Over the past twenty years, cultural studies in Spain have primarily focused on cities and the urban experience. This interdisciplinary course will take a new tack and explore both theoretical conceptions of "the rural" and cultural production and practices related to it. From early twentieth-century literary engagements with Spain's rural areas through to conceptual art dealing with themes of ruin and decay, and more recent insights from tourism and food studies, this course will challenge established notions of rural cultural production. At the same time, given the rise of regionalism beyond traditional nationalisms, the course will pay close attention to the Spanish state's plural nature. Genres and areas of study will include: essay, poetry, novel, documentary, feature film, gastronomy, and tourism studies.