SSP10410 Spanish and Latin American Literature, Culture and History (Spring 2017)

The course is connected to the following study programs

Compulsory course in the one-year programme in Spanish.
Part of the component worth 60 ECTS credits that can be included in the Bachelor Programme in Society, Language and Culture.

Lecture Semester

Semester 2 (spring)

The student's learning outcomes after completing the course

Knowledge
On completion of the course, the student:

- has sound knowledge of modern Spanish and Latin American history and culture
- has insight into key historical events and processes and into certain current topics and phenomena in Spain and Latin America
- has an overview of and knowledge of literary movements and genres in modern Spanish and Latin American literature
- is familiar with key concepts in literary analysis
- is familiar with some literary theories and methods with relevance for interpreting selected literary works

Skills
On completion of the course, the student can:

- understand and give an account of linguistic expressions and content in Spanish-language texts from different genres
- apply relevant tools for interpreting texts from different genres (literature, non-fiction, music and film)
- recognize and give an account of distinctive features of specific eras and genres in Spanish and Latin American literature
- acquaint himself/herself with and give an account of key historical events, processes and cultural phenomena in Spain and Latin America
- gather information from different sources and apply them in a reflective and critical way in his/her own presentations of the works and topics covered in the course

General competence
The student has general competence in communicating academic content and in reflecting on academic problems.

Content

The students read and analyze modern Spanish and Latin American literary texts. These texts are taken from different genres: fiction, non-fiction, music, film, internet blogs and/or other popular genres.

The course covers certain key events and trends in Spanish and Latin American history, but the main emphasis is on modern Spanish-language societies.

Forms of teaching and learning

For the literary component, the students study texts they have read in advance, and watch films, and listen to music, and discuss them in plenary sessions afterwards. The students are expected to participate actively.

For the culture component, topics are presented in the form of online lectures or presentations by students, and are followed by discussions. Furthermore, films related to the topics will be screened which, together with relevant literature, will form the basis for discussions on Spanish and Latin American societies of the past and present. Emphasis is placed on active student participation.

The languages of instruction is Norwegian and Spanish.

Workload

Approximatly 420 hours.

Coursework requirements - conditions for taking the exam

• Submission of a short written assignment.

Coursework requirements must be approved before students may sit the exam.

Examination

Written exam lasting 5 hours. Grading scale A?F.
Permitted support materials: Norwegian-Spanish and Spanish-Norwegian dictionary.

The written exam is normally held on campus.
Students may use a dedicated form to apply to sit the written exam at an alternative, approved venue if time differences and access to necessary communication with the external exam venue permit.

Course evaluation

The feedback we receive from our students plays a decisive role in our ability to offer the best possible courses and study programmes. This course is evaluated as follows:

- Mid-semester evaluation and continuous evaluation/final evaluation

The results are processed by/in:

- teacher group
- head of studies
- local Committee for Study Quality

Literature

Updated June 2nd 2015. Changes may occur before the course starts.

Álvarez-Solar, María y Elisabeth Fonseca (eds.) Sociedad y cultura en América Latina. Bergen: Fagbokforl. 2006.

Benedetti, Mario. La tregua. Punto de Lectura, 2009, ISBN:9788466323635

Kompendium: Textos. Literatura y cultura. España y América Latina.