Spanish and Portuguese Studies

Course Content (including module information)

Level 1

All students follow language modules, which are of a broadly communicative nature, focusing on contemporary social and cultural issues and drawing on authentic materials.

Portuguese will be a new language for all students and the focus will be on developing excellent written and oral communication skills as well as an awareness of the diversity of the Portuguese language. Students will also be introduced to cultures of the Portuguese-speaking world. In first-year Spanish, students enter one of two streams: Beginners' or post-AS/A-level.

Beginners take an intensive language course, specifically designed to bring them beyond A-level standard within a year.

A/AS-level Spanish students will consolidate their language skills and take a Language for Special Purposes strand, enabling them to develop competence in important employment-related skills.

Students will also take optional modules introducing them to key concepts and historical moments of Iberian and Latin American cultures, literatures and societies.

Levels 2 and 3

These years provide the opportunity to build upon the linguistic skills and cultural awareness developed in Level 1. In both years, students take compulsory core Spanish Language modules, comprising advanced language study and a choice of cursillos, or 'mini-modules’.

Students choose cursillos based on their pathway and interests, and current topics on offer include intensive language study for ex-beginners (in Level 2), specialist business and legal Spanish modules, as well as modules on a variety of historical, cultural and linguistic topics.

Students also take core Portuguese Language modules and continue with their study of the Lusophone world. In Level 2 the focus is on consolidating students' written and oral Portuguese, and in Level 3, the aim is to bring students to near-native fluency in Portuguese.

Optional modules are designed and taught by internationally-recognised specialists, staff who have a diverse range of research interests, from politics and poetry to film and digital culture. Modules available may include:

• Brazilian Digital Culture: Trends and Topics
• Encuentros Maravillosos: Exploration and Survival in Latin America
• Representations of Lusophone Africa in Postcolonial Cinema

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 our students to achieve their full academic potential.

On the BA in Spanish and Portuguese 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. The School of Modern Languages is the smallest School in the University and because of this we create a supportive environment in which we get to know each of our students individually. Examples of the opportunities provided for learning on this course are:

• Seminars/tutorials: Almost all of the teaching in Modern Languages is carried out in small groups (typically 10-20 students) in English, Spanish and Portuguese. These provide significant opportunity for students to engage with academic staff who have specialist knowledge of the topic, to ask questions of them and to assess your own progress and understanding with the support of peers. Students should also expect to make presentations and other contributions to these groups. All of our language teaching and the vast majority of our other modules are delivered through small-group seminars.

• Oral classes: Students will have opportunities to develop oral skills and apply grammar and vocabulary in real-life, practical contexts. All these classes are taught in very small groups (typically 6-12 students) and are facilitated by a native speaker. Students will be expected to attend 1 oral class per week as part of your core language module.

• Lectures: Theseintroduce basic information about new topics as a starting point for further self-directed private study/reading. Lectures also provide opportunities to ask questions, gain some feedback and advice on assessments (normally delivered in larger groups of approximately 40 students). Only a few of our modules are delivered in this way, e.g. Introduction to Iberian Studies.

• E-Learning technologies: Information associated with lectures and assignments is often 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; interactive web-based learning activities; opportunities to use IT programmes in project- based work and for presentations etc.

• Self-directed study: This is an essential part of life as a Queen’s student when important private reading, engagement with e-learning resources, reflection on feedback to date and assignment research and preparation work is carried out.

• Year Abroad: Students taking a BA in Spanish and Portuguese undertake a year abroad after Level 2. Students on this programme normally spend one semester in a Spanish-speaking country and the other in a Portuguese-speaking country. This is a significant learning and employability enhancement opportunity during which students can study in a Spanish or Portuguese University, work as an English-Language Teacher, undertake a paid work placement etc. This feature of our degree programme gives students the opportunity for personal development, gives them a job placement, further develops communication and language skills, and the challenges of living abroad come to be a unique (and unforgettable) stage in their own personal development.

• Personal Tutor: Students are allocated a Personal Tutor who meets with them on several occasions during the year to support their academic development. This gives students one identified contact to discuss any difficulties they might encounter and who can answer any queries they might have.