Undergraduate Spanish and Latin American Studies 2021-2022

This is a fast-paced and intensive language course for students with very little or no previous knowledge of Spanish who have been allocated onto this course by our diagnostic test. It is aimed at students intending to pursue an honours (single or joint) degree in Spanish and Latin American Studies but is also suitable for students on other degree programmes.

This is a fast-paced language course for students with some previous knowledge of Spanish who have been allocated onto this course by our diagnostic test. It is aimed at students intending to pursue an honours (single or joint) degree in Spanish and Latin American Studies but is also suitable for students on other degree programmes.

This course will introduce students to Latin American history, culture and society from the pre-Hispanic period to the present through a selection of archaeology, historical and contemporary writings, visual culture and music. All texts studied will be available in English translation.

This is a fast-paced language course for students with some previous knowledge of Spanish who have been allocated onto this course by our diagnostic test. It is aimed at students intending to pursue an honours (single or joint) degree in Spanish and Latin American Studies but is also suitable for students on other degree programmes.

The course introduces students to colonial encounters ranging from Muslim Iberia to the pre-conquest Americas and continuing into the period of the Spanish Empire.  From the nineteenth century, conquest and colonial encounters continued as newly-independent Spanish American states seized indigenous territories, while colonial mentalities re-surfaced in contexts as diverse as the Spanish Civil War and Southern Cone dirty wars. These examples show how colonial encounters helped shape contemporary Spain and Spanish America. 

Students being admitted to a Spanish and Latin American Studies degree programme, or intending taking a Spanish course, should first take the language diagnostic test. The test can be taken at any time and is completed online. On the basis of this diagnostic test you will be allocated to the appropriate Level 1 language course. The test helps to ensure you are on the course that is most appropriate for your level of knowledge and experience.

Please go to www.abdn.ac.uk/mycurriculum to access the Diagnostic Test.

Having completed the test you should select the appropriate course when making your curriculum choices.

This course follows Spanish Language 2 or can be taken by students who have the required level of Spanish as determined by the diagnostic test (see below).

This course aims to prepare intending Honours students of Spanish and Latin American Studies for their compulsory period abroad in a Spanish-speaking country.

The course will develop further Spanish language skills, both receptive and productive. Classes on grammatical and linguistic analysis will contribute to the development of both sets of skills. In addition students will complete a structured self learning programme of audio-visual study and grammatical reinforcement study.

This course uses texts, which can include plays, films, novels, music, letters and an etiquette guide, to understand issues, concerns and themes in Latin American history. The course is organised chronologically and each week classes focus on texts from a particular country as a means to discuss bigger questions, such as how to make a new nation after three hundred years of colonial rule and a decade of warfare, how to demonstrate your honourability in an anonymous city and what cultural models are the best source of inspiration. The course also focuses on 'context' shared throughout Latin America.

This course follows Spanish Language 2 or can be taken by students who have the required level of Spanish as determined by the diagnostic test (see below).

This course aims to prepare intending Honours students of Spanish and Latin American Studies for their compulsory period abroad in a Spanish-speaking country.

The course will develop further Spanish language skills, both receptive and productive. Classes on grammatical and linguistic analysis will contribute to the development of both sets of skills. In addition students will complete a structured self learning programme of audio-visual study and grammatical reinforcement study.

This course follows Spanish Language 4 and aims to prepare non beginners intending Honours students of Spanish and Latin American Studies for their compulsory period abroad in a Spanish-speaking country.

The course will develop further Spanish language skills, expanding on the vocabulary and introducing formal documents and letters. Classes on grammatical and linguistic analysis will contribute to the development of both sets of skills. In addition students will complete a structured self learning programme of vocabulary and grammatical reinforcement study.

This course takes a broad look at different texts spanning from the late 15th century to the present day. We will study these texts in the original language but with the help of English translations, providing a smooth introduction into reading Spanish language literature. The first half of the course concentrates on the late medieval and early modern eras, through two highly entertaining texts: Celestina and Life Is Dream. The second half concentrates on the 20th century through a combination of poetry, short fiction and film.

This course asks what it means to be a citizen in Latin America (though with a focus on Mexico). It will combine history and ethnography. Citizenship is often described as rights-bearing membership in nation-states, and we will see that this has been important in Latin America, past and present. However, we will draw on a variety of readings, including the lecturer's own ethnography, to see that there has been more to citizenship than this.

This is a core prescribed course open only to Junior Honours Spanish and Latin American Studies students and a selected range of other programmes at the appropriate level. This course aims to enable you to identify and use, accurately, fluently, and with an appropriate level of sophistication, a range of vocabulary and linguistic registers at advanced level.

This is a core prescribed course open only to Mode B Junior Honours Spanish and Latin American Studies students. This course aims to enable you to identify and use, accurately, fluently, and with an appropriate level of sophistication, a range of vocabulary and linguistic registers at advanced level.

The aim of the Residence Abroad Project is to develop an in-depth understanding of a specific aspect (anthropological, political or cultural) connected with one of the Spanish and Latin American countries in which students are staying. Students are expected to study a topic in its socio-and to complete a report in Spanish of c. 2000-2500 words.

This course will enable students to gain an insight into the theoretical framework of translation and will also enable students to grasp some of the main issues and concepts in translation theory and practice which go beyond linguistic concepts.

This course engages in a broad-based analysis of the history, culture and politics of the state of California. It begins with the indifenous and Spanish colonial settlement of the region, followed by the period within the independent Mexican Republic, before California became one of the United States of America. More recent topics will include the fate of the Californios after Independence and mass immigration in the 20th century, especially from Mexico, as well as the status of the Spanish language in contemporary California. The course will include approaches from history, anthropology, cultural studies, and political science.

The crónica and testimonio genres share the urgency and authority of witness and the drive to propel the reader to action. From the early days of the Spanish conquest, witnesses used the crónica to understand the past and present, pointing out injustice and demanding reform. Testimonio, a more recent genre of ‘ordinary’ people bearing witness, which is intended to give voice to historically marginalised groups, has itself generated debates about whose ‘truth’ is being told, whose voice is ‘authentic’ and who gets to tell whose stories. This course brings these narrative forms, from the colonial period to the recent past, together as a way of listening to marginalised voices, understanding a range of perspectives on Spanish America and understanding the enduring power of bearing witness. This course will also examine the debates which these texts have prompted, debates which, even when they include critical voices, show the enduring power of the first-hand account.

This course will study contemporary Spanish film with reference to both local references and global currents. Spanish artistic production, like all culture, is increasingly tuned into international circuits, where filmmakers find material and inspiration for their creations from a wide range of settings. Therefore, we will think of Spain as a crossroads, a meeting ground of different historical influences, connected to a global network of migrations and communications. In our readings of these films, we will ask how personal and collective subjectivity is defined in relation to both local and global contexts.

This course engages in a broad-based analysis of the history, culture and politics of the state of California. It begins with the indifenous and Spanish colonial settlement of the region, followed by the period within the independent Mexican Republic, before California became one of the United States of America. More recent topics will include the fate of the Californios after Independence and mass immigration in the 20th century, especially from Mexico, as well as the status of the Spanish language in contemporary California. The course will include approaches from history, anthropology, cultural studies, and political science.

This year-long course unit combines dissertation research with research methods training. The dissertation is a piece of extended independent research (8,000-10,000 words long), structured as a critical evaluation, analysis or argument, about a topic germane to Spanish and Latin American Studies. The topic is chosen by the student, in conjunction with the dissertation coordinator and an individual Departmental supervisor, both of whom approve the topic. Students are encouraged to design their topic building on their previous studies, especially honours courses. The dissertation offers a chance for students to carry out in-depth independent study in Spanish and Latin American Studies, and to acquire and develop valuable research skills. The course begins, in the first half session, with workshops on diverse research methods and the creation of peer support groups. The second half session includes structured meetings with the dissertation supervisor and meetings with the peer support group, as well as independent research and writing.

This course asks what it means to be a citizen in Latin America (though with a focus on Mexico). It will combine history and ethnography. Citizenship is often described as rights-bearing membership in nation-states, and we will see that this has been important in Latin America, past and present. However, we will draw on a variety of readings, including the lecturer's own ethnography, to see that there has been more to citizenship than this.

This is the final Spanish language course within the degree that will provide students with advanced comprehension and writing skills in general and specialised registers.

This course will enable students to gain an insight into the theoretical framework of translation and will also enable students to grasp some of the main issues and concepts in translation theory and practice which go beyond linguistic concepts.

This course engages in a broad-based analysis of the history, culture and politics of the state of California. It begins with the indigenous and Spanish colonial settlement of the region, followed by the period within the independent Mexican Republic, before California became one of the United States of America. More recent topics will include the fate of the Californios after Independence and mass immigration in the 20th century, especially from Mexico, as well as the status of the Spanish language in contemporary California. The course will include approaches from history, anthropology, cultural studies, and political science.

The crónica and testimonio genres share the urgency and authority of witness and the drive to propel the reader to action. From the early days of the Spanish conquest, witnesses used the crónica to understand the past and present, pointing out injustice and demanding reform. Testimonio, a more recent genre of ‘ordinary’ people bearing witness, which is intended to give voice to historically marginalised groups, has itself generated debates about whose ‘truth’ is being told, whose voice is ‘authentic’ and who gets to tell whose stories. This course brings these narrative forms, from the colonial period to the recent past, together as a way of listening to marginalised voices, understanding a range of perspectives on Spanish America and understanding the enduring power of bearing witness. This course will also examine the debates which these texts have prompted, debates which, even when they include critical voices, show the enduring power of the first-hand account.

This course will study contemporary Spanish film with reference to both local references and global currents. Spanish artistic production, like all culture, is increasingly tuned into international circuits, where filmmakers find material and inspiration for their creations from a wide range of settings. Therefore, we will think of Spain as a crossroads, a meeting ground of different historical influences, connected to a global network of migrations and communications. In our readings of these films, we will ask how personal and collective subjectivity is defined in relation to both local and global contexts.

This course engages in a broad-based analysis of the history, culture and politics of the state of California. It begins with the indigenous and Spanish colonial settlement of the region, followed by the period within the independent Mexican Republic, before California became one of the United States of America. More recent topics will include the fate of the Californios after Independence and mass immigration in the 20th century, especially from Mexico, as well as the status of the Spanish language in contemporary California. The course will include approaches from history, anthropology, cultural studies, and political science.