| Unit name | The Afterlives of Empire in Spanish Written and Visual Cultures |
|---|---|
| Unit code | HISP30109 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | H/6 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24) |
| Unit director | Dr. Bolorinos Allard |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units) |
N/A |
| Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units) |
N/A |
| Units you may not take alongside this one |
N/A |
| School/department | Department of Hispanic, Portuguese and Latin American Studies |
| Faculty | Faculty of Arts |
Why is this unit important?
This unit explores how the end of the Spanish American empire in 1898 and the Spanish colonisation of Morocco in the early twentieth century have profoundly shaped Spain as a nation. It traces how the colonial past, in what we will call its ‘afterlives’, continues to impact the relationship between diverse cultures within the Iberian Peninsula today. In this unit you will have the opportunity to study a rich variety of cultural material, from novels and plays to political and philosophical essays, as well as visual objects such as public monuments, paintings, and photography. We will cover key topics such as Spain’s historical and present relationship with Muslim and Jewish cultures and the current politics of memory of the Spanish colonisation of the Americas.
How does this unit fit into your programme of study?
The unit builds upon first- and second-year cultural units that adopt a decolonial and postcolonial approach to Spanish literature and visual culture, like The Making of the Hispanic World (Y1), Critical Concepts in the Study of the Hispanic World (Y1), Rewriting Spain: Literature, Culture and Identity (1850-present) (Y2) and Iberian and Latin American Cinema and Visual Culture (Y2). It complements other optional units in final year such as The Theatre of Federico García Lorca and The Novels of Carmen Laforet.
An overview of content
In this unit we will cover a rich variety of cultural material, including paintings and sculptures by key artists at the end of the nineteenth century, photography from Spain’s colonial wars in Morocco, essays by María Zambrano, Miguel de Unamuno and Joan Maragall, and visual propaganda produced by both sides in the Spanish Civil War. We will also read novels by key 20th and 21st century Afro-Iberian writers such as Juan Goytisolo, Najat el Hachmi, Laila Karrouch, and Donato Ndongo-Bidyogo.
How will students, personally, be different as a result of the unit?
You will develop advanced skills in literary, visual, and cultural analysis that will give you an in-depth understanding of the diverse cultures within Spain. You will also have the opportunity to reflect on questions about heritage, identity, and the legacies of empire, drawing on your own autobiographies as well as the texts and images studied in the unit. The assessments (a group podcast and a video essay) will allow you the opportunity to cultivate transferable skills in independent research and collaboration and to use digital and visual media to develop these skills, adapting your oral and written expression to suit different formats and outlets in the digital humanities.
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this unit students will be able to:
Teaching will be delivered through weekly two-hour seminars featuring interactive and student-led learning approaches. Seminars will include short mini-lectures by tutor followed by group discussion and student presentations. There will also be asynchronous material for students to engage with independently and dedicated assessment preparation workshops. These activities are tailored to the unit learning outcomes.
Tasks which help you learn and prepare you for summative tasks (formative):
Group presentations in class in preparation for podcast, visual journalling exercise, submission of video essay proposal for feedback (0%, not required for credit)
Tasks which count towards your unit mark (summative):
Group podcast, 15 minutes (50%) [ILOs 1-5]
Video essay, 20 minutes (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. HISP30109).
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.
