Catalan Studies

Social and Political History of Iberia and Latin America

This module examines the historical trajectory of Spain, its emergence as a state in the Iberian Peninsula, its imperial expansion overseas into Latin America, the eventual independence of the colonies and their development and consolidation into the various modern-day states we know today. The module will explore the social, political, linguistic and cultural characteristics of these states and its peoples and highlight the importance of understanding their complex history in the formation of their identities, their languages and their cultural and political values. The module has a particular emphasis on the importance of myths and how, regardless of their historical veracity, they can condition behaviours, mould identities and shape future history.

Intersections: Text, Image, Thought in the French-speaking world

This module will focus on two important French texts per semester (with 'text' taken in its largest sense of book, film, art work, piece of music, cultural product, etc.). Each text will form the basis for a close reading, followed by analyses using French cultural, historical, literary and critical theory approaches as well as adaptations into other media (such as film, art and music) where appropriate. The module will be taught and assessed in English, but the materials will be made available in both French and English, with French students required to use and cite the French materials. The aim of the module is to introduce students to significant French texts and to illustrate and explore a range of possible critical approaches to them, including cross-media or intermedial reinterpretations.

Resist! The Art of Protest in Berlin and Amsterdam

Berlin and Amsterdam: two capitals at the forefront of protest and alternative lifestyles from the early 20th century right up to the present. Where did their radical traditions spring from? What do these protests say about how the cities and nations see themselves? How does creative resistance fuel gentrification and urban tourism? 

This module explores the culture of resistance and protest from the first women's march for the vote and posters and activism against war and fascism, to the creative resistance of the Amsterdam PROVO movement in the 1960s to Black Lives Matter/Kick out Zwarte Piet. 

We will cover concepts such as populism, activism, colonial resistance, feminism, BLM, climate activism. How do these movement use art and image to press their causes?  

Comparative Visual Cultures

Visual literacy is a key skill and visual culture remains one of the most accessible and important modes through which we represent, understand and critique our world. This module provides an introduction to some of the major trends within visual cultures in European languages, and the development of visual media. Students will work on a selection of visual texts across national frameworks and historical periods to examine their conditions of production, distribution and reception and to explore how meaning is constructed and critiqued in visual culture. In seminars we will engage with detailed analysis of core texts and with critical materials. Students will be encouraged to consider country-specific, transnational and comparative trends through a critical lens. 

The Soviet Union 1917-1991

Overview of the formation, development and collapse of the USSR, beginning from c.1900. Covers historiographic problems in analysing primary materials, ideological problems in dealing with the revolutionary movement and subsequent developments, debates over the nature and trajectory of the USSR and its place in the wider world.

Hispanic Spaces

This module is an exploration of Hispanic spaces and their representation in various contexts. It will consider the ways in which spaces dialogue with reality or, in some cases, transform themselves in the imaginary. The case studies led by each of the tutors will consider space in the analysis of, for example, islands and/ or cities, and analyse texts (in the broadest sense, including fiction, images and films) from the Spanish, Catalan and Portuguese-speaking worlds. Topics considered may include contested space (tourism, migration, insiders and outsiders), space/place (literary constructions of place) and ideal/utopian spaces. The spaces studied may include islands such as the Balearics, the Canary Islands, and the Azores or Cape Verde, and cities such as Madrid and Lisbon.

Language and Society in Luxembourg and the French Borderlands

This module introduces key issues in the field of sociolinguistics, which studies how language constructs rather than simply mirrors social reality and, more specifically, the ways in which people position themselves and others in relation to language use. With a sharp focus on the French borderlands, students will obtain an overview of the status and function of the French language in relation to its speakers and to speakers of other languages. We will begin by discussing how language works and the ways in which linguists and laypersons sometimes disagree about language issues. We will then relate aspects of these theoretical discussions to issues concerning linguistic minorities in the officially monolingual country of France, in addition to the bordering multilingual countries of Luxembourg, Belgium and Switzerland. We will explore the ways in which language becomes the target of struggles and debates that are embedded in broader socio-political issues. Students will have the opportunity to conduct their own small-scale analyses based on case studies. Crucially, this module underlines the necessity of questioning the presupposed homogeneity conveyed by the use of labels such as the 'French language' and 'French-speaking countries', which potentially mask the social and linguistic complexity inherent to the social world.

Restrictions on availability: CEFR A2 Level French

Questioning Spain

Students will examine specific moments or periods in Spanish cultural history from the late nineteenth century to the present day in which a questioning of the status quo is foregrounded. They will examine a range of key texts, primary and secondary sources, and explore the issues raised. In so doing, they will acquire sophisticated techniques in interpreting the discourse of cultural expression on such subjects as the nature of social and gender roles, and Spanish (and other) identities. Students will examine specific moments or periods in Spanish cultural history in which a questioning of the status quo is foregrounded. The ambiguity of the title implies analysis of those who question the prevailing situation and the nature of that interrogation. Students will conduct an analysis and focus on the examination of key texts which exhibit a questioning of social attitudes as expressed in historical writings and cultural products. Students will acquire sophisticated techniques in interpreting the discourse of cultural expression on such subjects as the nature of social and gender roles, and Spanish (and other) identities using appropriate primary and secondary sources. They will develop the ability to present oral and written accounts of relevant issues, setting out arguments coherently, demonstrating powers of intellectual analysis, using the English language with clarity and citing source materials appropriately.

Restrictions on availability: Students will normally have studied Spanish language at Level 2 and are studying Spanish language at Level 3.

Languages & Cultures Project

Guided by individual supervision and support seminars, you will plan and execute an extended piece of independent research on a topic that complements but does not duplicate work you have done (or will do) in SLC taught modules. Alternatively, you may translate a substantial text into English accompanied by a full commentary to contextualize it. Your project must relate to at least one of the countries or cultures whose languages you are studying. As well as writing an extended piece of work, all students present their work at the end of the year.

Restrictions on availability: A L2 module relevant to your proposed topic or registered on a relevant L3 module. An average of at least 62 in your optional modules at L2, with no optional module mark lower than 58. Supervisor must be agreed.

Comparative Critique of Consumer Culture

Critiques of consumer cultures are as old as capitalism itself. This module takes the long view, starting in the eighteenth century and tracing our conflicted identities as modern consumers into the present day. Especially applying German cultural theory to European cultural history, we shall ask what is meant by economic and social liberalism, and whether even culture owes a debt to consumer society. Consumerism can entail complicity in exploitative modes of production (causing poverty and displacement, and profiting from serfdom and slavery). It has been both celebrated and satirised for enabling hedonism and individual bad taste (or kitsch). And consumption has been nationalist, yet also cosmopolitan; today, it threatens our shared environment. Theory, the visual arts, and literature have all been critical of capitalism - but ironically, they can themselves be packaged as consumer goods. Examining a wide range of primary texts (including film and caricature) and critical reflections, you will translate and write a commentary on a historical source, and submit an essay on a topic of your choice.

Social Approaches to Multilingualism

This module provides students with an overview of key topics in multilingualism, with an emphasis on the ways in which issues of language are linked to broader socio-political practices and debates. It allows students to gain insights into how theories of nationalism and globalisation may be applied to the analysis of texts and images in multilingual settings - with a particular focus on those in which Romance and/or Germanic languages play a central role - and it shows how debates about language are bound up with struggles over social equality and reactions to social transformations.

Global Careers in Languages

To study languages, cultures and societies is to pursue a subject area that is outward-looking and which actively addresses global concerns. Our graduates boast linguistic fluency and cross-cultural expertise, and offer a unique set of skills to employers in several industries. This module gives students the opportunity to develop and connect specialist knowledge of their language(s) and studied areas according to four career pathways: Cultural industries; Politics, Community and Civic sectors; Translation and Teaching; and Global Business. Students will explore current debates and developments in these diverse sectors and industries, drawing on and extending their understanding of cross-cultural issues. By learning from the trajectories of industry experts, studying a variety of highly contemporary case studies, and developing vocational skills, this module allows students to reflect on and extend the substantial professional value of their advanced skills and knowledge of languages and cultures.

Comparative Critique of Consumer Culture

Critiques of consumer cultures are as old as capitalism itself. This module takes the long view, starting in the eighteenth century and tracing our conflicted identities as modern consumers into the present day. Especially applying German cultural theory to European cultural history, we shall ask what is meant by economic and social liberalism, and whether even culture owes a debt to consumer society. Consumerism can entail complicity in exploitative modes of production (causing poverty and displacement, and profiting from serfdom and slavery). It has been both celebrated and satirised for enabling hedonism and individual bad taste (or kitsch). And consumption has been nationalist, yet also cosmopolitan; today, it threatens our shared environment. Theory, the visual arts, and literature have all been critical of capitalism - but ironically, they can themselves be packaged as consumer goods. Examining a wide range of primary texts (including film and caricature) and critical reflections, you will translate and write a commentary on a historical source, and submit an essay on a topic of your choice.