Programme Specifications

N/A

Languages, Cultures and Societies (2015)

September 2023

to develop the learner’s interest in and knowledge of the Hispanic-speaking world, past and present, including its language, culture, history and current affairs in order to situate students in a prime position to enter the open market;

to develop linguistically and intellectually trained graduates capable of working through Spanish, both at cultural and intellectual levels;

to develop linguistically-trained graduates capable of working in Portuguese/Brazilian and of achieving a B2 level by the end of their degree;

to develop and enhance students’ communication skills and their ability to work independently and to facilitate social interaction between the British and the Hispanic world;

to create a cohort of students with the necessary skills to compete in a highly competitive globalized market.

​​The programme provides opportunities for students to develop and demonstrate knowledge and understanding, skills, qualities and other attributes in the following areas: ​

A1 ​Standard Spanish language (spoken and written) and Portuguese/Brazilian; ​

A2 ​Variations in the Spanish language spoken in 22 countries as the first language, and Portuguese/Brazilian variations;​

A3 ​Spanish culture in its wider sense (film, art, literature and linguistics);​

A4 ​Hispanic/Portuguese/Brazilian modern history and contemporary society;​

A5 ​Key methods and concepts of cultural and/or linguistic analysis.​

Learning and Teaching

​​Acquisition of A1 and A2 is through small-group classes and regularly assessed coursework, with emphasis on listening, written and oral skills. Additional support is provided through both assisted and self-access facilities for language learning in the Language Resource Centre. The Year Abroad provides total immersion in the target language and culture. Acquisition of A3 to A5 is through a combination of lectures/seminars at Part One, and subsequently developed through increasingly seminar-based teaching in later years. Throughout, the learner develops the necessary skills to undertake independent reading both to increase what is being learnt in the curriculum and to broaden independent knowledge and understanding of the subjects.

Assessment Strategies and Methods

Students skills will be assessed through a combination of unseen written examinations (A1- A5), assessed coursework (A1-A5) in the form of essays (A3-A5), oral examinations, listening and grammar test (A1-A2), and extended essays / dissertation. (A1-A5).

10.2.1 Intellectual Skills

B1 ​reason critically;​

B2 ​apply filmic and/or linguistic and/or literary and/or other cultural concepts;​

B3 ​demonstrate innovation and originality in thinking;​

B4 ​identify and solve problems;​

B5 ​analyse and interpret.​

Learning and Teaching

​​Intellectual skills are developed through the teaching and learning programme outlined in section 10. Each course, whatever the format of the teaching, involves discussion of key issues, practice in applying concepts both orally and in writing and analysis and interpretation of material. Most of the courses are taught through the medium of Spanish at Part Two which means that all content modules have a significant impact on the language skills acquired by the learner. Feedback is an essential element of the learning process and implies two elements: written feedback and oral feedback given to students during tutorial hours.

Assessment Strategies and Methods

The variety of assessment methods employed places emphasis (as shown in their assessment criteria) on the learner’s ability to demonstrate both knowledge and understanding (A1-A5) through the production of coherent written and oral responses either to problems or tasks set, as well as intellectual skills (B1-B5). Single Honours students will produce significant pieces of writing both in content modules and language modules (specifically for the Study Skills module at Part One and Research project at Part Two) which provide a vehicle for the development of each student’s independent, innovative and original intellectual skills.

10.2.2 Professional practical skills / Discipline Specific Skills

By the end of their programme, all students are expected to be able to demonstrate:

C1 ​Write in Spanish (Portuguese/Brazilian) on a variety of themes and current cultural issues, using information from multiple sources;​

C2 ​Present the results orally in Spanish at near-native level of proficiency and Portuguese/Brazilian at B1/B2 Level;​

C3 ​Apply key methods and concepts of cultural and linguistic analysis;​

C4 ​Understand and overcome cultural and historical differences between societies, applying the skills acquired;​

C5 ​to translate social-political differences between the Hispanic and the British world and ​Portuguese/Brazilian.

Learning and Teaching

​​All students receive guidance at Part I and Part II on how to identify, locate and use bibliographical material in libraries, archives and on-line sources. Bibliographies are provided for each course at the outset, as are guidelines for the production of coursework essays and extended essays. However, at Part II students are given clear guidelines on how to achieve the independent research skills necessary as part of the departmental marking criteria. Classes and tutorials are given on cultural, historical and linguistic concepts, and on translation techniques. Students are required to read texts in Spanish for all courses. The year abroad promotes the active learning of language to a high level as well as the development of cultural understanding set up as part of the departmental Year Abroad learning skills.

Assessment Strategies and Methods

Skills C1-C5 are primarily assessed through coursework (independently produced essays, dissertations and language assignments - oral, listening, writing skills), which forms an integral part of the assessment for all courses in the Spanish language and Hispanic culture. Additionally, skills C4 and C5 are assessed in unseen written examinations in these areas. Language is assessed throughout the year in oral classes, as well as in an oral examination at the end of the academic year, listening tests and writing both during the academic year and by unseen written examination.

By the end of their programme, all students are expected to be able to demonstrate:

D1 ​to structure and to communicate ideas effectively both orally and in writing;​

D2 ​manage time and work to deadlines;​

D3 ​debate constructively in groups;​

D4 ​develop rhetorical and persuasive techniques in the Spanish language;​

D5 ​assess the relevance and significance of the ideas of others;​

D6 ​find, process, summarise and interpret information;​

D7 ​work independently and use information technology;​

D8 ​develop a critical judgement of established ideas and concepts;​

D9 ​to discuss relevant concepts penetratingly and with originality.​

Learning and Teaching

​​All language and content modules in place are assessed both through the medium of written and oral exams and through the medium of essays and tests. Specific and personal feedback is given to students both in writing and orally on each piece of work. All deadlines have to be met in order to develop their capacity to work under pressure to fulfil the course requirements. A series of deadlines prior to the submission of essays, for instance, is set up at the beginning of the year for all students to submit their introduction and bibliographical corpus during tutorial hours, to enable time management and the meeting of deadlines. Skills (D3-D9) are developed both in seminars and tutorials allowing student to discuss their ideas. All skills are develop weekly and the assessment methods guarantee through a thorough monitoring system (tutorials and small group seminars) that students are well prepared to meet deadlines and to achieve their full potential. IT skills, such as the use of automatized language exercises, are largely developed on a weekly basis and monitored by staff using BB monitoring system of each individual, which allows staff to check whether the exercises have been completed and if so, how many times as well as the individual scores of each student.

Assessment Strategies and Methods

All transferable skills in language are assessed taking into consideration the employability requirements in modern languages, such as the assessments carried out by international institutions (NTAO; ONU; EU; Interpol): oral presentations, interviews in the target language(s), listening examinations of real phone taped conversations; or speed when translating documents. (D1, D3, D4, D5, D9) Skill D3 is assessed weekly in oral classes.

Content modules skills (D1, D4, D6, D7, D8 and D9) are assessed by both semester coursework and supervised dissertations. Skill 2 is formally assessed through the monitoring of compulsory tutorials.