ID412b
12 walks to fall in love… with a City. Case study of Barcelona as a Success Story.
Faculty
Alfred Bosch
Writer and Historian
Course length
Duration
Total hours
Credits
Language
Course type
Fee for single course
Fee for degree students
Skills you’ll learn
Overview
This course will focus on what a city requires for success. The case of Barcelona is especially relevant because this is where our students are living and also because it has no given bonuses (no big water courses, no natural port, no mineral resources, no crossroads, no state capital condition, no huge fortunes…).
That compels us to wonder exactly where and why achievement reaches its highest mark. This case study will force us to focus on the importance of human qualities and conditions which promote talent and innovation, possibly the key to local and global (glocal) success.
Learning highlights
- Introduction to Barcelona, the host city of Harbour Space
- Cultural connection to the town; building a friendlier environment for the student
- Analysis of success patterns for collective projects
- Debate and discussion on trial and error in community decisions
- Outdoors urban experience as a learning method
- Familiarity with sources and information about surrounding society
Course outline
15 classes
Session 1
The past. Performing above size. Gothic splendour.
Session 2
The Catalan factor. Shut your eyes, wish it hard and you will become Catalan. An active agent for openness and the push for originality and self-achievement.
Session 3
Indoor session. When roots are not a barrier but a strength.
Session 4
Success out of failure and necessity. The Industrial Revolution, Eixample and Cerdà.
Session 5
Crazy enough to beat conventional wisdom.
Sagrada Familia and Gaudí.
Session 6
Whatever happened to Spain? Is it welcome? Spanish Village and Montjuic Expo.
Session 7
Doomed to struggle and overcome. Civil War and Franco.
Session 8
We come from this sort of silence… Urban sprawl, business, corruption and the grey years. Meridiana and Plaça Massada.
Session 9
Indoor session. Detroit or San Francisco?
How the choice was made.
Session 10
Never mind where you come from; civil society and FC Barcelona Stadium.
Session 11
The human towers, allegory of collective achievement. Castellers de Sants.
Session 12
Cinderella City 1; the Olympics as a pretext.
Olympic village, beaches and plaça Prim.
Session 13
Cinderella City 2; Barcelona, turn pretty. Rambla, Raval, Old harbor, hotels and tourism.
Session 14
Cinderella City 3; Pushed to engage in trade and entrepreneurship. Consolat de Mar, Llotja.
Session 15
Indoor session. What is so smart about a City?
Prerequisites
Basic fitness for walking for a couple of hours is required. Any candidate requiring special mobility should contact the Student office. This is not a tourist activity. Following the course will entail active participation, hard work, reading and completing the requested papers.
Methodology
All students will have a central assignment, which will imply preparing one of the 12 routes mentioned, reading related texts and delivering explanations to the rest of their colleagues. All this is done with the professor’s supervision. Some students will have very few days, some will have weeks to prepare it - and this will be taken into account. Part of the work for students will be the research of sources, bibliography and other items.
Grading
Alfred Bosch was born and raised in Barcelona, where he lives. Aside from Catalan and Spanish, he masters English, French and Portuguese and speaks basic German and Italian. Professor and researcher in academic institutions at home and abroad: Pompeu Fabra University, Autonomous University of Barcelona, Open University of Catalonia, Rovira i Virgili University, CIDOB, University of Chicago (USA), CEAN Bordeaux (France), University of London (UK), University of Ibadan (Nigeria), University of Witwatersrand (South Africa) and Hood College (Washington). He also chaired the African Studies Centre and completed a PhD dissertation on Nelson Mandela and the ANC.
Lucky to have a multi-faceted background. He was deeply involved in the organization of the 1992 Olympics of Barcelona. Columnist for various newspapers, he covered war conflicts around the globe. As a writer, he has published 20 different titles –including fiction and non-fiction- on a range of topics from African societies to the debate on European and Catalan issues. In politics, he has been congressman in Madrid, leader of his group in Barcelona City Council, vice- president of Metropolitan Barcelona in charge of International Affairs and Foreign Minister of the Catalan (Autonomous) Government. Glad to return to the world of knowledge.
See full profileApply for this course
12 walks to fall in love… with a City. Case study of Barcelona as a Success Story.
by Alfred Bosch
Total hours
45 Hours
Dates
Jun 14 - Jul 02, 2021
Fee for single course
€1500
Fee for degree students
€750
How to secure your spot
Complete the form below to kickstart your application
Schedule your Harbour.Space interview
If successful, get ready to join us on campus
FAQ
Will I receive a certificate after completion?
Yes. Upon completion of the course, you will receive a certificate signed by the director of the program your course belonged to.
Do I need a visa?
This depends on your case. Please check with the Spanish or Thai consulate in your country of residence about visa requirements. We will do our part to provide you with the necessary documents, such as the Certificate of Enrollment.
Can I get a discount?
Yes. The easiest way to enroll in a course at a discounted price is to register for multiple courses. Registering for multiple courses will reduce the cost per individual course. Please ask the Admissions Office for more information about the other kinds of discounts we offer and what you can do to receive one.