- UCAS course code
- RRK5
- UCAS institution code
- M20
Bachelor of Arts (BA)
BA Spanish and Portuguese
Gain specialist language and culture skills with a focus on Spain, Portugal and Latin America.
- Typical A-level offer: ABB including specific subjects
- Typical contextual A-level offer: BBC including specific subjects
- Refugee/care-experienced offer: BBC including specific subjects
- Typical International Baccalaureate offer: 34 points overall with 6,5,5 at HL including specific subjects
Fees and funding
Fees
Tuition fees for home students commencing their studies in September 2025 will be £9,535 per annum (subject to Parliamentary approval). Tuition fees for international students will be £26,500 per annum. For general information please see the undergraduate finance pages.
Policy on additional costs
All students should normally be able to complete their programme of study without incurring additional study costs over and above the tuition fee for that programme. Any unavoidable additional compulsory costs totalling more than 1% of the annual home undergraduate fee per annum, regardless of whether the programme in question is undergraduate or postgraduate taught, will be made clear to you at the point of application. Further information can be found in the University's Policy on additional costs incurred by students on undergraduate and postgraduate taught programmes (PDF document, 91KB).
Scholarships/sponsorships
- Find out more from student finance
- Eligible UK students can apply for bursaries and scholarships
- Funding for EU and international students is on our country-specific pages
- Many students work part-time or complete a student internship
Course unit details:
Introduction to the Cultures of the Lusophone World
Unit code | SPLA10130 |
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Credit rating | 20 |
Unit level | Level 1 |
Teaching period(s) | Full year |
Available as a free choice unit? | No |
Overview
This unit provides a cultural and historical introduction to the Lusophone world, paying particular attention to the diverse cultures that emerged from Portugal’s maritime expansion in the 15th and 16th centuries. It focuses on foundational texts and films from across history that define cultural identities in Portugal, Brazil and Lusophone Africa, analysing the representation of colonial and anti-colonial experiences in these works. It also introduces students to some key literary and cultural figures in the Lusophone world.
Pre/co-requisites
This course is not available as a free-choice option and can only be taken by students who are also taking SPLA52010 (Portuguese Language 1) or SPLA52020 (Portuguese Language 2). Co-requisites for post A-Level: SPLA52030 (Portuguese Language 3).
Aims
- To introduce students to the diverse cultural expression of the Lusophone world, including key writers and artists
- To emphasise changes to the logic of Portuguese colonialism in different places and at different times
- To provide a background for contextual study of modern colonial and postcolonial cultures
- To afford insights into the ways in which literature worked to reinforce, resist and rewrite the dominant ideas and practices that emanated from Portuguese colonialism and Brazilian nationalism at different points in history
Syllabus
Below is an indicative list of texts to be studied on this unit:
Semester 1: Portugal and Lusophone Africa
Introduction to Portuguese maritime expansion
Luís de Camões, “The Old Man of Restelo” and “The Isle of Love” from Os Lusíadas (The Lusiads)
Zezé Gamboa, O Herói (film)
Chianca de Garcia, A Aldeia da Roupa Branca (The Village with the White Clothes) (film).
Luís Bernardo Honwana, Nós Matámos o Cão-Tinhoso (We Killed Mangy Dog) (selected stories).
José Saramago, A Jangada de Pedra (The Stone Raft)
Semester 2: Brazil
Introduction: the discovery of Brazil. Pêro Vaz de Caminha, Letter on the Discovery of Brazil.
José de Alencar, Iracema
Oswald de Andrade, Manifesto Antropófago
Aluísio Azevedo, O Cortiço
dir. Anna Muylaert. The Second Mother
Nelson Pereira dos Santos, Como era gostoso o meu francês (How Tasty Was My Little Frenchman) (film).
Revision
Teaching and learning methods
- Lecture
- Seminar
- Film screenings
Knowledge and understanding
- Demonstrate knowledge of Portuguese maritime and colonial history and its legacies
- Demonstrate knowledge of the processes that led to Brazilian independence and to its post-independence search for national and cultural identity
- Relate this knowledge to key texts and films from the Age of Discoveries to the present day
Intellectual skills
- Develop close reading skills and the ability to contextualise historically
- Engage with and analyse literary and cinematic texts
- Improve reading knowledge of Portuguese
Practical skills
- Communicate more effectively orally and in writing
- Organise time efficiently and prepare work in advance
- Present work well and use referencing systems correctly
Transferable skills and personal qualities
- Work in a team
- Show enhanced intercultural understanding
- Evaluate material critically
- Work to deadlines
Employability skills
- Other
- Students will develop their communicative skills by writing and debating ideas in a clear, concise and coherent manner. They will also cultivate their ability to analyse, evaluate and critique a wide range of material. They will improve their knowledge of the Portuguese language and be able to demonstrate a broad understanding of Lusophone culture and history.
Assessment methods
Assessment Task | Formative or Summative | Weighting within unit (if summative) |
Essay | Formative and Summative | 50% |
Essay | Summative | 50% |
Commentary | Formative |
Resit Assessment:
Exam
Feedback methods
Feedback method | Formative or Summative |
Oral feedback on group presentations | Formative and Summative |
Written feedback on both coursework essays, and a one-to-one feedback session (during office hours/by appointment) | Formative and Summative |
Recommended reading
David Birmingham, A Concise History of Portugal (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1993). HD.
Boris Fausto, A Concise History of Brazil (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press 1999). HD
Prem Poddar, Rajeev S. Patke and Lars Jensen, eds. A Historical Companion to Postcolonial Literatures. Continental Europe and its Empires (Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2008)
Patrick Chabal et al., A History of Postcolonial Lusophone Africa. (Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2002). HD
Study hours
Scheduled activity hours | |
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Lectures | 22 |
Seminars | 11 |
Independent study hours | |
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Independent study | 167 |
Teaching staff
Staff member | Role |
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David Bailey | Unit coordinator |