About the Department
The Department of Hispanic Studies is part of a very strong School of Languages and Cultures, and provides a working environment that is intellectually challenging but supportive and flexible.
Location, Resources and Facilities
Hispanic Studies occupies the second floor of the acclaimed new Jessop West development, which is also home to the other departments in the School, and is close to all Arts and Humanities departments. As well as being the base for offices of all staff in Hispanic Studies, the second floor of Jessop West has quiet study areas that house a range of reference books to support work in Spanish, Catalan and Portuguese.
Subscriptions to magazines, newspapers and other materials enable staff and students to keep up to date with current affairs in Spain, Portugal, Catalonia and Latin America.
Hispanic material is also available via satellite, while Departmental and Central Library facilities allow access to a range of audio and video materials from Spain, Portugal, Latin America and elsewhere.
Also in Jessop West are the first-class resources of the Interpreting Laboratory, while the Modern Language Teaching Centre is nearby, where you can access satellite TV links, language laboratory facilities, and a library of computer-aided and other language-learning materials. Jessop West provides rooms for small-group teaching, and has an excellent café as well as an exhibition space.
Opposite the Jessop West building is the award-winning Information Commons, the University´s principal Library, which houses an extensive collection of books, periodicals and videos relating to Hispanic culture that is constantly being updated. The Information Commons also provides the point of access to a wide range of web-based resources and has very good computing facilities. Our latest Quality Assessment Report highlights the Library's 'extremely good provision of books for most areas of Hispanic Studies'.
Computing & IT
The University provides computer terminals across the campus and runs courses which promote learning and competence in all the key areas of IT.
Everyone in the Department is assigned an 'account' which enables you to write and receive emails, consult the Library catalogue, access your student record, use the internet, and read on-line newspapers in the languages of the Department.
Student are encouraged to word-process language exercises and course projects in Spanish, search the web for materials for area studies-type topics, and establish email contacts with Portugal, Spain and Latin America.
A growing range of Hispanic CD-ROM materials (such as dictionaries and other cultural reference works) is accessible via the network, and each module in Hispanic Studies is supported by a wealth of materials made available via MOLE, the University´s virtual learning environment.