Module SPAN3151: SEX AND SOCIETY IN SPANISH LITERATURE TO 1700

Department: MODERN LANGUAGES AND CULTURES (SPANISH)

SPAN3151: SEX AND SOCIETY IN SPANISH LITERATURE TO 1700

Prerequisites

• Spanish Language 2A (SPAN2011) OR Spanish Language 2A and Year Abroad (SPAN2131) OR Spanish Language 2B (SPAN2111) OR Spanish Language 2B and Year Abroad (SPAN2121), OR an equivlent qualification to the satisfaction of the Chairman/Chairwoman of the Board of Studies in MLAC or his/her representative.

Corequisites

• Modern European Languages, Combined Honours and all Joint and 'with' programmes: Spanish Language 4 (SPAN3011). Other: see Chairman/Chairwoman of the Board of Studies in MLAC or his/her representative.

Excluded Combination of Modules

• None.

Aims

• This module will involve the study of selected texts written before 1700 that deal with the subject of sex and its relationship to society.

Content

• This module involves the study of texts composed in Spain before 1700 that deal with sex and its relationship to society.

Learning Outcomes

• The module aims to provide students with a firm grasp of the development of attitudes towards sex (both learned and popular) expressed in Spain during this period. Emphasis will be placed on sexual codes of conduct, the difficulties involved in accepting them, and the conflicts that arose when they were broken. Attention will also be paid to taboo subjects (infidelity, impotence, promiscuity, prostitution, castration, sexual climax, incest, and so on) as well as specific literary traditions, such as courtly love. By the end of the module students will have learned to appreciate the historical, intellectual, and cultural background that shapes literary production and to offer interpretations of the ways in which texts deal with the relationship between sex and society.

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

• Students will be required to attend both lectures and seminars and to research, plan and present seminars of their own.
• They will be required to work individually as well as in groups, and also to make use of IT services when writing essays and as they work through the www resources that will be provided in order to accompany this module.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Summative Assessment

Formative Assessment:

2 essays.

■ Attendance at all activities marked with this symbol will be monitored. Students who fail to attend these activities, or to complete the summative or formative assessment specified above, will be subject to the procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be required to leave the University