Social Anthropology and Spanish

Course Content (including module information)

A wide range of approaches is adopted towards learning and teaching, including lectures, seminars, workshops, tutorials, practical exercises and individual supervision, depending on the modules taken. All of these approaches will provide transferable and employability skills, as well as enabling you to deepen your knowledge of anthropology.

Year 1

• The following modules are offered in first year:
• A World on the Move: Anthropological and Historical Approaches to Globalisation
• Culture and Society: The Social Anthropological Perspective
• Expressive Cultures: Interpreting Text, Image and Sound
• Power, Ritual and Symbol: The View from Anthropology

Years 2 and 3

In the second and third years the combinations of compulsory and optional modules vary according to the degree of specialisation in Social Anthropology.

• An Ethnography of Political Violence in Ireland
• Contemporary Classics in Ethnographic Writing
• Human-Animal Relations: An Anthropological Perspective
• Key Debates in Anthropology
• Leisure, Tourism and Culture
• Love, Hate and Beyond: Emotions, Culture, Practice
• Performance, Power and Passion
• Religion and Ritual
• Sex and Gender
• Dissertation on an approved subject

Note: only some of the modules are available each year.

Assessment (general): The way in which students are assessed will vary according to the Learning objectives of each module. Some modules are assessed solely through project work or written assignments. Others are assessed through a combination of coursework and end of semester examinations. Details of how each module is assessed are shown in the Student Handbook which is provided to all students during their first year induction.

Feedback (general): As students progress through their course at Queen’s they will receive general and specific feedback about their work from a variety of sources including lecturers, module co-ordinators, placement supervisors, personal tutors, advisers of study and your peers. University students are expected to engage with reflective practice and to use this approach to improve the quality of their work. Feedback may be provided in a variety of forms including:

• Feedback provided via formal written comments and marks relating to work that students, as individuals or as part of a group, have submitted.
• Face to face comment. This may include occasions when students make use of the lecturers’ advertised “office hours” to help address a specific query.
• Placement employer comments or references.
• Online or emailed comment.
• General comments or question and answer opportunities at the end of a lecture, seminar or tutorial.
• Pre-submission advice regarding the standards you should aim for and common pitfalls to avoid. In some instances, this may be provided in the form of model answers or exemplars which students can review in their own time.
• Feedback and outcomes from practical classes.
• Comment and guidance provided by staff from specialist support services such as, Careers, Employability and Skills or the Learning Development Service.

Once students have reviewed their feedback, they are encouraged to identify and implement further improvements to the quality of their work.

At Queen’s, we aim to deliver a high-quality learning environment that embeds intellectual curiosity, innovation and best practice in learning, teaching and student support, to enable you to achieve your full academic potential.

On the BA in Social Anthropology and Spanish we do this by providing a range of learning experiences which enable our students to engage with subject experts, develop attributes and perspectives that will equip them for life and work in a global society and make use of innovative technologies and a world class library that enhances their development as independent, lifelong learners. Examples of the opportunities provided for learning on this course:

• Lectures: introduce basic information about new topics and outline theoretical and methodological concepts as a starting point for further study. Lectures may also provide opportunities to ask questions, and receive advice on assessments.

• Seminars/tutorials: Significant amounts of teaching are carried out in small groups (rarely more than 15 students). The majority of seminars and tutorials are taught by permanent members of the academic staff. Such small-group teaching provides opportunities for students to engage with active researchers who have specialist knowledge of the topic, to ask questions and to assess their own progress and understanding with the support of peers. Students should also expect to make presentations and other contributions to these groups.

• Language classes: Almost all of the teaching in Modern Languages is carried out in small groups (typically 10-20 students) in English and Spanish. Written language classes meet for two hours each week, and involve intensive work on developing linguistic competence, vocabulary, idiom, knowledge of grammar, comprehension and translation skills, essay-writing skills etc. Students should expect to prepare work in advance of each of these classes, where they will receive regular written and oral feedback on their work.

• Oral classes: These classes focus on developing oral skills and applying grammar and vocabulary in real-life, practical contexts, and through the study of topics related to contemporary Spain and Latin America. All these classes are taught in very small groups (typically 6-12 students) and are facilitated by native speakers.

• Year Abroad: This is a significant learning and employability enhancement opportunity during which studennts can study at university, work as an English-Language Teacher, or undertake a paid work placement in a Spanish-speaking country. This feature of our degree programme gives students the opportunity for personal and professional development, further develops communication and language skills, and the experience of living abroad is important for developing intercultural awareness.

• E-Learning technologies:Most information associated with lectures and assignments is communicated via a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) called Queen’s Online. A range of e-learning experiences are also embedded in the degree through, for example: computer-based grammar learning packages in the Language Centre; interactive web-based learning activities; opportunities to use IT programmes in project- based work, interactive group workshops, online discussions, and web-based learning activities.

• Self-directed study: This is an important part of life as a Queen’s student, when private reading, engagement with e-learning resources, reflection on feedback to date, and research and preparation work for assignments is carried out. Academic staff will provide tailored bibliographies for research projects and self-directed reading.

• Work-Related learning/Field Trips: Students have a variety of opportunities to participate in work-related learning and field trips; there are also meetings with alumni to advise students on opportunities for graduate employment.

• Supervised projects and dissertations: In final year, students have the opportunity to undertake these. If they do so, they receive support from a supervisor who guides them in terms of how to carry out research and who will provide feedback on drafts of work. All supervision is undertaken by permanent members of staff, many of whom are world-class experts in their field.

• Personal Tutor: Every undergraduate has a Personal Tutor who is a member of the academic staff. The Personal Tutor meets with his/her students throughout their academic career and provides advice on personal development, employment opportunities, and their general progress through university.