic historical look at globalization, generally arguing that relevant changes of globalization should be seen as emerging in phases, that could turn out to be 1500’s, 1800’s and the late 20th Century. The course tries to move our vision of globalization away from an exclusive focus on essentially contemporary developments and move our vision away from the Western civilization tradition to focus on other major civilizations. The growing need for historical perspective on international relationships, global economic patterns of contacts and cultural exchanges has fueled the increasing interest, from international organizations, global companies and institutions with global targets, to find and hire professionals who could develop some of the competences that this course provides.
The course focuses on the creation and evolution of modern constitutional polities in Iberia and Europe, including states (e.g. Spain), unions of states (e.g. the European Union) and sub-state units (e.g. Catalonia). More than an empirical explanation of different cases, the main aim is to analyse basic concepts and ideas that helped to develop current liberal democracies. The complexity and fragility of the equilibrium between these concepts and ideas may offer some clues on how to deal with the multiple criticisms and threats that European liberal-democracy is facing. Each session will predominantly address and discuss a specific concept or idea (or close group of them) including sovereignty, territorial autonomy, federalism, democracy, parliamentarism, constitutionalism, constituent power, separation of powers, rule of law, fundamental rights, European integration, secession and withdrawal. Obviously, these concepts and ideas have strong links among each other and so will the lectures of this course.Since all these legal and political issues are important, broad, multifaceted, stimulating and controversial, students with distinct backgrounds and different academic interests may enjoy this course, which is not intended to take place behind university doors exclusively but also to include historical walks and institutional visits. As the course explores the origins and evolution of these crucial constitutional notions, the teaching team is composed by a legal historian (Dr Josep Capdeferro), a constitutional law scholar (Dr Hctor Lpez) and a public lawyer and political theorist (Dr Pau Bossacoma). This is a consolidated team whose members often collaborate with one another.
This course will focus on the Space Race from the Sputnik (1957) to the Apollo-Soyuz programme (1975), from the destalinization to the dtente. Throughout the study of the public sphere, the pop-culture and of the mass media, students will learn the complex dimension of the Space Race and of its centrality in the Cold War dynamics. We will study how the mass media shaped the public imagination in the USA, in Western Europe and in USSR during the Space Race. The course will analyze how the mythologies of the frontier both in the USA and in Soviet Union were extended to the interplanetary space. We will study how fears and desires were projected in the Space Race. We will see how each side conceived the other both as an enemy and as a collaborator, how the Space Race was marketed in terms of competition and collaboration at the same time, becoming with the Apollo-Soyuz project the symbol of the dtnte. Throughout the reading of magazines, newspapers, as well as the analysis of TV shows, novels and science fiction movies, we will see how the Space Race influenced the daily life in the USA and in USSR, as well as gender, sex and ethnic relations. We will focus on memoirs of astronauts, engineers, politicians and policymakers and of other actors to see how the main characters of the story perceived the history of the Space Race and were perceived in the public sphere. The study of the cultural industry will allow us to unveil certain features of the making of what Dwight Eisenhower defined the industrial-military complex in the two countries.
How does the law affect creativity? Is the law actually hindering creativity or is instead encouraging it? Are such impacts just quantitative or also qualitative? Are legal systems neutral to different forms of creativity or do they discriminate among forms? Answering these questions requires examining various branches of the law. The course focuses mostly in intellectual property law as the main legal tool for fostering creativity and innovation. Other areas of law such as freedom of expression, contract law, zoning law, and tax law will be also presented. Students will be provided with a theoretical overview of those areas to understand their rules and doctrines and how they affect creativity. The course will also offer the discussion of several case studies, including, among others, tattoos, memes, graffiti art, music sampling or content creativity in social media and other online platforms.
Students will learn the fundamentals of Artificial Intelligence and understand the implication of these techniques in the arts, as well as AI techniques that can be used to make sense of human gesture, musical audio, and other real-time data. The focus will be on learning about algorithms, software tools, and best practices that can be immediately employed in creating new real-time interactive systems in the arts.
This course centers on the interaction between Neurosciences, Engineering and the Humanities, by posing crucial questions on intelligence, perception and aesthetics. How brains and machines build up knowledge? What is intelligence and what do we talk about when we talk about artificial intelligence? We will analyze how sensory systems build up a representation of the world, with particular attention to vision and audition. In parallel, we will explore the minimal requirements of a brain, building on our age-old attempts to build artificial intelligent systems. We will review the history of artificial intelligence and brain science, focusing on the connections that the two fields have had, on and off, over the years. This leads to a more general discussion on the foundations and limits of knowledge and the evolutionary roots of belief. Can we gather reliable knowledge? Are we prone to believe? What is the relationship between genes and environment? Beyond that, how does biology conditions our experience of Art? And further, can computers mimic creativity in Art? The course attempts to frame the above questions into the current scientific knowledge of the brain and the engineering of complex systems.
The increasing popularity of sport has genuinely transformed sport governance. No doubt this situation has had a positive impact in the ethics and integrity of spot governance. But the COVID-19 pandemic has suddenly change the world of sport. The economic importance of sport and its cross-border nature puts sport institutions in a situation in which they must face an uncertain future. This course is aimed at analyzing five key challenges for the future of sport global governance, namely: I) COVID economic impact and tis implications in the legal autonomy of sport, ii) the concept of equality in sport regarding neutral gender, intersex and cyborg athletes, iii) the democratization of sport bodies and strengthening athletes voice inside job, iv) the impact of AI and other new technologies and, v) the sustainability of mega sport events. All of these challenges are interconnected. Sport Government Bodies (SGB) as ICO, FIFA, IAAF, and so on, enjoy a large economic and legal autonomy to manage their business, which is in many cases against the rights of athletes. But have SGB political and legal legitimacy to rule and ask for compliance? It seems that a new legal system of sport laws is emerging from these SGB and the Court of Arbitration of Sport. Is this jurisprudence limiting the rights of the athletes? Is it compulsory for national and supranational legal systems? On the other hand, the increasing market expanding of Sport make it a great field for experimentation with new technologies, drugs and specially to apply Artificial Intelligence to increase the performance of the athletes. This situation has several ethical implications that need to be carefully analyzed. Finally the sustainability of sport mega events is a crucial point at this time of climatic emergency that challenges the continuity of sport mega-events in the future.
This course is designed to give both political science and non-political science majors an overview of fundamental issues in the study of Spanish Politics. The core of the course is the study of the nature and functioning of the Spanish democratic system installed since the middle of the seventies, paying special attention to the main political processes, institutions, actors, political culture and electoral behavior. At the beginning of the course, we will also spend some time studying the previous Spanish democratic experience (1931-1936), its collapse (1936-1939), the authoritarian rule imposed by Franco and the Spanish transition to democracy (1975-1978) which has strongly influenced the current features of the Spanish political system.
This course addresses the political and cultural dimensions of artificial intelligence and network technologies in a range of global contexts. Adopting an interdisciplinary approach that incorporates the fields of media and communication studies, critical theory, and the philosophy of technology, course materials will examine the technical and conceptual elements of machine learning, digital automation, and online communication in order to develop an understanding of their social impacts and historical consequences.Among the topics to be considered are the structure of neural networks and online protocols, the rise of cybernetics as a political logic and technical form, the history of digital logistics and automation, as well as the ethical issues surrounding the widespread installation of these technologies across different sectors of society. Each topic will focus on a different technology, as well as its relation to social inequality, freedom, and diversity.Students will discuss, evaluate, and critique academic texts, case studies, and artistic works in order to develop complex and critical accounts of contemporary technology, attending both to the planetary character of networked computation as well as its diverse and uneven deployment in various socioeconomic contexts. In addition to mapping histories of cybernetics, internet culture, big data, surveillance, and the algorithm, the course will also consider theories of digitized power and control that have taken shape in relation to economic processes, protest movements, national security, and social life generally.
The Catalan audiovisual sector is expanding despite facing obstacles, since Spanish politics diminishes its singularity. Catalan language productions encounter a disadvantage in the broader market dominated by Spanish-speaking audiovisuals. On a global scale, small, regionally produced Catalan films and TV shows compete with major blockbusters, successfully gaining visibility. Overall, Catalan cinematography is progressing, while at the same time navigating marginalization and actively constructing its distinctive identity. The course explores how this regional cinema achieves distinctiveness, with a focus on the representation of women, social inequality, diverse minorities, and sustainability. Emphasizing the intersection of these issues, the course delves into the complexities of current Catalan social struggles on and off the screen.
Development of a strategic approach to the analysis of competitive factors in digital environments. Technological disruption and the creation of digitalbusiness models. The Gartner Hype Cycle, the life cycle of technological industries, the concept of competitive paradigm, and the analysis of multi-layer platform models.
Understanding American society, geopolitics and culture. Specific aspects of economic and business organisation.
This course takes a holistic approach to product management and sets out how to make a product consumers preferred choice across markets. It comprises four modules: Product Innovation and Innovation Ecosystems, New Product Development, Product Branding and Positioning, and Product Life Cycle Management
Universitat Pompeu Fabra
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