SSP11719 Spanish and Latin American culture 2 (Spring 2025)

The course is connected to the following study programs

• Mandatory course in the One-year Spanish Programme (full-time and part-time).
• Mandatory course in the 60 ECTS part of the Bachelor's Programme in Languages for students with Spanish as one of their chosen languages.

Recommended requirements

Prerequisite knowledge equivalent Spanish level II from high school is recommended.

Lecture Semester

• One-year Spanish Programme, full-time: 2. semester (spring).

• One-year Spanish Programme, part-time: 2. semester (spring).

• Bachelor's Programme in Languages with Spanish as one of the chosen languages: 2. or 4. semester (spring).

The student's learning outcomes after completing the course

Knowledge

The student:

• Has access to discursive strategies for creating written and oral texts of both formal and informal nature.

• Possesses good knowledge of recent Spanish and Latin American culture and society.

• Has a solid understanding of key historical events and processes, as well as current topics and phenomena in Spanish-speaking regions.

• Is familiar with various methods for gathering information on historical topics.

 

Skills

The student can:

• Understand oral and written texts of a certain complexity in Spanish and account for main ideas and details.

• Familiarize themselves with and explain key historical events and processes, as well as culture and current topics in Spanish-speaking regions.

• Gather information from various sources and apply it in a reflective and critical manner in their own presentations on the different historical topics covered in the course.

• Use Spanish in various formal and informal communication situations.

 

General Competence

The student:

• Has general competence in communicating academic content and reflecting on various forms of cultural-historical and societal representations.

Content

This course covers central events and developments in Spanish and Latin American culture and societal development, with a focus primarily on recent times. It delves deeper into selected social issues, events, and phenomena with an emphasis on language, in line with the linguistic curriculum in grammar.

Forms of teaching and learning

The teaching is conducted through online meetings. The university college's learning platform is used for distributing course materials, relevant information, sources related to the subject, and assignment submissions.

Topics within history and cultural knowledge are presented partly through lectures and prepared presentations from students, followed by spontaneous discussions between students and the lecturer in accordance with the grammar taught. Additionally, a selection of films related to current topics will be shown. These films serve as a basis for discussions about the Spanish and Latin American society from both a contemporary and historical cultural perspective. There is a strong emphasis on student participation in the teaching process.

Workload

Approximately. 280 hours.

Examination

Individual portfolio assessment

Assessment is based on a portfolio of texts that the student writes during the semester. The portfolio consists of two tasks: Each task should encompass 4000-5000 characters including spaces, excluding footnotes and bibliographies. Any illustrations are in addition to this.

In addition, all students who present the portfolio will undergo a short oral exam of approximate ten minutes, where they are required to defend their portfolio.

The tasks should be text documents (1 1/2 line spacing), include source references, and have a correct notation system. The tasks must be submitted by the agreed-upon deadline. The student receives individual guidance throughout the process. Further information about the tasks is provided in the teaching. Assessment takes into account text comprehension, independence, level of knowledge, and ability to formulate ideas.

Grading scale A-F.

Examiners

External and internal examiner or two internal examiners.

Conditions for resit/rescheduled exams

If the portfolio receives a failing grade, the content of the portfolio can be revised once for re-evaluation.

If improving a passing grade, all portfolio contributions must be resubmitted.

Course evaluation

Feedback from our students is crucial for us to be able to offer the best possible courses and study programs. This course is evaluated in the following way:

• Mid-semester evaluation and ongoing evaluation/final evaluation

The results are processed by/in:

• Teaching group
• Head of Studies
• Programme committee

Literature

The reading list will be published in Leganto.