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25 September 2024
Updated content:
Old:
Our Hispanic Studies and History (BA) degree will give you an in-depth knowledge of Spanish language and Hispanic cultures and a multi-faceted, international understanding of the study of history.
You will graduate as a highly qualified linguist, with advanced intercultural skills and a sophisticated understanding of key concepts and debates in two Arts disciplines. The specialist communication, research, critical and evaluative skills you will gain are all highly sought after by employers.
New:
Our Hispanic Studies and History (BA) degree will give you an in-depth knowledge of Spanish language and Hispanic cultures, and a multi-faceted, international understanding of the study of history. Spanish can be taken from Advanced or Beginner level.
You will graduate as a highly qualified linguist, with advanced intercultural skills and a sophisticated understanding of key concepts and debates in two Arts disciplines. The specialist communication, research, critical and evaluative skills you will gain are all highly sought after by employers.
Course overview
Old:
Warwick offers an innovative approach to Hispanic Studies, combining the study of the Spanish language with the study of Hispanic cultures across Europe, the Caribbean, the Americas, including aspects of Hispanic history in Africa and the Pacific. As a global language, Spanish has played an important role in the development of historical narratives and civilisations.
History at Warwick asks you to look critically at the motivations, context and characters behind the events that define world history from the Renaissance to the present day. Our far-reaching approach allows you to explore historical topics in depth from around the globe. The department's expertise spans the British Isles, continental Europe, Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Latin and North America.
A degree in Hispanic Studies and History at Warwick will allow you to combine two specialisms. Firstly, you will be able to develop and refine your skills as a linguist through a programme of modules exploring the Spanish language and the cultures, histories and politics of Hispanic societies. Alongside this, you will pursue your interests in history, with core and optional modules on topics including the history of the Renaissance, the modern history of Britain, France and Russia, and the history of the non-European world.
Your second or third year will normally be spent abroad, consolidating and enhancing your learning.
New:
Hispanic Studies and History is a joint degree, equally weighted between both disciplines and studied in both departments. You will graduate from this course as both a specialist historian and a highly qualified linguist with advanced intercultural skills. You will also have a deep understanding of key issues and developments in the Hispanic world’s past and present, and a multifaceted understanding of the study of history.
A degree in Hispanic Studies and History at Warwick will allow you to combine two specialisms. Firstly, you will be able to develop and refine your skills as a linguist through a programme of modules exploring the Spanish language and the cultures, histories and politics of Hispanic societies. Alongside this, you will pursue your interests in history, with core and optional modules on topics including the history of the Renaissance, the modern history of Britain, France and Russia, and the history of the non-European world.
Warwick offers an innovative approach to Hispanic Studies, combining the study of the Spanish language with the study of Hispanic cultures across Europe, the Caribbean, the Americas, including aspects of Hispanic history in Africa and the Pacific. As a global language, Spanish has played an important role in the development of historical narratives and civilisations.
History at Warwick asks you to look critically at the motivations, context and characters behind the events that define world history from the Renaissance to the present day. Our far-reaching approach allows you to explore historical topics in depth from around the globe. The department's expertise spans the British Isles, continental Europe, Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Latin and North America.
Your second or third year is normally spent abroad, either as a language assistant, working, or studying at one of our partner universities. This is an invaluable opportunity to immerse yourself in the linguistic and cultural contexts where Spanish is spoken, enhance your language skills and build international connections.
You will have access to outstanding facilities and resources. This includes flexible collaborative and individual learning spaces, as well as a vast selection of print, digital and multimedia learning materials.
You will finish your degree as a proficient, internationally mobile linguist with a deep understanding of key issues and developments in the past and present of Hispanic cultures, and an advanced knowledge of global histories.
Core modules:
Old:
In your first year, you will follow a core Spanish language programme at either beginner or advanced level. You will also take either ‘Language, Text, and Identity in the Hispanic World’ or ‘Icons and Representations of the Hispanic World’: these modules will introduce you to different perspectives on Spanish-speaking culture and help you to start developing your skills for cultural analysis.
In History, you will take a core module called ‘Making of the Modern World’, which contextualises later modern history by providing a framework in which major historical processes of the later modern era are studied on a world-wide scale. Alongside this, you will be able to choose one optional module in History.
In your intermediate and final years, you will further develop your Spanish language skills in more advanced language classes. You will be able to develop your own particular interests in Hispanic culture by choosing from a wide selection of modules offered by specialists in Hispanic Studies, including topics on social contexts, literature, politics, philosophy, film, and history. If you wish, you can also select from interdisciplinary cross-School modules. In History, you will also be to balance core knowledge with the opportunity to explore your own interests through optional modules.
You will develop a thorough understanding of the Spanish language and Hispanic cultures alongside a multifaceted comprehension of historical processes.
Year One
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 your 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.
Read more about Modern Spanish Language 1Link opens in a new windowLink opens in a new window, including the methods of teaching and assessment (content applies to 2023/24 year of study).
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.
Read more about Modern Spanish Language for BeginnersLink opens in a new windowLink opens in a new window, including the methods of teaching and assessment (content applies to 2023/24 year of study).
History module:
Making of the Modern World
We live in the here and now. But what got us here? This module studies the string of major social, political, and cultural developments that established our modern world. Radical (and not so radical) ideas from the Enlightenment, the industrial revolution’s structural transformations of how we work, build and buy things, and the struggles and stumbles of imperialism, capitalism and globalisation have gone far to set terms of life in the twenty-first century. The module will also help you develop your critical voice as a historian while asking comparative questions about historical difference across the world.
Read more about the Making of the Modern World moduleLink opens in a new windowLink opens in a new window, including the methods of teaching and assessment (content applies to 2023/24 year of study).
Plus one optional module in History (30 credits)
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.
Read more about Language, Text and Identity in the Hispanic WorldLink opens in a new windowLink opens in a new window, including the methods of teaching and assessment (content applies to 2023/24 year of study).
or
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.
Read more about Icons and Representations of the Hispanic WorldLink opens in a new windowLink opens in a new window, including the methods of teaching and assessment (content applies to 2023/24 year of study).
Intermediate Year
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.
Read more about Modern Spanish Language 2Link opens in a new windowLink opens in a new window, including the methods of teaching and assessment (content applies to 2023/24 year of study).
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 on 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.
Read more about Modern Spanish Language 2 (Post-beginners)Link opens in a new windowLink opens in a new window, including the methods of teaching and assessment (content applies to 2023/24 year of study).
A selection of optional modules in the School of Modern Languages and Cultures (30 credits) and in History (60 credits)
Final Year
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.
Read more about Modern Spanish Language 3Link opens in a new windowLink opens in a new window, including the methods of teaching and assessment (content applies to 2023/24 year of study).
A selection of optional modules in the School of Modern Languages and Cultures (30 credits) and in History (60 credits)
Hispanic Studies and History is a joint degree, equally weighted between both disciplines and studied in both departments.
In your first year, you will follow a core Spanish language programme at either Beginner or Advanced level. You will also take either ‘Language, Text, and Identity in the Hispanic World’ or ‘Icons and Representations of the Hispanic World’: these modules will introduce you to different perspectives on Spanish-speaking culture and help you to start developing your skills for cultural analysis.
In History, you will take a core module called ‘Making of the Modern World’, which contextualises later modern history by providing a framework in which major historical processes of the later modern era are studied on a world-wide scale. Alongside this, you will be able to choose one optional module in History.
In your intermediate and final years, you will further develop your Spanish language skills in more advanced language classes. You will be able to develop your own particular interests in Hispanic culture by choosing from a wide selection of modules offered by specialists in Hispanic Studies, including topics on social contexts, literature, politics, philosophy, film, and history. If you wish, you can also select from interdisciplinary cross-School modules. In History, you will also be to balance core knowledge with the opportunity to explore your own interests through optional modules.
You will spend either the second or third year of your course in a Spanish-speaking country, consolidating your language learning. After the Year Abroad, you will continue your study of the Spanish language and will be able to choose from a wide variety of options in both departments, including a dissertation module.
You will develop a thorough understanding of the Spanish language and Hispanic cultures alongside a multifaceted comprehension of historical processes.
Year One
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 your 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.
Read more about Modern Spanish Language 1Link opens in a new windowLink opens in a new window, including the methods of teaching and assessment (content applies to 2024/25 year of study).
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.
Read more about Modern Spanish Language for BeginnersLink opens in a new windowLink opens in a new window, including the methods of teaching and assessment (content applies to 2024/25 year of study).
History module:
Making of the Modern World
We live in the here and now. But what got us here? This module studies the string of major social, political, and cultural developments that established our modern world. Radical (and not so radical) ideas from the Enlightenment, the industrial revolution’s structural transformations of how we work, build and buy things, and the struggles and stumbles of imperialism, capitalism and globalisation have gone far to set terms of life in the twenty-first century. The module will also help you develop your critical voice as a historian while asking comparative questions about historical difference across the world.
Read more about the Making of the Modern World module, including the methods of teaching and assessment (content applies to 2024/25 year of study).
Plus one optional module in History (30 credits)
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.
Read more about Language, Text and Identity in the Hispanic WorldLink opens in a new windowLink opens in a new window, including the methods of teaching and assessment (content applies to 2024/25 year of study).
or
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.
Read more about Icons and Representations of the Hispanic WorldLink opens in a new windowLink opens in a new window, including the methods of teaching and assessment (content applies to 2023/24 year of study).
Intermediate Year
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.
Read more about Modern Spanish Language 2Link opens in a new windowLink opens in a new window, including the methods of teaching and assessment (content applies to 2024/25 year of study).
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 on 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.
Read more about Modern Spanish Language 2 (Post-beginners)Link opens in a new windowLink opens in a new window, including the methods of teaching and assessment (content applies to 2024/25 year of study).
A selection of optional modules in Hispanic Studies and the School of Modern Languages and Cultures, including translation and cross-School thematic modules (30 credits).
Optional modules in History must include at least 30 credits of Early Modern (pre-1800) material (60 credits).
Final Year
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.
Read more about Modern Spanish Language 3Link opens in a new windowLink opens in a new window, including the methods of teaching and assessment (content applies to 2024/25 year of study).
A selection of optional modules in Hispanic Studies and the School of Modern Languages and Cultures, including translation and cross-School thematic modules (30 credits)
Optional modules in History (60 credits)