25 September 2024

Updated content:

Old:

Combine your interest in one of the world’s leading global cultures with your desire to develop a critical and creative understanding of theatre and performance with our Hispanic Studies and Theatre Studies (BA) degree.

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:

Combine your interest in one of the world’s leading global cultures with your desire to develop a critical and creative understanding of theatre and performance with our Hispanic Studies and Theatre Studies (BA) degree. Spanish can be studied from Beginner or Advanced 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:

This degree allows you to develop an in-depth knowledge of the language and culture of the Hispanic world while also exploring Theatre and Performance Studies through both practice and theory.

You benefit from the full range of expertise on offer in both departments, including cultural and historical modules in the School of Modern Languages and Cultures, and specialisms in the Department of Theatre and Performance Studies including theatre in the African context, contemporary European theatre, applied theatre and playwriting.

Theatre and Performance Studies at Warwick takes pride in its national and international reputation for research and teaching excellence. As a student, you will be taught by world-leading scholars, industry professionals and artists who are as passionate about the power of theatre and performance as you are. You will explore how drama, theatre and performance are used to share stories, to laugh, to feel, to understand more deeply, and to change things.

Beyond the course, you will be encouraged to see work and get involved at Warwick Arts Centre, one of the largest multi-artform venues in the UK, and join one of the many award-winning performance-based student societies.

You will normally study abroad in your second or third year of study, immersing yourself in Hispanic culture, in Spain, the Caribbean, or South America.

New:

Hispanic Studies and Theatre Studies is a joint degree, equally weighted between both disciplines and studied in both departments. You will graduate from this course with specialist knowledge and skills in the theatre, and as a highly qualified linguist with advanced intercultural skills. You will have a deep understanding of Hispanic cultures, and a multifaceted knowledge of the study of theatre.

A Hispanic Studies and Theatre Studies degree 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 culture, history and politics of the Hispanic world. Alongside this, you will pursue your interests in theatre, with core and optional modules on topics including historiography, theatre in European and African contexts, applied theatre, and playwriting. You benefit from the full range of expertise on offer in both departments and will be able to explore the synergies between the two subject areas.

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.

Theatre and Performance Studies at Warwick takes pride in its national and international reputation for research and teaching excellence. As a student, you will be taught by world-leading scholars, industry professionals and artists who are as passionate about the power of theatre and performance as you are. You will explore how drama, theatre and performance are used to share stories, to laugh, to feel, to understand more deeply, and to change things. Beyond the course, you will be encouraged to see work and get involved at Warwick Arts Centre, one of the largest multi-artform venues in the UK, and join one of the many award-winning performance-based student societies.

You will normally study abroad in your second or third year of study, immersing yourself in Hispanic culture, in Spain, the Caribbean, or South America. You can spend the year 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 Hispanic cultures, and an advanced knowledge of theatre and performance

Core modules

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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 Theatre Studies, you will take core modules that explore both the theoretical and the practical aspects of Theatre and Performance Studies, enabling you to develop a nuanced understanding of different approaches.

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 Theatre Studies, you will be able to choose modules that reflect your own interests in Theatre and Performance, developing your own specialist knowledge and expertise. Areas of research expertise in the department include applied and community theatre, theatre history, theatre in specific national contexts, representations of gender and sexuality, theatre and mental health, and practices of writing, acting and directing.

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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).

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).

Two Theatre Studies modules:

Theatre and Performance in Context

In this module students will explore the inter-related disciplines of theatre and performance, considering some of the key conceptual and artistic frameworks that have shaped the fields. Throughout the module students will engage with the sociopolitical and historical contexts that have informed these frameworks and the ways in which theatre and performance not only reflects, but also seeks to change and shape, society. The module therefore aims to:

• Equip students with a broad understanding of the key issues and theoretical concepts underpinning the study of theatre and performance
• Investigate how theatre and performance can inform understandings of wider society, including politics, cultures, identities
• Explore the sociopolitical and cultural contexts in which particular theatre and performance events and practices emerged
• Examine how politics and culture intersect with the study of theatre and performance

Read more about the Theatre and Performance in Context 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).

From Text to Performance

Through practical exploration of a number of selected plays and texts, in this module you’ll investigate the process of taking material from page to stage or performance, and the relationship between theory and practice. You’ll have the opportunity to experiment practically with realising multiple texts in performance, considering aspects such as staging, genre, narrative structure, performance strategies, dramaturgical thinking and directorial conceptualization, as well as the changing role and function of the audience.

Read more about the From Text to Performance 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).

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 the School of Modern Languages and Cultures (30 credits) and in Theatre and Performance Studies (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 the School of Modern Languages and Cultures (30 credits) and in Theatre and Performance Studies (60 credits)

New:

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 Theatre Studies, you will take core modules that explore both the theoretical and the practical aspects of Theatre and Performance Studies, enabling you to develop a nuanced understanding of different approaches.

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 Theatre Studies, you will be able to choose modules that reflect your own interests in Theatre and Performance, developing your own specialist knowledge and expertise. Areas of research expertise in the department include applied and community theatre, theatre history, theatre in specific national contexts, representations of gender and sexuality, theatre and mental health, and practices of writing, acting and directing.

---

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).

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

Images and Representations of the Hispanic World

Where did 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? Through the study of representations of the Hispanic world, you'll investigate significant topics including (de)colonisation of the Americas, stereotypical views of the Hispanic world and the imagining of Spanish identity through art and film in the 20th century. You'll be expected to read widely and independently, and to gain the analytical skills needed to conduct close textual and film analysis.

Read more about the Images and Representations of the Hispanic World moduleLink 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).

Two Theatre Studies modules:

Theatre and Performance in Context

In this module students will explore the inter-related disciplines of theatre and performance, considering some of the key conceptual and artistic frameworks that have shaped the fields. Throughout the module students will engage with the sociopolitical and historical contexts that have informed these frameworks and the ways in which theatre and performance not only reflects, but also seeks to change and shape, society. The module therefore aims to:

• Equip students with a broad understanding of the key issues and theoretical concepts underpinning the study of theatre and performance
• Investigate how theatre and performance can inform understandings of wider society, including politics, cultures, identities
• Explore the sociopolitical and cultural contexts in which particular theatre and performance events and practices emerged
• Examine how politics and culture intersect with the study of theatre and performance

Read more about the Theatre and Performance in Context moduleLink 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).

From Text to Performance

Through practical exploration of a number of selected plays and texts, in this module you’ll investigate the process of taking material from page to stage or performance, and the relationship between theory and practice. You’ll have the opportunity to experiment practically with realising multiple texts in performance, considering aspects such as staging, genre, narrative structure, performance strategies, dramaturgical thinking and directorial conceptualization, as well as the changing role and function of the audience.

Read more about the From Text to Performance moduleLink 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).

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 Theatre and Performance Studies (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)