Module SPAN2181: INTRODUCTION TO HISPANIC LITERATURE AND CULTURE (ab initio)

Department: Modern Languages and Cultures (Spanish)

SPAN2181: INTRODUCTION TO HISPANIC LITERATURE AND CULTURE (ab initio)

Prerequisites

• Grade A or above at A level in a foreign European language, or an equivalent qualification

Corequisites

• Modern European Languages, Combined Honours and all Joint and 'with' programmes: Spanish Language 1B (SPAN1072). Other: see Chairman/Chairwoman of the Board of Studies in MLAC or his/her representative.

Excluded Combination of Modules

• Spanish Language 1A (SPAN1011)

Aims

• To offer Spanish beginners a fast-track introduction to literary and cultural studies (broadly interpreted) in Spain and Latin America.
• To offer ab initio students the opportunity to engage effectively with key cultural issues in the Hispanic world from the Middle Ages to the present.
• To provide an introduction to theoretical analysis and the methodology and practice of research, with emphasis on the acquisition and utilization of theory, critical terminology, and essential research skills.
• To provide a crucial point of departure in the acquisition of critical modes of enquiry for students hoping to engage at a higher intellectual level with literary and cultural foci studied at levels II, III, and in the final-year Dissertation.

Content

• The module focuses on the literary and cultural production (broadly interpreted) of Spain and Latin America through the analysis of representative sample outputs.
• Areas covered will vary from year to year, but will normally include the analysis of traditional forms of literature (such as poetry, theatre, and prose) as well as film and other visual forms such as painting and photography.
• The module is divided structurally into equal parts focusing respectively on Spain and Latin America in order to offer a broad and balanced introduction to literary and cultural research in the Hispanic world, past and present.
• The module is designed specifically for ab initio students of Spanish, and increases progressively with its engagement with samples of production in the target language.

Learning Outcomes

• By the end of the module students will have received a firm grounding in the literature and culture of the Spanish-speaking world from the Middle Ages to the contemporary period and will be able to engage critically with a range of theoretical and methodological approaches to analysis.

• By the end of the module students will have gained confidence in dealing with samples of cultural production in the target language.
• They will have gained the ability to evaluate critically and contextualize samples of Spanish and Latin American literary and cultural production.
• They will have enhanced their powers of comprehension and critical analysis, and will be able to articulate theoretically-informed approaches to analysis orally and in writing; they will demonstrate the ability to combine organized independent study with effective group work.

• Students will gain the ability to work independently and display conceptual and theoretical ingenuity.
• They will be able to engage with primary sources and evaluate them with reference to broader theoretical ideas.
• They will gain skills in the acquisition and interpretation of information through reading and research, as well as in general written and oral communication skills.
• The will gain the ability to work independently in order to complete module projects to a deadline, providing research-led interpretations and solutions to questions and problems posed by the module topics and in-class discussions.

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

• A weekly lecture will deliver key information on the module; a fortnightly seminar with smaller groups will allow for active discussion.
• The first summative essay is based on topics covered during the Michaelmas Term; the second summative essay covers the work carried out in the Epiphany and Summer Terms.
• This assessment format responds to the need for students to articulate and structure their thoughts in writing as preparation for the final-year dissertation.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Summative Assessment

Formative Assessment:

None

■ 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