Spanish V: Language and Culture

6 ECTS credits
150 h study time

Offer 1 with catalog number 1021041BER for all students in the 1st semester at a (B) Bachelor - advanced level.

Semester

1st semester

Enrollment based on exam contract

Possible

Grading method

Grading (scale from 0 to 20)

Can retake in second session

Yes

Taught in

Faculty

Faculty of Languages & Humanities

Department

Linguistics and Literary Studies

Educational team

Hélène Stengers (course titular)
Jasper Vandenberghe
Philippe Humblé

Activities and contact hours

26 contact hours Lecture
26 contact hours Seminar, Exercises or Practicals
52 contact hours Independent or External Form of Study

Course Content

This course consists of two parts: 1) lectures and 2) seminars.

1) In the lecture sessions, students will be given an overview of the major moments in the history of Spanish-speaking regions. The guiding principle will be the question: which cultural elements do native speakers of Spanish consider as being obvious items of general knowledge. The attention devoted to the (overlapping) histories of both the Iberian Peninsula and the South-American continent will allow them to understand the contemporary societies from a historical perspective. The different major moments will be discussed by using an informative PowerPoint presentation and further supplemented with texts and (moving) images.

2) The seminars will build on the content and insights gained from the lectures. The focus will be on cultural differences in comparison to the students’ own culture (mostly Flemish/Brussels background) and on the translation of cultural references (Spanish/Dutch). The assignments are also designed to enhance productive skills: communicative assignments such as discussions and presentations about Spanish and Latin-American cultural/historical topics (oral skills) and writing exercises such as both short and extended essays about similar topics. The documentaries will provide more details about the topics discussed in the lecture sessions.

Course material

Digital course material (Required) : De PowerPoint-presentaties worden voor de les ter beschikking gesteld, Canvas

Additional info

Office hourse: By appointment

The digital course materials (PowerPoint presentations) will be made available before each class via Canvas.

In order to take this class, compulsory additional costs will be charged next to the invoice sent to you as a student by the Student Administration Centre: for paper handouts and a possible classroom excursion, a minimum contribution of €1 and a maximum contribution of €30 will be required. The costs are borne by the student and can neither be passed on to fellow students nor recovered from the lecturer or faculty. The amounts stated are approximately correct. If you experience payment difficulties as a result of these additional costs, you can contact Student Social Services via sociale.dienst.studenten@vub.ac.be or + 32 2 629 23 15. More information can also be found on https://my.vub.ac.be/en/social-services.

Learning Outcomes

Objectives

Students

- acquire knowledge of the history of the Iberian Peninsula and the South American Continent;

- can analyse contemporary society from a historical perspective;

- can explain the cultural differences between different Hispanic cultures and one's own Flemish and/or Brussels sociocultural roots;

- acquire knowledge of (the translation of) different cultural elements.

Competences

COMPETENCES

The student has gained knowledge about the history and the different cultural characteristics of the Iberian Peninsula and the South-American continent. The student is able to illustrate the history and the different cultural characteristics and is able to compare draw comparisons with the situation in Flanders / Brussels / Belgium.

This course is taught at the level of (high) B2. This means that the student is able to

- understand an extensive range of (rather complex) texts on subjects related to the course

- present clear and detailed descriptions of subjects related to the course

- write clear and detailed texts related to the course through which relevant information and/or a specific position is/are efficiently transferred.

Grading

The final grade is composed based on the following categories:
Oral Exam determines 60% of the final mark.
Other Exam determines 40% of the final mark.

Within the Oral Exam category, the following assignments need to be completed:

Mondeling examen with a relative weight of 60 which comprises 60% of the final mark.

Within the Other Exam category, the following assignments need to be completed:

Permanente evaluatie with a relative weight of 40 which comprises 40% of the final mark.

Additional info regarding evaluation

The final grade is composed based on the following categories:

- 60% Oral Exam

- 40% Continuous Assessment

To get a final grade a student must take part in both evaluation categories.

In the second exam session, assessment will be based on the following categories: 60% Oral Exam + 40% paper written in Spanish about a (number of) proposed topic(s) (2,500 words).

Allowed unsatisfactory mark

The supplementary Teaching and Examination Regulations of your faculty stipulate whether an allowed unsatisfactory mark for this programme unit is permitted.

Academic context