Developments in Modern Spanish Linguistics. Theory and Method.

Postgraduate course

Course description

Objectives and Content

The course will contain at least four of the following components:

- Spanish language as an objective of study (introduction)

- Methodologies in Spanish dialectology

- Methodologies in Spanish sociolinguistics

- Language contact between Spanish and other languages

- Spanish language and culture

- New trends in Spanish linguistics

- Corpus linguistics

- Spoken language

- Pragmatics

- Text linguistics

- Discourse analysis

- Translation

Learning Outcomes

The student

- is familiar with modern approaches in Spanish linguistics, and is familiar with the main characteristics of various methodologies and techniques used by linguists in the analysis of Spanish in recent times.

- has gained insight into theoretical and methodological problems in Spanish linguistics.

- can account for the main characteristics of modern methodologies of approaching Spanish language.

- can distinguish between these methodologies and work with them.

- has achieved a basis from which to continue to carry out research on Latin-American and European Spanish language.

Level of Study

Master

Semester of Instruction

Autumn

Place of Instruction

Bergen
Required Previous Knowledge
No formal requirements, but all lecturing is conducted in Spanish and demands a solid command of the language.
Recommended Previous Knowledge
None
Access to the Course
The course is open to students enrolled in the Master¿s programme in Spanish language and Latin-American studies at the University of Bergen.
Teaching and learning methods
Lectures and seminars will be given on various linguistic disciplines which can be utilised in the study of Spanish. Lectures will be held two hours per week for 12 weeks.
Compulsory Assignments and Attendance

The term paper (see Forms of assessment) is to be submitted for supervision during the semester. Students are also required to attend supervision digitally at an agreed-upon time. Deadlines for submission of term paper drafts will be announced in the seminars.

Approved coursework is valid for one semester following the semester of instruction.

Forms of Assessment
Students are to write a supervised term paper of ca. 4,000 words in Spanish plus bibliography. The topic for the term paper must be approved by the course instructor. The term paper will be assessed by a committee at the end of the semester.
Grading Scale
The grading scale A-F is used, where F is a failing grade.
Reading List

Ca. 500 pages representing various works on Spanish linguistics from ca. 1950 to the present.

As a rule, students are to adhere to the course reading list given the semester the course is taken. However, alternative reading lists may be approved following an application to the course instructor(s) which argues for the alternative reading list. In semesters where no teaching is given, the reading list from the previous semester is to be used.

Course Evaluation
The course will be evaluated in accordance with the quality assurance system of the University of Bergen.