2019/20 Undergraduate Module Catalogue

SPPO2430 Modern Spanish-American Literature

20 creditsClass Size: 30

Module manager: Roberto Rodriguez-Saona
Email: R.Rodriguez@leeds.ac.uk

Taught: Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun) View Timetable

Year running 2019/20

Pre-requisite qualifications

Successful completion of SPPO1010 Practical Language Skills in Spanish 1 or equivalent.

Pre-requisites

SPPO1010

Pract Lang Skills in Spanish 1

This module is mutually exclusive with

SPPO2431

Modern Spanish-American Lit

This module is not approved as a discovery module

Module summary

The aim of this module is to deepen students' knowledge of some of the most important works of twentieth-century Spanish-American literature and to provide students with a contextual, thematic and stylistic analysis of these representative texts in relation to key cultural issues. On completion of this module students should be able to discuss coherently and knowledgeably a selection of the major literary texts written by Spanish-American authors in the twentieth century. They should also be able to demonstrate their ability to judge critically and ethically a given selection of literary texts through a piece of writing in Spanish intended to make the case for their choice of winning entry in a 'literary competition'.

Objectives

The aim of this module is to deepen students' knowledge of some of the most important works of twentieth-century Spanish-American literature and to provide students with a contextual, thematic and stylistic analysis of these representative texts in relation to key cultural issues. It is intended to develop and refine perspectives on Spanish-American literature introduced at level 1: in particular, it aims to focus on a wide range of texts (poetry, novels and short stories) from modern classics to less well-known works, generally of a higher level of linguistic and thematic difficulty than those studied at level 1. It aims to prepare students to undertake literary analysis on Latin American topics at level 3 with a greater degree of personal autonomy. It also seeks to encourage students to consider the role of the arts in contemporary culture.

Learning outcomes
On completion of this module students should be able to discuss coherently and knowledgeably a selection of the major literary texts written by Spanish-American authors in the twentieth century. They should also be able to demonstrate their ability to judge critically and ethically a given selection of literary texts through a piece of writing in Spanish intended to make the case for their choice of winning entry in a 'literary competition'.

Skills outcomes
Students are expected to consolidate the traditional cognitive and practical skills acquired in Level 1 and, in addition, to:
1. demonstrate an awareness of conflicting perspectives and debates where they exist.
2. discuss and criticise issues and problems.
3. summarize cogently the thesis/argument in an article or book.
4. provide evidence of a range of reading beyond the book list ('reading around the topic').
5. demonstrate the ability to engage with and interpret layers of meaning within texts, as appropriate.

Students are also expected to demonstrate the following transferable skills:
1. the ability to respond effectively to criticism/feedback.
2. the ability to articulate their own values and apply these.
3. the ability to write persuasively in Spanish in a real-life context.

Syllabus

This module will consider a number of major literary texts from Spanish America dating from 1900 to the present day, written in both verse and prose. Semester 1 will focus on traditional, in-depth literary analysis of a limited number of texts through lectures and seminars, with workshops in Spanish designed to give extra support for particular linguistic aspects of the works in question. Semester 2 will focus on the organisation of a literary competition. A greater number of texts than those studied in semester 1 will be presented to students through lectures. Workshops in Spanish will provide a forum through which students will be able to define the criteria for judging literary value in the competition and assess the texts individually before organising a final debate to decide the winning entry.

Teaching methods

Delivery type	Number	Length hours	Student hours
Workshop	12	1.00	12.00
Lecture	14	1.00	14.00
Seminar	4	1.00	4.00
Private study hours			170.00
Total Contact hours			30.00
Total hours (100hr per 10 credits)			200.00

Private study

Reading course materials/preparation for seminars - 90 hrs
Preparation for essay (January) - 40 hours
Preparation of second draft of essay and commentary (March) - 20 hrs
Preparation of piece of writing (defence of winning entry) in Spanish (May) - 20 hours

Opportunities for Formative Feedback

Seminar/language workshop participation throughout the module - informal monitoring of student progress.
First essay is formative in nature (though assessed) - students have the chance to respond to criticism received on this work as the focus for the second assessment.

Methods of assessment

Coursework

Assessment type	Notes	% of formal assessment
Essay	2,500 words	50.00
Essay	2,500 words second draft of essay plus 500 word commentary to indicate how feedback on first essay has been addressed	20.00
Assignment	1,250 word piece of writing in Spanish - a defense of the student's choice of winning entry in a fictitious literary competition	30.00
Total percentage (Assessment Coursework)		100.00

Second draft of essay should be a redraft of the first essay (rather than a new essay altogether) and it should provide clear evidence (both in the text itself) and in the accompanying commentary with regard to how the feedback on the first essay has been addressed. The criteria for grading the second draft will focus explicitly on the response to feedback rather than on the quality of the essay per se. Where students fail both the essay and the second draft they will be given a single piece of work to complete as their resit rather than follow the sequential pattern of the 2 assignments as undertaken during the module itself. This piece of work will be worth 70% of the overall grade.

Reading list

The reading list is available from the Library website

Last updated: 30/04/2019

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