Construction and Representation of Cultural Identity

This master's degree course broadens the knowledge and skills acquired in the corresponding EHEA bachelor's degree (formerly the llicenciatura) and provides students with the analytical, critical and theoretical skills required to reflect on the processes of constructing and representing identities in a wide range of texts types (literary, film, theatre, philosophical, historical and artistic) and cultural contexts, mainly from (post)modern society. There will be a particular focus on the issues of gender, subjectivity, class and ethnic group, and on the reception and study of intercultural relations.
Within this general framework, students will be able to select one of the two specializations offered, according to their personal interests. This specialization is the first step in the process of introducing students to advanced research, which is one of the main aims of the degree. Specifically, students will carry out a supervised final project, which will be presented and defended in a public session before a panel of examiners. The degree course is the taught stage of the official doctoral programme of the same name, which has received the Spanish government's quality award (MEC:ME2011-0583).

General competences:
Upon completion of the master's degree, students will be able to:

• understand and identify concepts, problems and fundamental issues in any kind of discussion on the construction of cultural identity.
  
• Interpret texts from different eras and cultural traditions.
  
• Develop the ability to reflect, showing awareness of their own thoughts and recognizing and evaluating theories and different points of view in the area of literary and cultural studies.
  
• Think independently, displaying critical and self-critical capabilities, developing original problem-solving strategies, generating new ideas, and defining objects or fields of study on the construction and representation of cultural identity.
  
• Manage information, extracting and summarizing information from different sources, and making effective use of libraries, archives, newspaper and periodicals libraries and other sources (particularly electronic sources) that are appropriate for humanities research.
  
• Carry out basic research and be up-to-date with studies undertaken by the international scientific community in the field of cultural, literary and gender studies.
  
• Work in a team, collaborating with others and contributing to a common project, and participating in cross-disciplinary and multicultural teams.

Specific competences:
Successful students will also be able to:

• Display advanced knowledge of the theories and methods of interculturality, globalization, postcolonial studies and the analysis of different text types.
  
• Display in-depth knowledge of the philological tools required to analyse complex texts and carry out comparative studies.
  
• Distinguish and apply literary, media and cultural theories and methods on identity (gender, class, sexuality, ethnic group, etc.).
  
• Display an understanding of the theoretical and critical tools required to prepare presentations on interculturality, alterity and globalization.
  
• Interpret texts and primary sources on gender.
  
• Analyse the associations between artistic creation and contemporary history, cultural institutions and social and political trends, taking into account colonization and globalization.