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2014/15 Undergraduate Module Catalogue
SPPO3660 Thinking Spain: Sociocultural Issues since the 1898 Crisis to the Present
20 creditsClass Size: 50
Module manager: Dr Javier Lopez-Alos
Email: slljl@leeds.ac.uk
Taught: Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun) View Timetable
Year running 2014/15
Pre-requisite qualifications
Successful completion of SPPO2010 or SPPO2011 (or possession of equivalent level of Spanish)This module is approved as a discovery module
Module summary
This module examines the most critical debates of the intellectual life in contemporary culture-Spain through its main movements, figures and works. Through close readings and critical discussion of works by relevant Spanish thinkers, students will study these topics in different genres that include arts, cinema, narrative and essay. Particular attention will be paid to the way in which these matters are related to the historical, social and political context, comparing, if necessary, other international cases.Objectives
On completion of this module, students should:1. Possess a wide-ranging knowledge of the most influential authors and works within intellectual discussions about Spain, their different forms (press, academia, cultural production) and their different strategies (elite-popular, bourgeois-revolutionary, propaganda-censorship) in accordance with changing historical contexts.
2. Possess a thorough understanding of the theoretical and critical debates in contemporary Spanish culture: literature, history, art, politics, society, intellectual life, since the 1898 crisis to the present day.
3. Demonstrate a critical understanding of the historical evolution of these issues, their continuities, changes and innovatory nature.
4. Be able to use diverse methodological frameworks and theoretical concepts in the analysis of the proposed topics.
5. Be acquainted with the most recent academic research in the areas listed above.
6. Display a high degree of aptitude and confidence in order to work in the preparation and oral presentation of a topic as part of a group.
7. Demonstrate an advanced capacity for independent critical thought and the skills necessary to exercise this in sustained debate, specifically as regards national-cultural identity, the modernity-tradition dialectic, historical memory and European integration.
8. Be able to produce sophisticated and well-organised essays, using knowledge acquired in class and through independent reading, and addressing issues with reference to their specific historical and discursive contexts.
Learning outcomes
Knowledge of sociocultural debates in contemporary Spain includes: the timescale on which this has happened; the principal issues and characters of Spanish cultural discussion; relevant works where these are discussed or represented; the question of Spanish national identity; the literary expression of Spanish thought; the international dimension of these topics; intellectual life in Spain and its relationship with institutions; and the political and institutional impact.
The theoretical terms about which students will learn include 'crisis' (Unamuno), 'Hispanidad' (Ramiro de Maeztu), 'elite and masses' (Ortega y Gasset).
Skills outcomes
Tackling linguistically demanding audio-visual and printed texts in Spanish.
Giving a presentation in Spanish that analyses in detail how a specific facet of discussion of ideas is reflected in contemporary culture in Spain.
Submitting a write-up in academic Spanish of the above presentation.
Syllabus
Week 1: Thinking Spain and Thinking in Spain. Is there a Spanish style of thought?
Week 2: The 1898 crisis, the role of the intellectuals and the question of Spain's being.
Week 3: Spanish cultural myths in the Contemporary Age: Santiago the Moor Slayer, el Cid, la Celestina, Quixote, Don Juan.
Week 4: Spain and the world: the relationship with Spanish America and Europe.
Week 5: Tradition and modernity in Spain. Debates on education in Spain.
Weeks 6-8: Culture and (internal and external) exile during the Francoism.
Weeks 9-10: A second Transition to Democracy? The current Spanish crisis and its reflections in the intellectual debates and cultural production.
Teaching methods
| Delivery type | Number | Length hours | Student hours |
| Lecture | 10 | 1.00 | 10.00 |
| Seminar | 10 | 1.00 | 10.00 |
| Private study hours | 180.00 | ||
| Total Contact hours | 20.00 | ||
| Total hours (100hr per 10 credits) | 200.00 | ||
Private study
2 hours preparation for each lecture = 20 hours4 hours preparation for each seminar = 40 hours
Preparation for and writing-up of oral presentation (10-minute presentation; 1000-word write-up) = 35 hours
Preparation for literature review = 20 hours
Preparation for 3000-word essay = 65 hours
Opportunities for Formative Feedback
- Oral presentation in Spanish (20 minutes) = 10%- Write-up of oral presentation in Spanish (1000 words) = 20%
- Literature and book review (1000 words) = 20%
- Essay (2500 words) = 50%
Methods of assessment
Coursework
| Assessment type | Notes | % of formal assessment |
| Essay | 2500 word essay | 50.00 |
| Oral Presentation | Oral Presentation | 10.00 |
| Assignment | Presentation Write Up | 20.00 |
| Report | Literature and Book Review | 20.00 |
| Total percentage (Assessment Coursework) | 100.00 | |
Normally resits will be assessed by the same methodology as the first attempt, unless otherwise stated
Reading list
The reading list is available from the Library websiteLast updated: 25/03/2015
Browse Other Catalogues
- Undergraduate module catalogue
- Taught Postgraduate module catalogue
- Undergraduate programme catalogue
- Taught Postgraduate programme catalogue
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