SPAN2171: LOVE AND DEATH IN SPANISH TEXTS

• Spanish Language 1A (SPAN 1011) OR Spanish Language 1B (SPAN 1072) OR an equivalent qualification to the satisfaction of the Chairman/Chairwoman of the Board of Studies in MLAC or or his/her representative.

• Modern Languages & Cultures, Liberal Arts/Combined Honours and all Joint and 'with' programmes: Spanish Language 2A (SPAN2011) or Spanish Language 2B (SPAN2111) Other: see Chairman/Chairwoman of the Board of Studies in MLAC or his/her representative.

• Spanish Language 4 (SPAN3011)

• To offer students a panoramic overview of approaches to love and death (broadly interpreted) in texts produced in Spain from the Middle Ages to the present.
• To offer an understanding of how representations of love and death are interrelated in a variety of media from literature through to film and visual culture.
• To provide a series of approaches 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.
• The module will be taught in English and will be available to students taking either second-year beginners or second-year post A-level Spanish.

• The module focuses on the literary, filmic, artistic, and cultural production (broadly interpreted) of Spain through the analysis of representative sample outputs dealing with love and death.
• Areas and topics 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 aims to provide students with a broad overview of approaches to love and death, past and present, and will equip students with the skills necessary to undertake research-led activities at final-year level.

Subject-specific Knowledge:

• By the end of the module students will have received a detailed overview of Spanish approaches to love and death 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.

Subject-specific Skills:

• By the end of the module students will have gained the ability to evaluate critically and contextualize samples of Spanish 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.

Key Skills:

• 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.
• They will gain the ability to work independently in order to complete module projects to a deadline, providing research-led interpretations and solution of questions and problems posed by the module topics and in-class discussions.

• 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.

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