Culture and Society in Latin America

Undergraduate course

Course description

Objectives and Content

The course aims at providing students with insight into selected central topics and questions in contemporary Latin American society and culture. Which topics will be focused on, will be decided by the staff member responsible for the course, and will vary from year to year. Based on the course material, students are encouraged to debate, reflect and draw their own conclusions regarding the issues discussed. Through this, the students will develop their skills in understanding and using modern Spanish, both orally and in writing.

Learning Outcomes

On completion of the course the student should have the following learning outcomes defined in terms of knowledge, skills and general competence:

Knowledge

The student should:

  • gain insight into selected central topics and questions in contemporary Latin American society and culture.
  • understand how different perspectives mark the accounts of Latin American societies.

Skills

The student should:

  • be able to explain some principal features and connections in contemporary Latin American cultures and societies.

General competence

The student:

  • is able to analyse academic texts and draw their own conclusions.
  • can demonstrate knowledge and ability to engage in an academic discussion in shorter pieces of writing, using clear and correct Spanish
  • is able to further extend his or her knowledge, skills, and understanding through continued studies or employment.

ECTS Credits

10

Level of Study

Bachelor

Semester of Instruction

Autumn

Place of Instruction

Bergen/online. The course do also exists as an online course (SPLA639).
Required Previous Knowledge
No formal requirement, but all teaching is in Spanish, and demands a solid command of the language.
Recommended Previous Knowledge
Introductory Spanish course or equivalent. It is an advantage to have completed the course SPLA109.
Credit Reduction due to Course Overlap
SPLA104 (10 ECTS Credits), SPLA123H (10 ECTS Credits) SLAN613 (10 ECTS Credits) SPLA639 (10 ECTS Credits)
Access to the Course
The course is open to all students at UiB.
Teaching and learning methods

Teaching is based on seminar discussions, and therefore requires that students take active part in class. Normally, there are four hours of seminars a week for eight weeks. The teaching may also be organized into larger bulks.

In the case that less than five students register for a course, the organized teaching may be adapted to fit the number of students. If this occurs, students will be informed at the start of the semester, and before the registration deadline 1. February/1. September.

Compulsory Assignments and Attendance

Each student must complete two oral assignments during the semester. Information about both assignments, their form, content and deadlines, will be given at the beginning of the semester. Both assignments are evaluated as a pass/fail.

Each student must also complete a mandatory supervision in connection with writing the term paper.

In accordance with the University of Bergen's Regulations for Degrees and Studies, the students have the right to a second try for each assignment, if one or more of the first hand-ins were not passed. The assignment must be approved before the student can be assessed in the course.

The compulsory assignment is valid for one semester after the teaching semester.

Forms of Assessment

The course is assessed with a supervised term paper of 2000-2500 words, written in Spanish. The students can choose the topic for the paper from a list provided by the staff member responsible for the course. The paper is graded on both contents and language.

When retaking the exam in the semester without instruction, students must submit the revised term paper without further supervision.

Grading Scale
The exam is marked in the grade scale A-F, where F is a fail.
Assessment Semester
Autumn. There will also be given an assessment early in the spring semester for students with valid compulsory course work.
Reading List
The reading list (about 400 pages) is comprised of reference texts, articles and other course materials, and will vary based on the topics the course focuses on.
Course Evaluation
The teaching is evaluated in accordance with the quality control system of the University of Bergen.
Examination Support Material
Not relevant.
Programme Committee
The program committee is responsible for the academic content and the structure of the program, as well as for the quality of the study program and related courses.
Course Coordinator
The Programme Board
Course Administrator
Department of Foreign Languages