Module Identifier SP30510  
Module Title SPANISH AMERICA 2-LITERATURE AND SOCIETY IN ARGENTINA  
Academic Year 2005/2006  
Co-ordinator Mr Matthew Richards  
Semester Semester 2  
Pre-Requisite (Normally) Eligibility for entry to Level 3 Spanish.  
Course delivery Lecture    
  Seminars / Tutorials    
Assessment
Assessment TypeAssessment Length/DetailsProportion
Semester Exam2 Hours Written exam. 2 essays in 2 hours  70%
Semester Assessment Continuous Assessment: Essay 2000-2500 words  30%
Supplementary Exam 1 x 2 hour examination if continuous assessment submitted. 1 x 3 hour examination if no continuous assessment submitted.100%

Learning outcomes

By the end of the module students will:

1) have an insight into major trends of Argentine history with particular references to the Anglo-Argentine Alliance and Peronism;
2) be able to relate key literary texts to their historical, social or cultural background;
3) be able to explian and evaluate literary texts with greater critical awareness
4) have had further developed skills in making
   a) oral presentations
   b) writing essays

Brief description

A brief introduction to Argentine society, followed by the detailed study of two representative but contrasting authors: Jose Hernandez and Jorge Luis Borges.

Argentina is perhaps the most European of all Latin American countries as a result of mass immigration and Europeanising policies adopted in the second half of the nineteenth century. This module offers a brief introduction to Argentine society, followed by detailed study of two representative but contrasting texts. Hernandez's 'Martin Fierro' was a defence of the local gaucho against the consequence of change, while Borges reflects the cosmopolitanism of twentieth-century Argentina. It is an advantage, but not a prerequisite, to have taken module SP20510.

Content

weeks 1-3   Argentina, 1852-1992.
weeks 4-5   Jose Hernandez, 'Martin Fierro'
weeks 6-11   The Prose Fiction of Jorge Luis Borges

Reading Lists

Books
Jorge Luis Borges El Aleph Alianza
Jorge Luis Borges Ficciones Alianza
Jose Hernández Martin Fierro Catedra

Notes

This module is at CQFW Level 6