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Course & Unit Catalogues


PL12009: Politics and culture of Spain

[Page last updated: 04 June 2024]

Academic Year: 2023/24
Owning Department/School: Department of Politics, Languages and International Studies
Credits: 10 [equivalent to 20 CATS credits]
Notional Study Hours: 200
Level: Certificate (FHEQ level 4)
Period:
Academic Year
Assessment Summary: CWES 45%, CWVG 10%, EXCB 45%
Assessment Detail:
  • Essay (CWES 45%)
  • Group Presentation (CWVG 10%)
  • Closed-book written examination (EXCB 45%)
Supplementary Assessment:
Like-for-like reassessment (where allowed by programme regulations)
Requisites:
Learning Outcomes: After successfully completing this, unit students will be able to:
* evaluate and analyse the main historical events and developments in Spain from 1898 to the present;
* show understanding of and be able to analyse key aspects of Spanish politics, society and culture;
* analyse events and developments from different perspectives and be able to challenge established ways of thinking;
* demonstrate the acquisition of key transferable skills in reading, listening and writing in Spanish;
* be able to synthesise knowledge gained from lectures and readings;
* seek and make positive use of feedback.


Synopsis: Explore Spanish history, politics, society and culture from the loss of Spain's last major colonies in 1898 to the present day. You will analyse key political, social and cultural developments from different perspectives and through the study of academic and literary texts and films, as well as lectures and in-class discussion.

Content: In the unit we will analyse key political, social and cultural trends and developments from 1898 to the present day. These may include the Second Republic and the Civil War (1931-39), the dictatorship of Franco, the transition to democracy, changes in issues of identity, memory and gender and Spain's recent political development including issues such as corruption, immigration and the impact on Spanish society of the international economic crisis since 2008. Students will be challenged to look at different perspectives and ways of seeing and use may be made of academic and literary texts, as well as film to facilitate greater understanding of these issues.

Course availability:

PL12009 is Compulsory on the following courses:

Department of Politics, Languages and International Studies
  • UHPL-AKB69 : BA(Hons) International Politics and Modern Languages (Spanish) with year abroad (Year 1)
  • UHPL-AKB56 : BA(Hons) Modern Languages (French & Spanish) with year abroad (Year 1)
  • UHPL-AKB60 : BA(Hons) Modern Languages (German & Spanish) with year abroad (Year 1)
  • UHPL-AKB56 : BA(Hons) Modern Languages (Spanish & ab initio French) with year abroad (Year 1)
  • UHPL-AKB60 : BA(Hons) Modern Languages (Spanish & ab initio German) with year abroad (Year 1)
  • UHPL-AKB65 : BA(Hons) Modern Languages (Spanish & ab initio Italian) with year abroad (Year 1)
  • UHPL-AKB66 : BA(Hons) Modern Languages (Spanish & ab initio Mandarin) with year abroad (Year 1)
  • UHPL-AKB64 : BA(Hons) Modern Languages (Spanish & ab initio Russian) with year abroad (Year 1)
  • UHPL-AKB52 : BSc(Hons) International Management and Modern Languages (Spanish) with year abroad (Year 1)

Notes:

  • This unit catalogue is applicable for the 2023/24 academic year only. Students continuing their studies into 2024/25 and beyond should not assume that this unit will be available in future years in the format displayed here for 2023/24.
  • Courses and units are subject to change in accordance with normal University procedures.
  • Availability of units will be subject to constraints such as staff availability, minimum and maximum group sizes, and timetabling factors as well as a student's ability to meet any pre-requisite rules.
  • Find out more about these and other important University terms and conditions here.