Spanish and Latin American Studies
With official status in 20 countries, Spanish is the second most widely spoken language in the world with approximately 400 million native speakers. It is the major language in Latin America, alongside Portuguese, and is also an increasingly important language in the USA.

Welcome to new students in Spanish and Latin American Studies!
For students who will be joining us in September, please see our dedicated Freshers' page:Freshers' 2020/21
At Sheffield we don't just think about modern languages as a way of speaking and writing. To us, they're a way of broadening our understanding of the world. If you study Spanish you'll be engaging with a global community of around 400 million, the majority located in Latin America. Our degrees involve not only the study of Spanish language but they also offer you a deep insight into the cultures of Spain and the cultures of the various countries of Latin America. Study with us and become a citizen of the world.
Dr Paul O'Neill discusses 'The Social and Political History of Iberia and Latin America', one of the modules you can study in your first year:
More about Spanish at Sheffield
Undergraduate degree combinations
- BA Modern Languages & Cultures
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On the BA Modern Languages & Cultures you can study:
- Spain & Latin America: language & culture
- Spain & Latin America: language & culture with one other language & culture
- Spain & Latin America: language & culture with two other languages & cultures
Choose from:
- French
- German
- Russian
- Catalan
- Czech
- Dutch
- Italian
- Luxembourgish* (from second year only)
- Portuguese
- Dual Honours (with a non-language subject)
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As a Dual Honours degree
- Spain & Latin America: language & culture with a non-language subject
- Spain and Latin America: language & culture, a second language & culture, and a non-language subject
Combine your study of Spanish language & culture with one of the following:
- Archaeology
- Business Management
- Economics
- English
- History
- Linguistics
- Music
- Philosophy
- Politics
- Guided Module Choice
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If you have some experience of modern language learning, you may be able to take Spanish and Latin American Studies modules either as part of your degree (guided modules) or alongside your degree (not-for-credit modules).
Fast facts
Award: Bachelor of Arts
Duration: 4 years
Entry: ABB at A Level. We also accept a wide range of other qualifications. See individual degree programmes for more detailed information.
Course structure
Post A-level
You can take Spanish in a variety of subject combinations and you can choose from a wide range of optional modules.
At the centre of all programmes are your language modules. These form the bedrock of your education in Spanish.
Post A-level students normally take three hours of language teaching per week. In addition, students will study a core module which combines the study of the culture and literature of Spain and Latin America, and can choose to take an optional module that looks at the social and political history of Iberia and Latin America. We also offer digital learning opportunities and the Hispanic Society hosts a lively social and extra-curricular programme with other students and Spanish speakers.
After the first year, alongside your compulsory language programme you choose from a wide range of culture, history, linguistics, politics or literature courses. There is also the opportunity to pick up a new language, be it Catalan of Portuguese, within the Iberian world, or beyond. Our staff have expertise in many areas which is reflected in our teaching.
Beginners' Spanish
If you are new to Spanish, you will follow an intense programme of language teaching. This will rapidly and intensively develop your Spanish. In addition, you will study a core module which combines the study of the culture and literature of Spain and Latin America, and can choose to take an optional module that looks at the social and political history of Iberia and Latin America.
In your second year, you will have three hours a week of language teaching and can choose from a wide range of culture, history, linguistics, politics or literature courses. Our staff have expertise in many areas which is reflected in our teaching.
After the Year Abroad, you are able to integrate fully with your fellow students on the post-A level strand.
Module information
You will study 40 credits in language and culture at either beginner or post A level.
Beginner's Spanish
Title | Credits | Core/Optional |
---|---|---|
Spanish Language Beginners | 20 | Core |
Understanding Spanish and Latin American Culture This course examines the literature and film of modern Spain and modern Spanish-speaking Latin America. In each semester, three cultural products from one of these two areas are studied: poetry, film and narrative fiction. We will build up a picture of the cultural history of Spain and Latin America, as well as looking at key themes to emerge from their literary and filmic outputs. By focusing on three different genres in each semester, you will be able to explore different types of cultural product and to build up analytical skills gradually by moving from shorter or visual pieces to a larger body of writing. The knowledge and skills acquired here will underpin the optional modules at level 2 and beyond. * If you are studying one or two languages students must choose at least this module or the module entitled Social and Political History of Iberia and Latin America. Note that if you have extra credits both modules can be studied. |
20 | Core/Optional |
Social and Political History of Iberia and Latin America This module examines the historical trajectory of Spain and Portugal, their emergence as states in the Iberian Peninsula, their imperial expansion overseas into Africa, Latin America and beyond, 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. *If you are studying one or two languages students must choose at least this module or the module entitled Understanding Spanish and Latin American Culture as their core Spanish module. Note that if you have extra credits both modules can be studied. |
20 |
Core/Optional |
Activism and Social Change This modules examines how people, individually and collectively, attempt to enact social and political change in society through a number of case studies which will focus on the countries which historically belonged to the Spanish and Portuguese Empires. The module will introduce students to theories of social movements and social change and will critically assess the different strategies which people adopted at different historical moments and in different geographical locations and the success and failure of their activism. Case studies may differ each year but topics may include the following: activism and social change movements in Brazil, climate activism, women’s rights and indigenous people's movements in Latin America, the role of literature/film/music in social activism movements and/or the use of symbols, slogans, the media and new technologies/the internet in order to inspire followers and maintain activist momentum; the concept of ‘fake news’, the growing belief that the general public no longer give credit to facts or expert opinions and the role of academic research in social change. |
20 | Optional |
Post A-Level Spanish
Title | Credits | Core/Optional |
---|---|---|
Spanish Language Post A-Level | 20 | Core |
Understanding Spanish and Latin American Culture This course examines the literature and film of modern Spain and modern Spanish-speaking Latin America. In each semester, three cultural products from one of these two areas are studied: poetry, film and narrative fiction. We will build up a picture of the cultural history of Spain and Latin America, as well as looking at key themes to emerge from their literary and filmic outputs. By focussing on three different genres in each semester, you will be able to explore different types of cultural product and to build up analytical skills gradually by moving from shorter or visual pieces to a larger body of writing. The knowledge and skills acquired here will underpin the optional modules at level 2 and beyond. * If you are studying one or two languages students must choose at least this module or the module entitled Social and Political History of Iberia and Latin America. Note that if you have extra credits both modules can be studied. |
20 | Core/Optional |
Social and Political History of Iberia and Latin America This module examines the historical trajectory of Spain and Portugal, their emergence as states in the Iberian Peninsula, their imperial expansion overseas into Africa, Latin America and beyond, 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. * If you are studying one or two languages students must choose at least this module or the module entitled Understanding Spanish and Latin American Culture as their core Spanish module. Note that if you have extra credits both modules can be studied. |
20 |
Core/Optional |
Activism and Social Change This modules examines how people, individually and collectively, attempt to enact social and political change in society through a number of case studies which will focus on the countries which historically belonged to the Spanish and Portuguese Empires. The module will introduce students to theories of social movements and social change and will critically assess the different strategies which people adopted at different historical moments and in different geographical locations and the success and failure of their activism. Case studies may differ each year but topics may include the following: activism and social change movements in Brazil, climate activism, women’s rights and indigenous people's movements in Latin America, the role of literature/film/music in social activism movements and/or the use of symbols, slogans, the media and new technologies/the internet in order to inspire followers and maintain activist momentum; the concept of ‘fake news’, the growing belief that the general public no longer give credit to facts or expert opinions and the role of academic research in social change. |
20 | Optional |
There is also the opportunity to pick up a new language, Catalan or Portuguese, within the Iberian world. You can even choose to start Catalan or Portuguese from scratch in the Second year, as one of your optional modules.
You may also choose from a range of modules from across the School of Languages and Cultures.
Spanish Language Intermediate (following beginner's Spanish route)
Title | Credits | Core/Optional |
---|---|---|
Spanish Language Intermediate | 20 | Core |
Spanish Language Higher Intermediate (following post A level Spanish route)
Title | Credits | Core/Optional |
---|---|---|
Spanish Language Higher Intermediate | 20 | Core |
Depending on your degree programme and language combination you will take a minimum of 20 and a maximum of 100 credits from the following:
Title | Credits | Core/Optional |
---|---|---|
Tradition, Transition and Modernity The focus will be on the development of ‘modern’ approaches to literature and culture in Spain and Latin America in reaction to perceptions of ‘tradition’. The classes will consist principally of the analysis of texts studied in advance of the class by the students. These will usually include narrative and film. |
20 | Optional |
Nation and Transformation in Latin America An examination of the various means by which national identities are constructed and expressed in modern Latin America. In order to consider these issues, we will study a range of modes of cultural expression, which may include literature, film, and music. It is anticipated that the course will focus on Peru and Argentina to offer a representative sample of the region’s nations. The course will combine lectures and seminars led by staff with student-led seminars, which will be assessed |
20 | Optional |
Dictatorship, Revolution and Resistance Students will examine the continuities and transformations in the political development of Latin America by looking at a series of case studies. They will analyse and account for the rise of diverse forms of political organisation and explore their social and cultural ramifications. In so doing, they will gain an enhanced understanding of the complexities of Latin American politics and resistance and revolutionary movements. The course will combine lectures by staff with student-led seminars, which will be assessed as an integral part of the module for all students. All students will work in a small group to give a presentation. |
20 | Optional |
Hispanic Film The course comprises a series of lectures and seminars. In one semester we will look at Latin American Cinema. The other semester covers Spanish film around the theme of the transition to democracy. |
20 | Optional |
Nation and Identities in Hispanic World This course will examine the various means by which national identities are constructed and expressed in the Lusophone World. In order to consider these issues, we will study a range of modes of cultural expression, including literature and film. The course will focus on three selected countries from across the Lusophone world (namely Brazil, Portugal and Mozambique), to offer a representative cross-section of Lusophone nations. |
20 | Optional |
The Spanish Language: Structure and Use This module aims to introduce students to Linguistics, the scientific study of language, within the context of the Hispanic languages. The module introduces basic notions of linguistic analysis and makes students aware of the key differences between (a) Spanish and English and (b) Spanish, Portuguese, Galician and Catalan. The module will consolidate and extend active knowledge of Spanish and/or Portuguese as it is used by different speakers and in different contexts both in the Iberian Peninsula and Latin America. This module also aims to highlight how language can be related to people and societies and how language varies and changes over space and time. |
20 | Optional |
And choose from year 2 School-wide modules.
There are three Year Abroad options:
University Study
You can study in Alicante, Barcelona, Cadiz, Granada, La Havana (Cuba), Las Palmas (of Gran Canaria), Palma de Mallorca, Málaga, Oviedo, Vitoria, Salamanca, Santiago de Compostela, Seville, Valencia, Zacatecas (Mexico) and Zaragoza.
You are also more than welcome to arrange to study at another university. Students have recently been to - among others - São Paulo, Havana and Buenos Aires.
Teaching Placement
You can apply to work as an English assistant in a number of schools across Spain. If you want to go further afield, you have the option of going to Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Paraguay or Venezuela.
Please note that the academic year begins at varying times across Latin America, so if you are due to work there your placement may begin in July or August. The application process for posts in Latin America also includes an interview in London.
Work Placement
We have formal links with a number of schools in Alicante. Other voluntary and work placements are supported and encouraged by the University but these must be arranged by students. We do, however, put you in contact with students who have taken up work placements the previous year. You have the freedom to go almost anywhere in the Spanish-speaking world.
Examples of recent placements include: internships at a corporate services firm in Panama, a marketing and events company in the Canary Islands, and volunteering at the world's only sloth sanctuary in Costa Rica.
Spanish Language Advanced (All students)
Title | Credits | Core/Optional |
---|---|---|
Spanish Language Advanced | 20 | Core |
Depending on your degree programme and language combination you will take a minimum of 20 and a maximum of 100 credits from:
Title | Credits | Core/Optional |
---|---|---|
Barcelona: Culture of the City A novel, play and films are studied as different modes for ‘representing’ the city and as starting points for a discussion of contemporary cultural and theoretical approaches to the city. We analyse the particular protagonism of the city of Barcelona within the life experiences portrayed in the primary texts, and establish the particular differential character of Barcelona within modern Spain, as well as in the wider context of cities at the beginning of the twenty-first century. Teaching comprises seminars, smaller group work and informal presentations. Work for independent study will be set. Specific themes addressed may include: |
20 | Optional |
Civilisation and Barbarism Students will examine a range of Latin American works from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, which deal with the notion of Civilisation and Barbarism. This concept, which developed out of nineteenth-century Argentine nation-building, has relevance beyond its initial geographical and temporal context. In Semester 1 students will read key nineteenth-century Argentine texts written in opposition to the regime of Juan Manuel de Rosas and which formed the basis of Argentina’s ‘official’ history into the twentieth century. Through close reading and analysis of these literary works, students will explore how literature can shape historical discourses. Students will also explore how these discourses are contested and will consider their relevance to contemporary Argentine politics. In Semester 2 the focus will shift to the theme of civilisation and barbarism in other Latin American contexts. |
20 | Optional |
Political Culture in the Hispanic World This module considers the ways in which politics and culture have converged in various Hispanic contexts, with a focus on Latin America, and studies the means by which these two areas have impacted on each other at key moments in the development of different nations. This module explores these issues through an analysis of cultural policies in the nations covered and the detailed study of a range of cultural products, including literature, cinema, music, art and sport. |
20 | Optional |
Gender and Sexuality in the Hispanic World The principal aim of this module is to provide students with the critical tools to discuss gender and sexuality in nineteenth and twentieth century Spain. The students will engage with the work of five writers – Emilia Pardo Bazán, Rosalía de Castro, Ana María Matute, Dulce Chacón, and Marta Sanz. They will explore questions of gender and sexuality in terms, themes and key concepts that will include modernity, masculinities, maternity, the city, violence, trauma, and representation. The module will also enable students to acquire historical knowledge of Spain as well as wide-ranging skills in literary analysis. |
20 | Optional |
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, “race” and ethnicity. |
20 | Optional |
Popular Music in the Hispanic World The course will combine lectures by staff with student-led seminars, which will be assessed as an integral part of the module for all students. All students will work in a small group to give weekly non-assessed presentations: - To familiarise students with important movements in Latin-American and Iberian music; |
20 | Optional |
Adaptations and transformations In this course students will examine a range of literary texts that have been adapted for the film. They will learn to appreciate the different characteristics associated with the genres studied (including novels, plays, poems, films), gain an insight into the creative processes at work in this transformation and assess the degree of success achieved in adapting these works. |
20 | Optional |
You can also choose to do a dissertation on a Spanish or Latin American topic, or the Learning and Teaching Foreign Languages module. For more information please see our School-wide modules.
The content of our courses is reviewed annually to make sure it is up-to-date and relevant. Individual modules are occasionally updated or withdrawn. This is in response to discoveries through our world-leading research, funding changes, professional accreditation requirements, student or employer feedback, outcomes of reviews, and variations in staff or student numbers. In the event of any change we'll consult and inform students in good time and take reasonable steps to minimise disruption.
Information last updated: 29 January 2021