Disciplines and areas of study
Spanish (with Portuguese, Catalan and Galician)
Program Coordinator: Ms Ana Maria Ducasse.
In all-important senses??in terms of demography, the extent of its administrative use, and its cultural impact??Spanish is one of the world's major languages.
It is one of the two main languages of the Latin American countries, the principal one of Spain, and the most widely spoken language after English in the United States. It is used by more than 400 million people. It is the medium of such major works of literature as Don Quixote and One Hundred Years of Solitude, and such well-known film directors as Pedro Almodóvar and Luis Buñuel.
The Spanish Program provides a comprehensive range of units within the general area of Hispanic and Iberian studies: that is, Spanish language, literature and culture at a number of different levels, Portuguese language in both its forms (those of Portugal and Brazil, spoken by more than 150 million people), Catalan (some seven million speakers), and Galician, one of the three historic languages of Spain. Latin American literature and culture occupy an equally important place in the program’s offerings.
Units fall into two types: core Spanish language units, which all students take, and Elective, specialised units, in which students can extend their particular interests.
Spanish language units cater separately for all levels of Spanish: from the complete beginner, to the student from a native-speaking background, to students with an advanced knowledge of Spanish. Catalan is available at the beginner’s level while Portuguese is offered for both beginners and for students with an advanced knowledge of the language.
Unless indicated otherwise, the taught language is the principal medium of communication.
All core language units contain elements of general culture and civilisation analysed through the study of written, audio and visual material. A great deal of emphasis is placed on competence in the language (or languages) studied, but linguistic competence is not the sole aim of study.
Students are encouraged to develop an interest in a specific area of Hispanic studies (such as in the fields of literature and/or culture) that fall within the program’s ambit, or in related disciplines taught in other programs and disciplines (for example, Latin American studies, European studies and linguistics).
Students may apply to do in-country study programs in Spanish (and in Catalan, Galician and Portuguese) through the university’s exchange programs. These are available both in Spain and in various Latin American countries. Competitive La Trobe language study scholarships may be applied for to support such study. Students contemplating honours studies are particularly encouraged to pursue these opportunities.
Unit nomenclature
Throughout this section of the Handbook, the nomenclature Spanish Advanced 1 is used to denote the combination of Spanish Advanced 1A and 1B. Spanish Beginners 1 is used to denote the combination of Spanish Beginners 1A and 1B, and so on. When appropriate, the individual semester units are referred to specifically.
References to Spanish 1A, 1B, as incompatible units refer to those units offered in previous years.
Program of study
To meet the requirements for a major in the Spanish Program, students must take 130 credit points within the program, of which 60 credit points must be at third year level. Students undertaking a major in Spanish are encouraged to include at least one semester of one of Catalan, Galician or Portuguese. Students will normally take one of the following programs of study after consultation with the program’s unit coordinators:
Advanced students (those with VCE Spanish or an equivalent qualification): 30 credit points of Spanish Advanced 1, 40 credit points of Spanish Advanced 2, Spanish Advanced 3A (20 credit points) and a further 40 credit points of Spanish program units at third year level.
Beginner students (those who begin first year with no prior knowledge of Spanish): 30 credit points of Spanish Beginners 1, 40 credit points of Spanish Beginners 2 and of Spanish Beginners 3, and a further 20 credit points of Spanish program units at third year level.
Intermediate students (those with a prior knowledge of Spanish but without VCE Spanish or an equivalent qualification): 30 credit points of Spanish Advanced 1, 40 credit points of Spanish Advanced 2, Spanish Advanced 3A (20 credit points) and a further 40 credit points of Spanish program units at third year level.
All students undertaking studies in the Spanish Program at third year level must enrol in Spanish Advanced 3A or Spanish Beginners 3, unless they have the approval of the Program Coordinator to do otherwise.
| Teaching period | Unit title | Unit code |
|---|---|---|
| First year units (15 credit points) | ||
| TE-SEM-1 | Spanish Advanced 1A | SPA1ADA |
| TE-SEM-1 | Spanish Beginners 1A | SPA1BEA |
| TE-SEM-2 | Spanish Advanced 1B |
SPA1ADB |
| TE-SEM-2 | Spanish Beginners 1A2 | SPA1BEA |
| TE-SEM-2 | Spanish Beginners 1B | SPA1BEB |
| Teaching period | Second year units (20 credit points) | Unit code |
| TE-SEM-1 | Spanish Advanced 2A | SPA2ADA |
| TE-SEM-1 | Spanish Beginners 2A | SPA2BEA |
| TE-SEM-1 | Spanish Intermediate 2A | SPA2INA |
| TE-SEM-2 | Spanish Advanced 2B | SPA2ADB |
| TE-SEM-2 | Spanish Beginners 2B | SPA2BEB |
| TE-SEM-2 | Spanish Intermediate 2B | SPA2INB |
| Teaching period | Second or third year units (20 credit points) | Unit code |
| TE-SEM-1 | Catalan Beginners 2A/3A2 | CAT2BEA/CAT3BEA |
| TE-SEM-1 | European Languages in Context: issues in language | EST2ELC/EST3ELC |
| TE-SEM-1 | Galician Beginners 2A/3A2 | GAL2BEA/GAL3BEA |
| TE-SEM-1 | Portuguese Advanced 2A/3A2 | PTG2ADA/PTG3ADA |
| TE-SEM-1 | Portuguese Beginners 2A/3A2 | PTG2BEA/PTG3BEA |
| TE-SEM-1 | Postcolonial Identities1 | SPA2PCI/SPA3PCI |
| TE-SEM-1 | Spain Today1 | SPA2SPT/SPA3SPT |
| TE-SEM-2 | Catalan Beginners 2B/3B2 | CAT2BEB/CAT3BEB |
| TE-SEM-2 | Cuba: The Special Period1 | SPA2CSP/SPA3CSP |
| TE-SEM-2 | Galician Beginners 2B/3B2 | GAL2BEB/GAL3BEB |
| TE-SEM-2 | Portuguese Advanced 2B/3B2 | PTG2ADB/PTG3ADB |
| TE-SEM-2 | Portuguese Beginners 2B/3B2 | PTG2BEB/PTG3BEB |
| TE-SEM-2 | Latin America Today | SPA2LAT/SPA3LAT |
| Teaching period | Third year units (20 credit points) | Unit code |
| TE-SEM-1 | Reading Course A | SPA3RCA |
| TE-SEM-1 | Contemporary Hispanic Literature1 | SPA3SCL |
| TE-SEM-1 | Spanish Beginners 3A | SPA3BEA |
| TE-SEM-2 | Reading Course B | SPA3RCB |
| TE-SEM-2 | Spanish Advanced 3A | SPA3ADA |
| TE-SEM-2 | Spanish Beginners 3B | SPA3BEB |
| TE-SEM-2 | Hispanic Women’s Writing1 | SPA3SWW |
- Key: 1 Not available in 2008.
- 2 Subject to enrolments, staff and funding availability.
Honours
The Spanish fourth year honours program consists of a research essay of 15000 words on an approved topic and two units at fourth year level. Depending on staff availability and expertise, students may undertake an honours program in aspects of Hispanic, Portuguese, Catalan or Galician literature, language and/or culture.
Students wishing to enter fourth year honours in the Spanish Program will normally have completed a major in Spanish or equivalent and have at least a B-grade average in their Spanish units. Students are encouraged to include additional Spanish units, units that will broaden their knowledge of Spain and/or Latin America, and to consider in-country study during their undergraduate course.
Students considering honours should consult the Honours Coordinator before re-enrolling for their third year, in order to plan a suitable course structure on which to base an honours year. Towards the end of the third year, intending honours students should consult the Honours Coordinator concerning the composition of their honours year, the thesis topic and the supervisor.
A full description of these units (including the unit name, unit code, credit points, campus/location, unit coordinator, class requirements, assessment, prerequisites and readings) appears below. For the most recent descriptions of all units, please access the unit database at www.latrobe.edu.au/udb_public.