In the Department of SPLAS you can study Spanish and the languages and culture of Spain, Portugal and Latin America through literature, art, theatre, film, music, history and media.

You do not need to have studied Spanish before coming to us. About half of our students are beginners when they start their studies.

If you are studying Spanish as part of the BA (International) or BA (World Languages) you can spend Year 3 in Spain or Mexico.

Key aspects of the course:

• Spanish language at all levels
• Spanish as a global language
• contemporary Spanish narrative
• aspects of contemporary Iberian and Latin American culture and society
• pedagogy and teaching of Spanish
• the work of Cervantes and Golden Age writers
• Latino writers in the US from Puerto Rico, Mexico and Cuba
• Spanish and Latin American theatre and film, among others

You can also study Portuguese, Catalan, Basque or Galician (Gallego).

Year 1 Modules:

HS1101 First Year Spanish Language for Beginners (15 credits);

HS1102 First Year Spanish Language for Non-Beginners (10 credits);

HS1030 Introduction to Spanish and Latin American Studies (5 credits) (for Non-Beginners Only);

As well as your language learning, you will work in small groups to prepare a written project on an aspect of Spanish or Latin American culture, including history, politics, language, literature, music, art, film or theatre.

Year 2 Modules: 

Core:

Second Year Spanish Language Course (Ex-Beginners); Second Year Spanish Language Course (Ex-Non Beginners)

Electives:

Culture and Society in the Spanish Golden Age: An Introduction; Dissertation; Business, Culture and Society in Spain and Portugal; Contemporary Writing from Spain; Contemporary Hispanic Theatre; Iberian Identities; Understanding Latin America; Basque Language and Culture; Catalan Language and Culture; Galician Language and Culture; Linguistic Aspects of Spanish; Art and Visual Culture of the Spanish Golden Age; US Hispanic Fiction; Latino Writers in Focus; Cinema and Identity in Spain and Latin America

Year 3*4 Modules

Core:

Spanish Language

Electives:

Culture and Society in the Hispanic World; History and Society in Spanish Literature; Aspects of Teaching Spanish as a Foreign Language; Linguistic Aspects of Spanish as a Global Language; Stages of Exile in Hispanic Theatre; International Work Placement; Year Abroad Language Programme; Catalan Language and Culture; Galician Language and Culture; Truth and Fiction in Cervantes's 'Novelas Ejemplares'; Golden Age Drama; Gender, Violence and Power on the US-Mexico Border; Latin American Human Rights in a Historical and Cultural Context; Minor Disserataion

* BA International students spend third year studying in an approved foreign university in a country of the student's major language or subject.  They will return to complete their final year in UCC in year 4.

See the College Calendar for additional information on Programmes and the Book of Modules for further information on modules.

Refer to CK101, CK108 and CK110.

Refer to CK101, CK108 and CK110. Students choose Arts subjects when registering for first year.

Expected lecture hours: Contact hours will vary depending on levels and course combinations. However, you will always have about three hours per week of language classes if you come to us as a non-beginner and four hours per week if you are a beginner in Spanish. Most of the options are taught in one semester and involve two hours per week of contact.

Expected reading/lab/practical hours: Additional hours will be required for reading, class preparation, laboratory practice and group work.

Written exams will take place before Christmas and in May.  Not all modules will have written examinations.  Many modules use other types of assessment including written and oral examinations, essays, group projects, presentations, learning journals and others.

Our teaching staff are internationally recognised experts in their field and include, among others, specialists on:

• the history and culture of Spain’s Golden Age
• Spanish and Latin American theatre
• Mexican culture
• Galician language and literature
• Hispanic cinemas
• Latin American cultural and social history
• contemporary Spanish poetry and narrative
• pedagogy and applied linguistics

You can find out more here.