Course overview
On this course you will study Spanish and aspects of the history, culture, cinema and literature of Spain and Spanish America. You will also have the possibility of continuing with Portuguese language beyond your first year and studying aspects of the histories, cultures and literatures of the Lusophone (Portuguese-speaking) world, including Portugal, Brazil and Lusophone Africa.
Year one
You will begin a structured course in Spanish to take you from A level to degree level and also begin the study of Portuguese. You are introduced to aspects of modern Spanish, Portuguese and Latin American literature, culture and history. The History core is learning history, a skill and methodology based module to help reflection on the nature of history as a discipline and develop skills required for the writing and debating of history.
Year two
You will develop your knowledge of both Spanish and, if you continue with it, Portuguese to prepare you for the year abroad and deepen and widen your knowledge of more specialist aspects of modern Spanish, Portuguese and Latin American literature, culture and history.
The core element in History is provided by the Contemporary World since 1945, which deals not just with global developments, political and economic, social and cultural, environmental and demographic, but also explores key historical debates concerning the immediate origins of the world in which we now live. In addition, you will be able to select more specific optional modules from an extensive menu, covering an extremely wide chronological and geographical range.
Year three
Usually spent in Spain or Spanish America (normally in two countries) or, if you choose to pursue Portuguese, one semester in a Spanish-speaking country and one semester in Portugal or Brazil, either studying in a higher education institution, working as an assistant in a school or on a work placement.
Year four
In Hispanic Studies, you will build on your language acquisition in year three to develop your language skills to degree level, and will select specialist options study from a range of topics. In history, you will select a special subject and one optional module.
More information
See also the
School of History.
Entry requirements
A levels: AAA-AAB, including A in spanish and A history at A level
English language requirements
IELTS 7.0 (no less than 6.0 in any element)
TOEFL iBT 100 (minimum 19 with 20 in Speaking).
Alternative requirements
For details please see alternative qualifications page.
Flexible admissions policy
We may make some applicants an offer lower than advertised, depending on their personal and educational circumstances.
Modules
The modules we offer are inspired by the research interests of our staff and as a result, may change from year to year. The following list is therefore subject to change but should give you a flavour of the modules we offer.
Typical year-one modules
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Lengua Española: I
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Learning History (20 Credits)
Typical year-two modules
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Lengua Española: II
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Exploring Historiography
Typical year-three modules
Year spent abroad.
Please see the Department of Spanish, Portuguese & Latin American Studies Year Abroad page.
Typical year-four modules
Typical optional modules
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Introduction to the Medieval World 500-1500
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Introduction to Literature in Spanish
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Communities, Crime and Punishment in England c.1500-1800
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Modern Spanish and Spanish American Literature and Film
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July Crisis: The Outbreak and Origins of the Great War
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Renaissance Culture in Text, Image and Film
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The Victorians: Life, Thought and Culture
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Metropolis and Empire: Spain, Portugal and the Americas 1492 to Independence
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The Great Plague and Great Fire of London: Society, Culture and Disaster
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Advanced Spanish Translation
Careers
You will have a broad knowledge of the literatures, cultures and histories of the countries you have studied. You will have developed critical abilities, especially through the module exploring historiography, which involves planning, researching and writing a 5,000-word analysis of the historiography of a topic of your choice. Your language skills will be advanced and your international experience will have proved you to be adaptable and independent.
Average starting salary
The average starting salary for 2010/11 full-time graduates of the Department of Spanish, Portuguese and Latin American Studies was £16,622.*
*Average starting salary from known destinations of first-degree leavers who studied full-time, 2010/11.
Careers Support and Advice
Studying for a degree at The University of Nottingham will provide you with the type of skills and experiences that will prove invaluable in any career, whichever direction you decide to take. Throughout your time with us, our Careers and Employability Service can work with you to improve your employability skills even further; assisting with job or course applications, searching for appropriate work experience placements and hosting events to bring you closer to a wide range of prospective employers.
Have a look at our Careers page for an overview of all the employability support and opportunities that we provide to current students.
KIS
Key Information Sets (KIS)
KIS is an initiative that the government has introduced to allow you to compare different courses and universities.
Assessment
This course contains a period of study abroad. The assessment consists of a grammar and translation exercise, completed in class during week one under exam conditions, and a written report on a topic related to the year abroad. This is submitted in week two.
The grammar and translation exercise tests knowledge on all grammatical structures studied in years one and two. The report should be 500 words, word processed and about a relevant cultural, social, political or religious aspect of the country where the year was spent. The average of both pieces gives 10% of the final mark for each final year language module.