2021/22 Undergraduate Module Catalogue
SPPO1410 Researching Spanish and Latin American Studies
20 creditsClass Size: 25
Module manager: Professor Thea Pitman
Email: t.pitman@leeds.ac.uk
Taught: Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun) View Timetable
Year running 2021/22
Pre-requisite qualifications
NoneThis module is mutually exclusive with
SPPO1420 | Researching Spanish and Latin American Studies |
Module replaces
SPPO1060SPPO1220 Introduction to Hispanic StudiesThis module is not approved as a discovery module
Module summary
This module will equip you with the skills and knowledge necessary to successfully carry out a research project on a topic of your choice in the medium of English, working collaboratively with peers and in close contact with lecturers. You will attend lectures on themes central to the disciplines of Spanish, Portuguese and Latin American studies, connected to those taught in the optional modules for Single Honours students. You will be exposed to key texts in large group seminars, and will receive support in formulating and expressing your opinions on these in specialist language workshops. In small group seminars, you will prepare for the final project by undertaking a staggered series of the various tasks involved in the process of research, with in-class feedback on each.Objectives
This module aims to:1. introduce students to key approaches, themes and developments in Spanish, Portuguese and Latin American Studies, embedded in the research context of the University of Leeds
2. encourage students to conceive of Spanish, Portuguese and Latin American Studies as an interdisciplinary field of study that includes literature, culture, history, politics and society
3. engage students with scholarship and to develop a good general understanding of key principles in academic research
4. encourage students to utilise the research tools available at the University of Leeds (e.g. Special Collections, Skills@Leeds)
5. develop students’ skills to engage with and analyse scholarship and analyse and discuss a wide range of primary materials, such as film, literature, media, political rhetoric, historical sources
6. develop the ability to craft own arguments and use evidence to support them, to work independently and collaboratively with peers.
Learning outcomes
On completion of this module, students should be able to:
1. demonstrate an understanding of key approaches, concepts and themes in Spanish, Portuguese and Latin American Studies
2. identify and critique the main arguments of a range of scholarly publications drawn from the discipline of Spanish and Hispanic American Studies
3. locate primary and secondary materials in libraries and online, and use the MHRA and Harvard referencing styles correctly
4. reflect effectively on the feedback provided on the various stages of the course in order to produce a research output that is rigorously researched and appropriately structured
5. analyse a range of primary materials in the target language, with the support of texts in translation, such as literature, film, media, political rhetoric, historical sources, and use them critically as evidence to support own arguments
6. present complex ideas in written and spoken forms of English.
Skills outcomes
In addition to generic academic skills, the projects that students produce over the course of the module will enable them to explore in detail issues specific to Spanish and Hispanic American topics covered in History or Culture modules at Level 1, and will prepare them for the Final Year Project at Level 3.
Syllabus
Elements taught on this module will typically include lectures, large-group seminars, academic skills sessions, language workshops and a group research project. The module will be taught through a set of units that centre around key concepts and themes in Spanish, Portuguese and Latin American Studies. These will vary from year to year. These might include:
Nationalism and Fall of Empire
Authoritarian Rule and Resistance
Urban Development and Decline
Contested/Conflictive Territories
Teaching methods
Delivery type | Number | Length hours | Student hours |
Workshop | 4 | 1.00 | 4.00 |
Lectures | 5 | 1.00 | 5.00 |
Seminars | 3 | 1.00 | 3.00 |
Seminars | 8 | 1.00 | 8.00 |
Group learning | 2 | 1.00 | 2.00 |
Private study hours | 178.00 | ||
Total Contact hours | 22.00 | ||
Total hours (100hr per 10 credits) | 200.00 |
Private study
Reading and preparation for lectures, large group seminar, small group seminars, workshops and skills sessions: 4 x 22 = 88 hoursPreparation for formative assessments= 40 hours
Preparation for summative assessments = 50 hours
Opportunities for Formative Feedback
Formative feedback may include the following:Formative Comprehension Qs, in English, on source text in Spanish: 500 words, week 4
Formative Commentary in English, on source text in Spanish: 500 words, week 8
Formative Group Presentation, in English, integrating: oOral expressions in TL, week 11
Formative Group Presentation: Project Proposal, in TL, week 18
Methods of assessment
Coursework
Assessment type | Notes | % of formal assessment |
Essay | Research essay - 1,500 words | 60.00 |
Literature Review | 1,000 words in English | 40.00 |
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: 23/03/2022
Browse Other Catalogues
- Undergraduate module catalogue
- Taught Postgraduate module catalogue
- Undergraduate programme catalogue
- Taught Postgraduate programme catalogue
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