HISPANIC STUDIES

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr T R Stack

Pre-requisites

None

Co-requisites

None

Notes

Students are strongly encouraged to take both Latin America: A Cultural History and Spain: A Cultural History.

Overview

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.

Structure

2 one-hour lectures and 1 one-hour tutorial per week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: One 1,500 word essay (35%); one two-hour written examination (35%); in-course assessment (30%) including group oral presentation, written comments on readings and in-tutorial tests.

Resit: 1 two-hour written examination (100%).

Feedback

The above assessments are given CAS marks, and additional written or verbal feedback is also given.

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Ms S Domingo

Pre-requisites

None.

Notes

This course may not be taken by students who qualify for Spanish Language 2 or any other more advanced courses. Students will be allocated to be appropriate Level 1 Spanish language course on the basis of a diagnostic test taken at the start of the academic year.

Overview

This course provides an intensive introduction to the Spanish language for students with little or no previous knowledge of Spanish, or with qualifications below the entry requirement for Spanish Language 2. It concentrates on the four basic language skills: reading, writing, speaking, listening comprehension. Students attend 2 lectures and 1 grammar seminar per week and attend a further tutorial focusing on spoken Spanish. Students are also required to pursue private study and to submit regular written work.

Structure

2 one-hour lectures; 1 one-hour grammar seminar, and 1 one-hour oral tutorial.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 two-hour written examination (50%), in-course assessment: written exercises (30%), class test (10%) and oral skills (10%).

In order to pass the course, students must pass the written examination and oral skills element of assessment and present themselves for all elements of assessment.

Resit: 1 two-hour written examination (100%).

Formative Assessment

Regular formative assessments of different aspects of written and oral Spanish language. Continuous formative feedback on spoken Spanish.

Feedback

Written and /or verbal feedback is given on all assessments. Additional informal feedback on performance is also given in both grammar classes and oral classes.

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

TBC

Pre-requisites

Normally Spanish Language 1 or Higher or A level Spanish or equivalent. Students will, however, be allocated to the appropriate level 1 Spanish language course on the basis of a diagnostic test taken at the beginning of the academic year/semester.

Overview

The course will involve three closely integrated classes per week to develop speaking, writing and listening skills, and a further hour to assist students towards the rapid development of basic communicative fluency.

Structure

3 one-hour classes per week; one further tutorial per week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 two-hour written examination (60%); in-course assessment: written exercises (20%), class test (10%) and oral skills (10%).

In order to pass the course, students must pass the written examination and oral skills element of assessment and present themselves for all elements of assessment.

Resit: 1 two-hour written examination (100%).

Formative Assessment

Regular formative assessments of different aspects of written and oral Spanish language.

Feedback

Summative assessments are given CAS marks, and written or verbal feedback is also given. Additional informal feedback on performance is also given in both written language classes and oral/aural classes.

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr J A Biggane

Pre-requisites

None.

Overview

This course focuses on cultural history in the Iberian Peninsula, from the early medieval period to the present day. It explores selected key cultural social and political questions over the course of Spain's history as they are presented in a variety of written and visual texts, such as contemporaneous accounts, narrative fiction, poetry, film, painting and architecture. All texts studied will be available in English translation.

Structure

2 one-hour lectures per week and 1 one-hour tutorial per week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: One 1,500 word essay (40%); 4 short written MyAberdeen assignments (10%); Tutorial assessment mark (10%) 1 two-hour written examination (40%). Students must present for, and pass each component of assessment in order to pass the course as a whole.

Resit: 1 two-hour written examination (50%); one essay (50%).

Feedback

The above assessments are given CAS marks, and additional written or verbal feedback is also given.

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr F Sanchez

Pre-requisites

SP 1028 / SP 1528.

Notes

Not available to students qualified for Spanish Language 1, 2, 4 or higher level courses and/or native speakers of Spanish. Students who have not recently completed Spanish Language 2 will sit a placement test to ensure they have been allocated to the appropriate level course.

Overview

The course will involve three closely integrated classes per week to develop speaking, writing and listening skills, and a further hour to assist students towards the rapid development of communicative fluency. In addition to the three weekly classes, students follow a programme of private audio-visual study (1 hour per week) in the Language Centre.

Structure

3 one-hour classes per week; one further tutorial per week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 two-hour written examination (60%); in-course assessment: written exercises (20%), class test (10%) and oral skills (10%).

In order to pass the course, students must pass the written examination and oral skills element of assessment and present themselves for all elements of assessment.

Resit: 1 two-hour written examination (100%).

Formative Assessment

Regular formative assessments of different aspects of written and spoken Spanish language.

Feedback

The above assessments are given CAS marks, and written or verbal feedback is also given. Additional informal feedback on performance is also given in written language classes and oral classes.

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Ms M Fernandez (HS1) and Ms J Thurlow (HS2)

Pre-requisites

SP 2025 or SP 2525.

Overview

Building on work done in SP 2025 / SP 2525, the course will develop further language skills, both receptive (aural comprehension capacity through tuition based on audio and video material; reading comprehension through analysis of written Spanish and translation into English) and productive (composition and letter-writing; translation into Spanish; oral language). 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 aural study and grammatical reinforcement study.

Structure

2 weekly one-hour written language and grammar classes; 1 weekly one-hour oral practice class.

Assessment

1st Attempt: Written exercises (20%); class test (10%); Oral skills (10%); 1 two-hour written examination (60%).

Resit: 1 two-hour written examination (100%).

Formative Assessment

4 formative assessments of different aspects of written Spanish language; 1 formative assessment of aural Spanish language.

Feedback

The above assessments are given CAS marks, and written or verbal feedback is also given. Additional informal feedback on performance is also given in written language classes; oral classes.

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

TBC

Pre-requisites

SP 1028 or SP 1528.

Notes

Students intending to proceed to honours are advised to take SP 2530 Latin America: Texts and Contexts as well as this course.

Overview

This course explores questions raised by written and visual texts from Spain from the early modern to the contemporary period. The texts will be related to their local and international contexts of production and consumption. The course aims to equip students with analytical skills in preparation for more advanced study of literary and visual texts at Honours level, but is also suitable, and useful for students not intending to proceed to Honours.

Structure

1 two-hour class, and 1 one-hour class per week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: Final written examination (40%); Continuous Assessment: 1 essay (30%): Seminar Assessment (10%); short written commentaries (20%). Student must present for, and pass each component of assessment in order to pass the course as a whole.

Resit: 1 two-hour written examination (100%).

Feedback

The above assessments are given CAS marks, and additional written or verbal feedback is also given.

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

TBC

Pre-requisites

SP 2026 / SP 2526 Spanish Language 4.

Overview

This course emphasises the development of accurate and idomatic writing skills, the further development of grammar and broadening and deepening of students' reading. The course will involve two closely integrated classes per week to develop speaking, writing and comprehension skills, and a further hour to assist students towards consolidation of communicative accuracy and fluency. In addition to the three weekly classes, students follow a programme of private audio and audio-visual study in the Language Centre.

Structure

3 one-hour seminars per week (plus 1-1½ hours private study in the Language Centre).

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 two-hour written examination (60%), oral skills (10%), 1 in-class test (10%), 4 written assessments (20%).

Resit: 1 two-hour written examination (70%), oral examination (30%).

Formative Assessment

4 formative assessments of different aspects of written Spanish language; and 1 continuously assessed formative assessment of oral Spanish language.

Feedback

The above assessments are given CAS marks, and written or verbal feedback is also given. Additional informal feedback on performance is also given in written language classes; oral classes; aural classes; and reading comprehension/composition classes.

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Professor P Schell

Pre-requisites

SP 1028 or SP 1528.

Notes

Students intending to proceed to honours are advised to take Spain: Texts and Contexts as well as this course.

Overview

This course explores themes and issues raised by written and visual texts from Latin America. The texts will be related to their local and international contexts of production and consumption. The course aims to equip students with analytical skills in preparation for more advanced study of literary and visual texts at Honours level, but is also suitable for students not intending to proceed to Honours. Students must present for, and pass each component of assessment in order to pass the course as a whole.

Structure

1 two-hour class, and 1 one-hour class per week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: Final written examination (40%); Continuous Assessment: 1 essay (30%): Seminar Assessment (10%); short written commentaries (20%).

Resit: 1 two-hour written examination (100%).

Feedback

The above assessments are given CAS marks, and additional written or verbal feedback is also given.

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr T Stack

Pre-requisites

Normally available only to students in Programme Year 3.

Notes

This course may NOT be included as part of a graduating curriculum with Citizenship in Latin America B. This course will not be available in 2012/13.

Overview

This course focuses on the principles and practices of citizenship across Latin America. It begins with the history of citizenship in colonial times before looking at the nationalisation of citizenship in the nineteenth century. The second half of the course focuses on the "citizen-ization" of Latin American society and politics by which government and many social movements have come to emphasise the importance of treating people as citizens and of promoting citizenship. The readings will show, however, that citizenship has been understood differently at different times and places.

Structure

1 two-hour seminar per week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: Two essays 2,000 words (40% each) and in-course assessment (20%) (consisting of 10% student-led discussion and 10% individual oral presentation).

Resit: Two essays (50% each).

Formative Assessment

The first written assignment has a formative as well as a summative role.

Feedback

The above assignments receive CAS marks, which the Course Guide links to specific marking criteria, and written or verbal feedback in the form of tutors' comments is also given. Additional informal feedback on performance and tutorial participation is offered in tutorials. Tutors have office hours at which further feedback may be sought.

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr F Sanchez

Pre-requisites

EITHER Spanish Language 4 OR Spanish Language 5. Available only to students in Programme Year 4 or above of the Hispanic Studies Honours programme or the European Studies programme.

Notes

This is a full year course, which single or joint Honours in Hispanic Studies (Mode A) students must take and which European Studies students can take as an option. It is not open to non-graduating and Erasmus students. Single or joint Honours in Hispanic Studies (Mode B) students who go abroad in the second semester should take Spanish Language 6A.

Overview

This course aims to enable students to identify and use, accurately and fluently, a range of vocabulary and linguistic registers at advanced level. Reading and writing skills are honed though the exploitation of a variety of literary, journalistic and other Spanish and Latin-American texts. Skills and techniques for beginning advanced translation into and out of Spanish will be the primary focus of the course. Aural and oral skills will be developed through oral classes, and the private-study linguistic exploitation of Spanish and Latin-American programmes and films, and other activities. Special attention will be paid to those grammatical areas which are still likely to cause difficulty to advanced students. The course curriculum reflects the emphasis placed on self-directed learning and private study at this level.

Structure

1 one-hour seminar per week; 1 one-hour tutorial per week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 three-hour written examination (40%); continuously assessed written tasks (40%); oral examination (10%); continuously-assessed of approximately 500 words each; oral skills (10%).

Resit: 1 three-hour written examination (80%); 1 oral examination (20%).

Formative Assessment

Regular formative assessments of different aspects of written Spanish language. Continuous formative feedback on spoken Spanish.

Feedback

Written and /or verbal feedback is given on all assessments. Additional informal feedback on performance is also given in both grammar classes and oral classes.

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr J A Biggane

Pre-requisites

EITHER Spanish Language 4 OR Spanish Language 5.

Notes

Single or joint Honours in Hispanic Studies (Mode A) students must take the full-year course SP 30A2 Spanish Language 6. Spanish Language 6B is a single-semester course that will be taught together with SP 30A2 but will only be taught in the first semester. It is open only to single or joint Honours in Hispanic Studies (Mode B) students who go abroad in the second semester, or by permission of the course coordinator. It is not intended for non-graduating and Erasmus students.

Overview

This course aims to enable students to identify and use, accurately and fluently, a range of vocabulary and linguistic registers at advanced level. Reading and writing skills are honed though the exploitation of a variety of literary, journalistic and other Spanish and Latin-American texts. Skills and techniques for beginning advanced translation into and out of Spanish will be the primary focus of the course. Aural and oral skills will be developed through oral classes, and the private-study linguistic exploitation of Spanish and Latin-American programmes and films, and other activities. Special attention will be paid to those grammatical areas which are still likely to cause difficulty to advanced students. The course curriculum reflects the emphasis placed on self-directed learning and private study at this level.

Structure

1 one-hour seminar per week ; 1 one-hour tutorial per week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 three-hour written examination (40%); continuously assessed written tasks (40%); oral examination (10%); continuously-assessed oral skills (10%).

Resit: 1 three-hour written examination (100%).

Formative Assessment

Regular formative assessments of different aspects of written Spanish language. Continuous formative feedback on spoken Spanish.

Feedback

Written and /or verbal feedback is given on all assessments. Additional informal feedback on performance is also given in both grammar classes and oral classes.

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr J Biggane

Pre-requisites

Available only to students in Programme Year 3.

Notes

Compulsory course for Single Honours students in Hispanic Studies.

Overview

By the end of the course you will have chosen a research topic, developed a research question and constructed a bibliography.

Structure

1 one-hour lecture and 1 one-hour seminar per week.

Learning methods are divided between:

• workshops, which aim to help you develop core research and communication skills;


• individual supervision sessions;


• guided independent research

Assessment

1st Attempt: Continuous assessment: submission of outline of research project: topic, research question and bibliographical exercise (100%).

Resit: Submission of outline of research project: topic, research question and bibliographical exercise (100%).

Formative Assessment

The written assessment tasks are given extensive formative feedback, both on an individual and collective basis.

Feedback

All assignments receive CAS marks and narrative feedback, which the Course Guide links to specific marking criteria. Further opportunities for feedback for provided in office hours.

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr J A Biggane

Pre-requisites

240 credit points (including SP 2525, SP 2526 or SP 2531).

Notes

Normally only available to students in Programme Year 3.

Overview

The Spanish Civil War was the defining event of twentieth-century Spanish history and a defining moment in European history. This course aims to provide students with an understanding of the origins of the conflict, its domestic and international dimensions, how various indviduals and groups within Spain understood the war and their role in it, cultural production and the war, the long-term consequences of the war, and historiographical debates about the war. The course will draw upon a wide range of materials including historical documents and studies, testimonies, film and literary texts.

Structure

1 two-hour lecture/seminar per week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: Continuous assessment (100%); 2 essays of 2,000 words each, (40% each); seminar discussion (20%).
Seminar assessment consists of 10% presentation (outline of presentation is submitted by student) and 10% seminar assessment (based on attendance and participation).

Resit: 2 essays of 2,000 words each (80%); 1 oral presentation (20%).

Formative Assessment

All written assessment tasks are given extensive formative feedback, both on an individual and collective basis.

Feedback

All assignments receive CAS marks and narrative feedback, which the Course Guide links to specific marking criteria. Further opportunities for feedback for provided in office hours.

Credit Points

30

Course Coordinator

TBC

Pre-requisites

Available to Mode B Hispanic Studies and European Studies students on Residence Abroad in the first half session only.

Notes

The course is taught in the first half session for Mode B Hispanic Studies and European Studies students who are on Residence Abroad in a Hispanic country in the first half session only.

Overview

Students will translate from Spanish into English a range of challenging prose passages.

Structure

Distance learning: students will correspond with the course coordinator via email while on their Residence Abroad in a Hispanic country.

Assessment

1st Attempt: In-course assessment; if 30 credits, should be 8 exercises language assignments equally weighted (100%).

Resit: 1 two-hour written examination (100%).

Formative Assessment

Formative assessment provided on each translation submitted during the course.

Feedback

Feedback will be given by email on all translations. Additional informal feedback may be given in office hours on return to Aberdeen.

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr T Stack

Pre-requisites

Normally available only to students in Programme Year 3.

Notes

This course may NOT be included as part of a graduating curriculum with Rule of Law in Latin America B. This course will not be available in 2012/13.

Overview

This course will address recent debates about the rule of law in Latin America. Politicians across the continent (and in other parts of the world) have been proclaiming the virtues of the "rule of law". That is partly because international bodies such as World Bank are making rule-of-law reforms a condition of financial aid. But what do politicians mean by the rule of law, are they putting it into practice, and if so, with what consequences? For example, is the US supposed to be the model, and if so, does it live up to its ideals? Within Latin America, given the rhetoric about the rule of law, how can we explain the slow pace of judicial reform in the face of fast-paced electoral reform? Are governments themselves bound by the rule of law, or is it just for their citizens? And does the rule of law just serve the interests of political and economic elites? Or can it bring equality, and if so, what kind of equality? Is it enough to be equal before the law, or could the rule of law do better that that?

Structure

1 two-hour seminar per week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: Two 2,000 word essays (40% each) and in-course assessment (20%) (consisting of 10% student-led discussion and 10% individual oral presentation).

Resit: Two 2,000 word essays (50% each).

Formative Assessment

The first written assignment has a formative as well as a summative role.

Feedback

The above assignments receive CAS marks, which the Course Guide links to specific marking criteria, and written or verbal feedback in the form of tutors' comments is also given. Additional informal feedback on performance and tutorial participation is offered in tutorials. Tutors have office hours at which further feedback may be sought.

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr F Sanchez

Pre-requisites

Normally available only to students in Programme Year 3.

Notes

The course may not be included as part of a graduating curriculum with SP 40YA : Key Topics in Modern Spanish Culture 1B.

Overview

This course involves study of selected key topics, debates and texts relevant to advanced study of modern Spanish culture. The course may have different thematic emphases from year to year, and may include study of literary texts, visual culture, essays, testimonials, and histories.

Structure

1 two-hour seminar per week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: Two essays 2,000 words (40% each); group presentation (10%); seminar assessment (10%).

Resit: Two essays 2,000 words (50% each).

Formative Assessment

The first written assignment has a formative as well as a summative role.

Feedback

The above assignments receive CAS marks, which the Course Guide links to specific marking criteria, and written or verbal feedback in the form of tutors' comments is also given. Additional informal feedback on performance and class participation is offered in tutorials. Tutors have office hours at which further feedback may be sought.

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr T Stack

Pre-requisites

Normally available only to students in Programme Year 3.

Notes

The course may not be included as part of a graduating curriculum with SP 45ZA : Key Topics in Modern Latin American Culture 2B.

Overview

This course involves study of selected key topics, debates and texts relevant to advanced study of modern Latin American culture. The course may have different thematic emphases from year to year, and may include study of literary texts, visual culture, essays, testimonials, and histories.

Structure

1 two-hour seminar per week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: Two essays 2,000 words (40% each); group presentation (10%); seminar assessment (10%).

Resit: Two essays 2,000 words (50% each).

Formative Assessment

Formative Assessment and Feedback Information

The first written assignment has a formative as well as a summative role.

Feedback

The above assignments receive CAS marks, which the Course Guide links to specific marking criteria, and written or verbal feedback in the form of tutors' comments is also given. Additional informal feedback on performance and class participation is offered in tutorials. Tutors have office hours at which further feedback may be sought.

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

TBC

Pre-requisites

240 credit points (including SP 2525, SP 2526 or SP 2531).

Notes

Available only to students in Programme Year 3 and 4. This course will not be available in 2012/13.

Overview

The first block of the course will engage in a theory-based, critical study of the broad Spanish film production of the twentieth-century. The second block of the course will study contemporary Latin-American cinema and photography in relation to the political. Materials studied within the course will include the following: film, photography and architecture.

Structure

1 two-hour seminar per week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: Two essays (45% each); 2,500 words each for Level 3 and 3,000 words each for Level 4.
Oral presentation (10%); students will submit outline of presentation

Resit: Two essays (50% each): 2,000 words each for Level 3 and 2,500 words each for Level 4.

Formative Assessment

The first written assignment has a formative as well as a summative role.

Feedback

The above assignments receive CAS marks, which the Course Guide links to specific marking criteria, and written or verbal feedback in the form of tutors' comments is also given. Additional informal feedback on performance and tutorial participation is offered in tutorials. Tutors have office hours at which further feedback may be sought.

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr J A Biggane

Pre-requisites

240 credit points (including SP 2526 or SP 2531).

Notes

Normally only available to students in Programme Year 3.

Overview

This course extends and refines students' practical translation skills from Spanish into English. It will also introduce students to selected key issues in translation studies and theory, and enable students to think critically about linguistic and cultural issues associated with translation from Spanish into English at an advanced level. The course will use a misture of lectures, seminars and practicals: students will translate texts on a variety of topics using a variety of discourses; evaluate published translations; discuss, analyse and apply different translation theories and strategies; produce critically-annotated translations and an evaluation of a published translation.

Structure

1 two-hour lecture/seminar/practical per week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: Continuous assessment (60%) (4 assessed translations of an average of 500 words each, and 1 critical analysis of a published translation; each assignment counting equally); written examination (40%) (1 two-hour examination).

Resit: 1 extended translation exercise (40%), 1 two-hour written examination (60%).

Formative Assessment

All written assessment tasks are given extensive formative feedback, both on an individual and collective basis.

Feedback

All assignments receive CAS marks and narrative feedback, which the Course Guide links to specific marking criteria. Further opportunities for feedback for provided in office hours.

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr T Stack

Pre-requisites

Normally available only to students in Programme Year 3.

Notes

This course may NOT be included as part of a graduating curriculum with The Golden State: History, Culture and Politics of California B. This course will not be available in 2012/13.

Overview

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.

Structure

1 two-hour seminar per week (excluding reading week).

Assessment

1st Attempt: Two essays 2,000 words (40% each) and in-course assessment (20%) (consisting of 10% student-led discussion and 10% individual oral presentation).

Resit: Two essays 2,000 words (50% each).

Formative Assessment

The first written assignment has a formative as well as a summative role.

Feedback

The above assignments receive CAS marks, which the Course Guide links to specific marking criteria, and written or verbal feedback in the form of tutors' comments is also given. Additional informal feedback on performance and tutorial participation is offered in tutorials. Tutors have office hours at which further feedback may be sought.

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr T Stack

Pre-requisites

Normally available only to students in Programme Year 3.

Notes

The course may not be included as part of a graduating curriculum with SP 45YA : Key Topics in Modern Spanish Culture 2B.

Overview

This course involves study of selected key topics, debates and texts relevant to advanced study of modern Spanish culture. The course may have different thematic emphases from year to year, and may include study of literary texts, visual culture, essays, testimonials, and histories.

Structure

1 two-hour seminar per week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: Two essays 2,000 words (40% each); group presentation (10%); seminar assessment (10%).

Resit: Two essays 2,000 words (50% each).

Formative Assessment

The first written assignment has a formative as well as a summative role.

Feedback

The above assignments receive CAS marks, which the Course Guide links to specific marking criteria, and written or verbal feedback in the form of tutors' comments is also given. Additional informal feedback on performance and class participation is offered in tutorials. Tutors have office hours at which further feedback may be sought.

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

TBC

Pre-requisites

Normally available only to students in Programme Year 3.

Notes

The course may not be included as part of a graduating curriculum with SP 45ZA : Key Topics in Modern Latin American Culture 2B.

Overview

This course involves study of selected key topics, debates and texts relevant to advanced study of modern Latin American culture. The course may have different thematic emphases from year to year, and may include study of literary texts, visual culture, essays, testimonials, and histories.

Structure

1 two-hour seminar per week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: Two essays 2,000 words (40% each); group presentation (10%); seminar assessment (10%).

Resit: Two essays 2,000 words (50% each).

Formative Assessment

The first written assignment has a formative as well as a summative role.

Feedback

The above assignments receive CAS marks, which the Course Guide links to specific marking criteria, and written or verbal feedback in the form of tutors' comments is also given. Additional informal feedback on performance and class participation is offered in tutorials. Tutors have office hours at which further feedback may be sought.

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr T R Stack

Pre-requisites

Available only to students in Programme Year 4 or above.

Notes

This course may NOT be included as part of a graduating curriculum with SP 3088 (Citizenship in Latin America A). This course will not be available in 2012/13.

Overview

This course focuses on the principles and practices of citizenship across Latin America. It begins by considering different models of citizenship and then looks at the application of those models across diverse contexts in Latin America.

Structure

1 two-hour lecture/seminar per week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: Two essays (40% each) and in-course assessment (20%) (consisting of 10% student-led discussion and 10% individual oral presentation).

Resit: Two essays (50% each).

Formative Assessment

Feedback

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr N Arruti

Pre-requisites

240 credit points. Normally only available to students in Programme Year 4 or above.

Notes

This course may NOT be included as part of a graduating curriculum with SP 3096 (Basque Culture: Memory and Modernity A). This course will not be available in 2012/13.

Overview

This course reflects a current and growing interest in the autochthonous in an increasingly global environment. It aims to reflect the plurality of cultures and the conflict between peripheral politics and central government in the Spanish peninsula. It will analyse the various definitions of nationalism that have offered specific constructions of the Basque nation throughout history. Moreover, it will explore realities and myths surrounding Nationalist ideology. In order to teach this multifaced phenomenon, the approach will be an interdisciplinary one, building on historical, political and cultural discourses within the field.

Structure

1 two-hour lecture/seminar per week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: In-course assessment (100%): two essays.

Formative Assessment

Feedback

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr J Biggane

Pre-requisites

Spanish 6.

Notes

Only open to students in Senior Honours in Hispanic Studies.

Overview

Building on Spanish 6 this course is topic-based, and aims to enable students to identify and use, accurately and fluently, a further range of advanced lexical and syntactical features, and linguistic registers. Reading and writing skills are further honed though the exploitation of a wide variety of literary, journalistic and other Spanish and Latin-American texts. Aural and oral skills will be further developed through the linguistic exploitation of Spanish and Latin-American programmes and films, and other activities. Special attention will be paid to further advanced grammatical areas which are still likely to cause difficulty to students by focusing on advanced writing skills. The course curriculum reflects the emphasis placed on self-directed learning and private study at this level.

Structure

1 one-hour grammar class and 1 one-hour oral tutorial per week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: Continuous assessment; 4 in-class language exercises (25%); 2 three-hour written examinations (25% each);
oral examination (25%)

Resit: written examination (75%)and oral examination (25%)

Formative Assessment

Regular formative assessments of different aspects of written Spanish language. Continuous formative feedback on spoken Spanish.

Feedback

Written and /or verbal feedback is given on all assessments. Additional informal feedback on performance is also given in both grammar classes and oral classes.

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr N Arruti

Pre-requisites

Normally only available to students in Programme Year 4 or above.

Notes

This course may NOT be included as part of a graduating curriculum with SP 30AA (Basque Arts: The Conflict of Belonging A). This course will not be available in 2012/13.

Overview

This course focuses on Basque literature and visual arts from the 1898 period onwards. The course will study both traditions of writers writing in Spanish and those writing in Basque (for the purpose of this course read in Spanish). The Basque writing tradition in Spanish language will be studied from the critical framework of the “minor literature”; their problematic insertion into the Spanish canon will also be explored. The tensions between the local and global will also be studied in the visual media, from the interest in Basque art exclusively from the anthropological perspective to the current global spectacle created by the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao.

Structure

1 two-hour lecture/seminar per week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: In-course assessment (100%): two 2,500 word essays.

Formative Assessment

Feedback

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr T Stack

Pre-requisites

Normally available only to students in Programme Year 4.

Notes

This course may NOT be included as part of a graduating curriculum with Civil Society in Latin America A

Overview

"Civil society" is attributed with many momentous events of recent years, from the Velvet Revolution in Eastern Europe in the 1980s to the Arab Spring of 2011. Latin America is no exception. It is claimed that civil society was responsible for overthrowing authoritarian regimes in countries from Argentina and Chile to Mexico. Since the advent of competitive elections, civil society has shifted its meaning to refer to participation beyond the sphere of political parties. Organisations pushed for a society that was "civil" in that not everything was reduced to electoral competition. Meanwhile, government and international agencies claim to develop civil society in order to consolidate democratic regimes. The course will examine the idea of "civil society" in recent years, asking what it justifies, but will start by looking at the long history of the idea, starting in ancient Greece but passing through medieval and early modern Europe.

Structure

1 two-hour seminar per week (excluding reading week).

Assessment

1st Attempt: Two 2,000 word essays (40% each) and in-course assessment consisting of 10% student-led discussion and 10% individual oral presentation (20%).

Resit: Two 2,000 word essays (50% each).

Formative Assessment

The first written assignment has a formative as well as a summative role.

Feedback

The above assignments receive CAS marks, which the Course Guide links to specific marking criteria, and written or verbal feedback in the form of tutors' comments is also given. Additional informal feedback on performance and tutorial participation is offered in tutorials. Tutors have office hours at which further feedback may be sought.

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

TBC

Pre-requisites

Available only to students in Programme Year 4 or above or by permission of the Head of School.

Notes

This course will not be available in 2012/13. This course may not be included as part of a graduating curriculum with SP 30JB Contemporary Argentina: Film and Literature in Historical Context A.

Overview

This course introduces the student to a broad range of themes that help to make up contemporary Argentine culture. By studying a variety of literary and visual texts the course aims to help the student understand the complex nature of the various cross currents that make up the contemporary Argentine cultural and political scene. Among the themes covered are: Peronism, the legacy of Argentina's authoritarian past, current debates about human rights and commemorative strategies, the changing nature of gender roles and the construction of youth culture.

Structure

1 two-hour seminar per week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: Continuous assessment: essay 4,000 words (80%); presentation (10%); seminar participation (10%).

Resit: Essay (100%).

Formative Assessment

Feedback

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr N Arruti

Pre-requisites

Available only to students in Programme Year 4, or by permission of the Head of School.

Overview

The course will cover a range of genres: journalistic accounts of terror, diaries, fiction and hybrid genres in order to explore how literature can depict taboo topics in the most challenging fashion. The course will be divided into three sections: (i) Terror as the real (ii) The writer as terrorist (iii) Global terror. The course will include case studies from Argentina, Cuba, Central America, Spain and USA.

Structure

One two-hour lecture / seminar per week.

Assessment

1st attempt: Two x 2,500-word essays – 50% each.

Formative Assessment

Feedback

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

TBC

Pre-requisites

Available only to students in programme year 4 or above, or by permission of the Head of School.

Notes

This course may not be included as part of a graduating curriculum with SP 30MC: Literature and Films of the Civil War A. This course will not be available in session 2012/13.

Overview

The course will study some important novels, poems, and films that were made as the result of the social and historical impact the Civil War had on Spanish society. They are an essential part of Spanish contemporary culture.

Structure

1 two-hour seminar per week.

Assessment

1st attempt: Three take-home exams (90%) (30% each), class presentation (10%).

Resit: 1 two-hour written examination (100%).

Formative Assessment

Feedback

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr J Biggane

Pre-requisites

240 credit points (including SP 2525, SP 2526 or SP 2531).

Notes

Normally only available to students in Programme Year 4.

Overview

The Spanish Civil War was the defining event of twentieth-century Spanish history and a defining moment in European history. This course aims to provide students with an understanding of the origins of the conflict, its domestic and international dimensions, how various indviduals and groups within Spain understood the war and their role in it, cultural production and the war, the long-term consequences of the war, and historiographical debates about the war. The course will draw upon a wide range of materials including historical documents and studies, testimonies, film and literary texts.

Structure

1 two-hour lecture/seminar per week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: Continuous assessment (100%) 2 essays of 2,500 words each (40% each), seminar discussions (20%)
Seminar assessment consists of 10% presentation (outline of presentation is submitted by student) and 10% seminar assessment (based on attendance and participation).

Resit: 2 essays of 2,500 words each (80%); 1 oral presentation (20%).

Formative Assessment

All written assessment tasks are given extensive formative feedback, both on an individual and collective basis.

Feedback

All assignments receive CAS marks and narrative feedback, which the Course Guide links to specific marking criteria. Further opportunities for feedback for provided in office hours.

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr T Stack

Pre-requisites

Available only to students in Programme Year 4 or above or by permission of the Head of School

Notes

This course may not be included as part of a graduating curriculum with SP 30SC (The Rule of Law in Latin America A). This course will not be available in session 2011/12.

Overview

This course will address recent debates about the rule of law in Latin America. Politicians across the continent (and in other parts of the world) have been proclaiming the virtues of the “rule of law”. That is partly because international bodies such as the World Bank are making rule-of-law reforms a condition of financial aid. But what do politicians mean by the rule of law, are they putting it in to practice, and if so, with what consequences? For example, is the US supposed to be the model, and if so, does it live up to its ideals? Within Latin America, given the rhetoric about the rule of law, how can we explain the slow pace of judicial reform in the face of fast-paced electoral reform? Are governments themselves bound by the rule of law, or is it just for their citizens? And does the rule of law just serve the interests of political and economic elites? Or can it bring equality, and if so, what kind of equality? Is it enough to be equal before the law, or could the rule of law do better than that?

Structure

1 two-hour seminar per week.

Assessment

1st attempt: Two essays (40% each) and in-course assessment (20%) (consisting of 10% student-led discussion and 10% individual oral presentation).

Resit: Two essays (50% each).

Formative Assessment

Feedback

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

TBC

Pre-requisites

Normally available only to students in Programme Year 4.

Notes

The course may not be included as part of a graduating curriculum with SP 30YA : Key Topics in Modern Spanish Culture 1A.

Overview

This course involves study of selected key topics, debates and texts relevant to advanced study of modern Spanish culture. The course may have different thematic emphases from year to year, and may include study of literary texts, visual culture, essays, testimonials, and histories.

Structure

1 two-hour seminar per week (excluding reading week).

Assessment

1st Attempt: Two 2,000 word essays (40% each) and in-course assessment (20%) consisting of 10% student-led discussion and 10% individual oral presentation.

Resit: Two 2,000 word essays (50% each).

Formative Assessment

The first written assignment has a formative as well as a summative role.

Feedback

The above assignments receive CAS marks, which the Course Guide links to specific marking criteria, and written or verbal feedback in the form of tutors' comments is also given. Additional informal feedback on performance and class participation is offered in tutorials. Tutors have office hours at which further feedback may be sought.

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr T Stack

Pre-requisites

Normally available only to students in Programme Year 4.

Notes

The course may not be included as part of a graduating curriculum with SP30ZA : Key Topics in Modern Latin American Culture 1A.

Overview

This course involves study of selected key topics, debates and texts relevant to advanced study of modern Latin American culture. The course may have different thematic emphases from year to year, and may include study of literary texts, visual culture, essays, testimonials, and histories.

Structure

1 two-hour seminar per week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: Two 2,500-3,000 word essays (40% each); group presentation (10%); seminar assessment (10%).

Resit: Two 2,500-3,000 word essays (50% each).

Formative Assessment

The first written assignment has a formative as well as a summative role.

Feedback

The above assignments receive CAS marks, which the Course Guide links to specific marking criteria, and written or verbal feedback in the form of tutors' comments is also given. Additional informal feedback on performance and class participation is offered in tutorials. Tutors have office hours at which further feedback may be sought.

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr J Biggane

Pre-requisites

Research Methods in Hispanic Studies.

Overview

The dissertation is a piece of extended independent research (8,000-10,000 words long), structured as a critical evaluation, analysis or argument, about an aspect of Hispanic Studies. The topic is chosen by the student, in conjunction with the dissertation coordinator and an individual Departmental supervisor. It is a chance for students to carry out in-depth study in Hispanic Studies outside the course programme and to acquire and develop valuable research skills.

Structure

3 two-hour workshops in total and 1 one-hour individual tutorial with dissertation coordinator every second week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: An extended piece of independent research between 8,000 and 10,000 words.

Formative Assessment

Feedback on draft material - in individual tutorials.

Feedback

Feedback on essays will be in the form of written comments on work, utilizing a standard feedback sheet. Additionally students will be invited to make appointments to discuss their work with their tutor. Informal feedback will be provided in oral form.

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr N Arruti

Pre-requisites

Available only to students in Programme Year 4 or above or by permission of the Head of School.

Notes

This course may not be taken as part of a graduating curriculum with SP 35AA: Film & Visual Culture in Spain and Latin America A. This course will not be available in session 2012/13.

Overview

The first block of the course will engage in a theory-based, critical study of the broad Spanish film production of the twentieth-century. The second block of the course will study contemporary Latin-American cinema and photography in relation to the political. Materials studied within the course will include the following: film, painting, photography and architecture.

Structure

1 one-hour lectures and one-hour tutorial per week. Two-hour film screenings per week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: Two 3,000-word essays (50% each).

Two 3,000-word essays (50% each).

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

TBC

Pre-requisites

240 credit points (including SP 2525, SP 2526 or SP 2531).

Notes

Available only to students in Programme Year 3 and 4. This course will not be available in 2012/13.

Overview

The first block of the course will engage in a theory-based, critical study of the broad Spanish film production of the twentieth-century. The second block of the course will study contemporary Latin-American cinema and photography in relation to the political. Materials studied within the course will include the following: film, photography and architecture.

Structure

1 two-hour seminar per week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: Two essays (45% each); 2,500 words each for Level 3 and 3,000 words each for Level 4.
Oral presentation (10%); students will submit outline of presentation

Resit: Two essays (50% each): 2,000 words each for Level 3 and 2,500 words each for Level 4.

Formative Assessment

Formative Assessment and Feedback Information

The first written assignment has a formative as well as a summative role.

Feedback

The above assignments receive CAS marks, which the Course Guide links to specific marking criteria, and written or verbal feedback in the form of tutors' comments is also given. Additional informal feedback on performance and tutorial participation is offered in tutorials. Tutors have office hours at which further feedback may be sought.

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr J Biggane

Pre-requisites

Available only to students in programme year 4 or above of the Hispanic Studies honours programme or by permission of the Head of School.

Overview

This course extends and refines students' practical translation skills from English into Spanish. It will also enable students to think critically about linguistic and cultural issues associated with translation from English into Spanish at an advanced level. The course will use a mixture of lectures, seminars and practicals: students will translate texts on a variety of topics using a variety of discourses; evaluate published translations; discuss, analyse and apply different translation theories and strategies; produce critically-annotated translations and an evaluation of a published translation.

Structure

1 two-hour lecture/seminar/practical per week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: Continuous assessment, 4 assessed translations of an average of 500 words each, and 1 critical analysis of a published translation; each assignment counting equally (60%); 1 two-hour written examination (40%).

Resit: 1 extended translation exercise (40%), 1 two-hour written exam (60%).

Formative Assessment

All written assessment tasks are given extensive formative feedback, both on an individual and collective basis.

Feedback

All assignments receive CAS marks and narrative feedback, which the Course Guide links to specific marking criteria. Further opportunities for feedback for provided in office hours.

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr T Stack

Pre-requisites

Available only to students in Programme Year 4 or above or by permission of the Head of School.

Notes

This course may not be included as part of a graduating curriculum with SP 35SA (Politics in Mexico A). This course will not be available in 2012/13.

Overview

This course gives a broad introduction to the political system of modern Mexico from the early twentieth-century to the present day. It will focus on the rise and fall of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) and its system of government, but it will also consider the rise of the National Action Party (PAN), which finally won the Presidency in 2000, and of the left-wing Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD). Beyond party politics, the course will consider a range of other actors, including trade unions, the Church, artists and intellectuals, and sociol movement such as the Zapatistas.

Structure

1 two-hour seminar per week for eleven weeks.

Assessment

1st Attempt: Two essays (40% each) and in-course assessment (20%) (consisting of 10% student-led discussion and 10% individual oral presentation).

Resit: Two essays (50% each).

Formative Assessment

Feedback

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr T Stack

Pre-requisites

Normally available only to students in Programme Year 4.

Notes

This course may NOT be included as part of a graduating curriculum with The Golden State: History, Culture and Politics of California A. This course will not be available in 2012/13.

Overview

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.

Structure

1 two-hour seminar per week.

Assessment

1st attempt: Two 2,500-3,000 word essays (40% each) and in-course assessment (20%) (consisting of 10% student-led discussion and 10% individual oral presentation).

Resit: 2 essays, 2,500-3,000 words (50% each).

Formative Assessment

The first written assignment has a formative as well as a summative role.

Feedback

The above assignments receive CAS marks, which the Course Guide links to specific marking criteria, and written or verbal feedback in the form of tutors' comments is also given. Additional informal feedback on performance and tutorial participation is offered in tutorials. Tutors have office hours at which further feedback may be sought.

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

TBC

Pre-requisites

Normally available only to students in Programme Year 4.

Notes

The course may not be included as part of a graduating curriculum with SP 35YA : Key Topics in Modern Spanish Culture 2A.

Overview

This course involves study of selected key topics, debates and texts relevant to advanced study of modern Spanish culture. The course may have different thematic emphases from year to year, and may include study of literary texts, visual culture, essays, testimonials, and histories.

Structure

1 two-hour seminar per week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 2 essays, 2,500-3,000 words (40% each); group presentation (10%); seminar assessment (10%).

Resit: 2 essays 2,500-3,000 words (50% each).

Formative Assessment

The first written assignment has a formative as well as a summative role.

Feedback

The above assignments receive CAS marks, which the Course Guide links to specific marking criteria, and written or verbal feedback in the form of tutors' comments is also given. Additional informal feedback on performance and class participation is offered in tutorials. Tutors have office hours at which further feedback may be sought.

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr T. Stack

Pre-requisites

Normally available only to students in Programme Year 4.

Notes

The course may not be included as part of a graduating curriculum with SP35ZA : Key Topics in Modern Latin American Culture 2A.

Overview

This course involves study of selected key topics, debates and texts relevant to advanced study of modern Latin American culture. The course may have different thematic emphases from year to year, and may include study of literary texts, visual culture, essays, testimonials, and histories.

Structure

1 two-hour seminar per week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: Two 2500-3000 word essays (40% each); group presentation (10%); seminar assessment (10%)

Resit: Two essays 2500-3000 words (50% each)

Formative Assessment

The first written assignment has a formative as well as a summative role.

Feedback

The above assignments receive CAS marks, which the Course Guide links to specific marking criteria, and written or verbal feedback in the form of tutors' comments is also given. Additional informal feedback on performance and class participation is offered in tutorials. Tutors have office hours at which further feedback may be sought.