Core modules
This joint degree is 50:50 between Politics and Modern Languages, with an optional split of 75:25 in the final year.
It is four years long and includes a year of study or work placement abroad in the third year in a country where Spanish is an official language.
You can focus on a range of sub-fields including:
- Culture and identity in Latin America
- Foreign policy
- Foundations of the Hispanic world
- International political economy
- International relations
- Political systems
- Political theory
We will tackle areas in this degree including how political ideologies affect culture and society, and how theoretical perspectives can help us understand global problems like hunger, poverty, and war.
Year One
Introduction to Politics
Introduction to Politics gives you a broad overview of the main issues and theoretical perspectives within Politics. You'll learn first to understand and then apply the core concepts of comparative political science and theory to processes, institutions, ideologies and practical policy-making. You'll conduct a comparative study of different political systems and political change, both in writing and in open debate.
World Politics
In this module, you'll be introduced to world politics and the role that international relations plays in the interactions between nations. You'll gain a solid understanding of the historical underpinnings of the structure and systems of states, and become familiar with major theories of international relations post-1945. You'll analyse contemporary writings on world politics and engage critically, both orally and in writing, with key concepts and theoretical debates on the nature of international political systems.
Modern Spanish Language 1
Do you have A level or an equivalent in Spanish and want to consolidate, extend and refine your skills? This module will equip you with sound grammatical and linguistic foundations, with the aim of increasing your confidence in reading, listening, speaking and writing in Spanish. You'll use authentic resources in a variety of media from around the Hispanic world, including books, articles, newspapers, television, music, and podcasts, as well as taking part in our virtual language exchange with students at the Universidad Javeriana de Bogotá, Colombia, a fantastic way to expand your linguistic and intercultural skills outside the classroom. During the module, you will develop their skills through a combination of classroom sessions, guided learning activities and appropriate self-study resources. Weekly classes will cover reading, language in use, grammar and functional aspects of Spanish such as translation, extended writing and oral expression, which are reinforced through complementary activities on Moodle, our multimedia VLE.
or
Modern Spanish Language for Beginners
As a beginner in the acquisition of the Spanish language, you’ll gain a keen grammatical awareness, a sound understanding of cultures and societies across the Hispanic world, and most of all, confidence in reading, listening, speaking and writing in Spanish. Using authentic resources, including newspapers, television and radio, you are expected to end your first year able to sustain everyday conversations in Spanish, read authentic texts, follow TV extracts and write at an intermediate level in Spanish. You'll also work on basic translations to and from Spanish as a means of consolidating your knowledge.
A Hispanic Studies cultural module:
Language, Text and Identity in the Hispanic World
How has the Spanish language travelled around the world and what happens when it co-exists with other languages? How do writers use language to explore identity, and what happens when they work between two (or more) languages? What skills do we need as readers to interpret the nuances of texts that travel between languages? This module will equip you with an understanding of the cultural and sociolinguistic diversity of the Hispanic world, and a strong grounding in the literary and cultural analysis of texts that address this diversity.
Icons and Representations of the Hispanic World
Have you ever wondered where the familiar stereotypes of Spain and Latin America come from? How have they circulated and been received at different times and in different places? And how have Spaniards and Latin Americans represented themselves to travellers, tourists, artists, and even invaders? The module will introduce you to a wide range of written and visual representations of the Hispanic world, and some of its most influential and iconic cultural figures. We investigate topics which, in different ways, pose important questions about studying other languages and cultures.
Year Two
You can spend this year studying abroad, or on a work placement. Alternatively you can study the following modules this year, and spend the next year abroad instead.
Political Theory from Hobbes: Seeking Freedom and Equality
How should human beings be governed? The thinkers you'll study – from Hobbes to Marx – had very different answers to this question. Building on your understanding of political philosophy, you'll read significant primary and secondary texts to develop your understanding of how political convictions are shaped by the context and history of individual thought and social interaction. You'll confront and assess complex ideas in political theory, and present and defend your point of view, both orally and in writing.
Modern Spanish Language 2
On this module, you'll extend your competence in Spanish. You'll deepen your understanding of advanced grammatical and linguistic structures, increase the range and sophistication of your vocabulary, and refine your use of register in authentic spoken and written discourse. You'll use resources from a variety of media from around the Hispanic world, and take part in our virtual language exchange, where you will have the opportunity to work online with students in Spain and Latin America. At the end of the course, you should have sufficient mastery to discuss different topics, report on your independent reading and support your opinions with solid arguments.
or
Modern Spanish Language 2 (Post-beginners)
This module for students who started as beginners follows the first year module HP102 and seeks to consolidate the language skills gained in students’ first year of study. The aim of this module is to further extend and refine competence in modern Spanish. It covers the main linguistic skills (oral, aural, reading and writing), and seeks to promote the continued acquisition of grammatical awareness and essential communicative competences. At the end of the course, you will be able to understand discourse about concrete and abstract topics, to give presentations about different subjects, to report on the results of your independent reading and research, and to state your point of view and support it with solid arguments.
Year Three
Your third year will normally be spent abroad. If you did not spend your second year abroad, you will spend this year studying abroad, or on a work placement. If you spent your second year abroad, you will then follow the syllabus below for your third year.
Political Theory from Hobbes: Seeking Freedom and Equality
How should human beings be governed? The thinkers you'll study – from Hobbes to Marx – had very different answers to this question. Building on your understanding of political philosophy, you'll read significant primary and secondary texts to develop your understanding of how political convictions are shaped by the context and history of individual thought and social interaction. You'll confront and assess complex ideas in political theory, and present and defend your point of view, both orally and in writing.
Modern Spanish Language 2
On this module, you'll extend your competence in Spanish. You'll deepen your understanding of advanced grammatical and linguistic structures, increase the range and sophistication of your vocabulary, and refine your use of register in authentic spoken and written discourse. You'll use resources from a variety of media from around the Hispanic world, and take part in our virtual language exchange, where you will have the opportunity to work online with students in Spain and Latin America. At the end of the course, you should have sufficient mastery to discuss different topics, report on your independent reading and support your opinions with solid arguments.
Year Four
Issues in Political Theory
Should parents send their children to private schools? Is freedom of movement a moral right? Is it unjust to rear animals for food? Who should bear the costs of climate change? You'll explore fundamental questions of political morality by critically analysing complex arguments from contemporary political philosophy. You'll study closely John Rawls’s theory of justice, and consider the rival theories of Robert Nozick, G. A. Cohen and Ronald Dworkin. You'll have practical opportunities to develop and defend your own ethical standpoint through your considered judgements on current dilemmas, taking into account opposing arguments and perspectives.
Modern Spanish Language 3
This module will consolidate your linguistic skills acquired in the intermediate year and extend them through translation, writing, reading, speaking and listening activities. A range of assessments will be offered for students to track and reflect on their progress through the provision of regular feedback. Students will also be provided with complementary autonomous learning and grammar activities and directed to appropriate activities for self-study in order to develop independent learning strategies.
The aim of this module is to refine fluency in spoken and written Spanish, working towards a C2 standard of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). Emphasis will be placed on sophisticated translation and writing, as well as oral and comprehension skills, using an appropriate range of complex linguistic structures, vocabulary, register and style.
Optional modules
Year Two - optional modules in Politics
- Introduction to Qualitative Methods
- Introduction
- Introduction to Social Analytics II
- Understanding Social Inequalities
- Politics of International Development
- Politics in the UK
- Politics of the USA
- Theories of International Relations
- Politics of Contemporary China
- States and Markets: An Introduction to International Political Economy
- International Security
- Core Issues in Comparative Politics
- Themes in European Integration
- Capitalism and its Alternatives
- Political Economy and the Liberal Democratic State
- Introduction to Comparative Public Policy
- 21st Century Challenges and Public Policy Solutions
- Introduction to Qualitative Methods
- Introduction to Social Analytics I
- Introduction to Social Analytics II
- Understanding Social Inequalities
- Intermediate Social Analytics: Survey Design and Data Collection
- Intermediate Social Analytics: Survey Analysis and Reporting
Year Two - optional modules in Hispanic Studies
- Latin American Counterpoints: Cultural Representations of Slavery in the 20th Century
- Illusion and Reality, Doubt and Deceit: The Baroque Obsession with Unc
- Screening Spain: Spanish Film in Context
- Postmodernism and Popular Culture in Latin America
- Love, Death, and Desire in the Golden Age
- Journeys and Cityscapes in Latin American Film
- Climate Fictions in the Hispanic World
- Gender and Translation in the Hispanic World
- Memory and the Spanish Civil War
- The Disappeared: Literature and Culture from Argentina and Chile
- Crime and Punishment in Spanish Film
- Knowing Women: Gender, Education and Power in Hispanic Writing
Year Three - optional modules in Politics
- Politics of International Development
- Politics in the UK
- Politics of the USA
- Theories of International Relations
- Politics of Contemporary China
- States and Markets: An Introduction to International Political Economy
- International Security
- Core Issues in Comparative Politics
- Themes in European Integration
- Capitalism and its Alternatives
- Political Economy and the Liberal Democratic State
- Introduction to Comparative Public Policy
- 21st Century Challenges and Public Policy Solutions
- Introduction to Qualitative Methods
- Introduction to Social Analytics I
- Introduction to Social Analytics II
- Understanding Social Inequalities
- Intermediate Social Analytics: Survey Design and Data Collection
- Intermediate Social Analytics: Survey Analysis and Reporting
Year Three - optional modules in Hispanic Studies
- Latin American Counterpoints: Cultural Representations of Slavery in the 20th Century
- Illusion and Reality, Doubt and Deceit: The Baroque Obsession with Uncertainty
- Screening Spain: Spanish Film in Context
- Postmodernism and Popular Culture in Latin America
- Love, Death, and Desire in the Golden Age
- Journeys and Cityscapes in Latin American Film
- Climate Fictions in the Hispanic World
- Gender and Translation in the Hispanic World
- Memory and the Spanish Civil War
- The Disappeared: Literature and Culture from Argentina and Chile
- Crime and Punishment in Spanish Film
- Knowing Women: Gender, Education and Power in Hispanic Writing
Year Four - optional modules in Politics
- Issues in Political Theory
- Gender and Development
- Governing Britain Since 1918
- European Union Policy-Making
- Politics of Globalisation
- United States Foreign Policy
- Britain and the War on Terror
- Critical Security Studies
- Vigilant State: The Politics of Intelligence
- East Asian Transformations: A Political Economy Perspective
- State, Power, Freedom: European Political Theory
- The Political Economy of Money
- International Relations of the Americas
- Latin America: Democratisation and Development
- War in the 21st Century
- Politics and Culture in the Middle East
- Violence, Rights, Justice and Peace in the Middle East
- The Global Energy Challenge
- The Politics of Climate Change
- Applying Quantitative Methods to Social Research
- Experiments in the Social Sciences and Humanities
- Public Opinion
- Determinants of Democracy
- Dissertation
Year Four - optional modules in Hispanic Studies
- Latin American Counterpoints: Cultural Representations of Slavery in the 20th Century
- Illusion and Reality, Doubt and Deceit: The Baroque Obsession with Uncertainty
- Screening Spain: Spanish Film in Context
- Postmodernism and Popular Culture in Latin America
- Love, Death, and Desire in the Golden Age
- Journeys and Cityscapes in Latin American Film
- Climate Fictions in the Hispanic World
- Gender and Translation in the Hispanic World
- Memory and the Spanish Civil War
- The Disappeared: Literature and Culture from Argentina and Chile
- Crime and Punishment in Spanish Film
- Knowing Women: Gender, Education and Power in Hispanic Writing
