| Unit name | Women's Writing in Post-War Spain |
|---|---|
| Unit code | HISP21309 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | I/5 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12) |
| Unit director | Dr. Wells |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you may not take alongside this one |
None |
| School/department | Department of Hispanic, Portuguese and Latin American Studies |
| Faculty | Faculty of Arts |
Why is this unit important?
This unit will introduce you to some of the most important post-war women writers in Spain. You will study several short stories and three novels. Most of these will be in Spanish, which will support your language learning during your second year. You will be able to see how the writers you are studying challenge the prescriptive gender ideology of the Franco regime and the legacy of this ideology during the early years of Spain’s transition to democracy. This will equip you with important tools to reflect on how gender ideology has been constructed and deconstructed during the mid to late twentieth century and how this continues to be a dynamic and evolving process. This unit will also enable you to enhance your writing skills through essays; your research skills through essay and presentation preparation.
How does this unit fit into your programme of study?
This unit follows on from your compulsory year 1 units that cover late twentieth-century culture and society as part of the core components. This unit also complements other literary units as it enhances your reading and writing skills as well as engaging with broader theories related to gender, culture, ideology and concepts of identity.
Overview of content
This unit provides students with an introduction to several of Spain's most important post-war women writers. Students will explore the social, political and cultural background to the period under discussion and, through a close reading of each set text, they will examine the key themes that each writer explores in her fiction. These themes include the relationship between space and women’s freedom, women’s sexuality and psychologies as well as male mental health and the representation of women and men’s emotions.
How will students, personally, be different as a result of the unit?
Students will be introduced to a wide range of reading on this unit, much of it linked to gender-related themes, as well as a broad, psychologically informed method of teaching. Together, this leads students to greater self-reflection, personal inquiry and curiosity about their own psyches, emotional health and modes of inter-acting with others in the world.
Learning outcomes
On successfully completing this unit, students will be able to:
1. Demonstrate knowledge of post-war Spanish women writers and their engagement with cultural and political history to support your analysis of textual material.
2. Formulate sophisticated comparative written and oral arguments about women writers in Spain from the 1940s to 1980s.
3. Analyse and evaluate primary and secondary sources and to draw upon these in preparation for written and oral tasks.
4. Engage with concepts and theories on gender identity and its construction and deconstruction under dictatorship conditions.
Students will learn through weekly lectures and seminars. The seminars are largely student led and are structured around a 20-minute student presentation, followed up a student-led Q and A. The student-led focus of the seminars allows for independent learning and are based on the students posing questions to the group. One of the tasks of the presentations is to prepare a series of questions for the entire group. This leads to an inter-active discussion that involves all students.
Tasks which help you learn and prepare you for summative tasks (formative):
Students are required to complete a formative group presentation which is used as preparation for one of the essays and allows students to delve into the topic in greater depth and prepare them for essay writing through enhancing their research skills.
Tasks which contribute to your unit mark (summative):
The unit will be assessed by 2 coursework essays.
Essay 1, 2000 words (50%) [ILOs 1-4]
Essay 2, 2000 words (50%) [ILOs 1-4]
When assessment does not go to plan
When required by the Board of Examiners, you will normally complete reassessments in the same formats as those outlined above. However, the Board reserves the right to modify the form or number of reassessments required. Details of reassessments are normally confirmed by the School shortly after the notification of your results at the end of the academic year.
If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.
If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. HISP21309).
How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours
of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks,
independent learning and assessment activity.
See the University Workload statement relating to this unit for more information.
Assessment
The assessment methods listed in this unit specification are designed to enable students to demonstrate the named learning outcomes (LOs). Where a disability prevents a student from undertaking a specific method of assessment, schools will make reasonable adjustments to support a student to demonstrate the LO by an alternative method or with additional resources.
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit.
The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. For appropriate assessments, if you have self-certificated your absence, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (for assessments at the end of TB1 and TB2 this is usually in the next re-assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any exceptional circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
