University of Barcelona

This first year course explores the evolution of literature and the concepts of canon, tradition, and classic(s) through a broad textual analysis of representative and influential texts. It examines major texts and authors considered to have shaped intellectual history and literary criticism from their origins to the nineteenth century. Topics covered include: foundations of Western literary tradition (Homer and the Bible); tragedy; the epic and the evolution of the narrative genre (the novel and the short story); lyric poetry.

This course studies the main differences between the psychology of work, of organizations, and of human resources, and the two fundamental theoretical frameworks (rational and social constructionist) of the psychology of organizations. Topics include: organizations-- a psychosocial approach; individuals within the organization; groups and teams within the organization; the organizational system.

The course covers the study of semantics, focusing on the meaning of words and expressions in Spanish from both synchronic and diachronic perspectives. Students explore lexical meaning, ambiguity, semantic relationships, cognitive semantics, and mechanisms of semantic change, while developing vocabulary, sentence construction, and critical reflection on the Spanish language.

The course provides a survey of U.S. history and culture from the country's origins through the end of the 18th century. It examines concepts of diversity in culture, ethnicity, gender, and sexuality in the United States using a critical approach. Topics include: Indigenous American cultures; the meeting of cultures with the arrival of Europeans and African slave population; the Enlightenment and Great Awakening; the American Revolution and declaration of independence; formation of the national government (US democracy and the constitution).  

This course offers a practical introduction to critical skills for managers including critical thinking, negotiation, flexibility, people management, and more. It explores why these management capabilities are important to success in managerial roles.

This course offers a study of Arab-Islamic culture in the context of cultural anthropology. Topics include: gender, marriage, family, and kinship; perceptions of Arab-Islamic culture; the Arabic language; myths, legends, and traditions.

This course offers a study of the foundations and applications of the interdisciplinary field of consumer behavior. It explores the internal, cognitive, and emotional motivations that drive individual consumers. It also discusses how external and exogenous influences affect buyers, taking into consideration socioeconomic, generational, gender, and cultural idiosyncrasies.

The course presents students with a study of twentieth and twenty-first century English-language literature. It focuses on the cultural and historical context of these works. Topics include: Gender at the turn of the 20th century; modernism, formal experimentation, and the horror of the Great War; protest literature; post-World War II literature; rediscovering the margins; the visibility of sexuality, ethnicity, and gender; the 21st century.