| Unit name | Rewriting Spain: Literature, culture, and identity (1850-present) |
|---|---|
| Unit code | HISP20127 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | I/5 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12) |
| Unit director | Dr. Garcia Lopez |
| 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 will introduce you to novels, short stories, plays and poems that have significantly shaped the literatures and cultures of Spain since the nineteenth century. Through the study of these literary texts you will gain a deeper understanding of cultural issues such as the Spanish Civil War and Franco dictatorship, regional nationalisms, colonialism, ecocriticism, migration, and contemporary afro-Iberian and queer identities. You will develop skills in literary criticism as well as the ability to respond personally and creatively to texts, ultimately selecting and justifying your own ‘canon’ of Spanish literature in the final assessment.
How does this unit fit into your programme of study?
This unit builds upon material introduced in The Making of the Hispanic World and Critical Concepts in the Study of the Hispanic World in year 1. We will take a decolonised approach to the study of literature, reflecting critically on what that means over the course of the unit. A key focus is the development of language skills by reading original texts in Spanish. However, each seminar is organised around a theme that will deepen your understanding of the literatures and cultures of Spain while also enabling you to draw intercultural and transnational connections. You will learn the practice of close literary criticism and how to integrate innovative, interdisciplinary, approaches to the study of culture through literature and art in your own interpretation of texts. You will develop independent research skills that you will need for final-year units and potential graduate study in the future.
An overview of content
You will read a variety of texts including short fiction, novels, plays and poetry by authors such as Emilia Pardo Bazán, Rosalía de Castro, Federico García Lorca, Ramón J Sender, Camilo José Cela, Carmen Martín Gaite, and Lucía Mbomío. Themes studied will include masculinity, colonialism, queer identities, ecocriticism and avant-garde literary movements in Spain.
How will students, personally, be different as a result of the unit?
You will develop essential literary analytical skills, and will be able to draw parallels between different national and cultural contexts. You will develop strong collaborative working skills through formative and summative assessments, and will explore how to adapt your oral and written expression to suit different formats and outlets. You will be required to describe, criticise, and respond creatively to novels, poetry, theatre and short stories in Spanish and locate them within broader trends in world literature such as realism, modernism, queer literature or ecocriticism. You will gain an appreciation of different cultures within Spain and an awareness of some of the ethical issues explored in the literatures of the Iberian Peninsula, particular in terms of de-colonising the literary canon. You will be equipped to conduct independent research and build your own extended research bibliographies based on the materials presented in the unit
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 tutors 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, in particular the development of collaborative skills and the ability to respond creatively to literary texts.
Tasks which help you learn and prepare you for summative tasks (formative):
Short commentaries on literary texts, to be discussed in class for verbal feedback from tutor. In-class group presentations with verbal feedback from tutor.
Tasks which count towards your unit mark (summative):
Literary commentary, 1,500 words, written in class (50%) [ILOs 1-3]
Group literary anthology with short explanation for including each text, 2500 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. HISP20127).
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.
