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SPAN20340

Academic Year 2026/2027

Early Modern Spain and its Legacy (SPAN20340)

Subject:
Spanish
College:
Arts & Humanities
School:
Languages, Cultures & Linguis
Level:
2 (Intermediate)
Credits:
5
Module Coordinator:
Dr Katherine Brown
Trimester:
Spring
Mode of Delivery:
On Campus
Internship Module:
No
How will I be graded?
Letter grades

Curricular information is subject to change.

This module will consider the role of literary, material, and visual culture in the representation, consolidation, and contestation of cultural and social identities in Spain and its empire from the 15th through the 17th centuries. Texts and images studied in the course will shed light on how religious, political, and linguistic conflicts from the medieval period forward shaped the early modern Hispanic world in lasting ways. The course will examine topics such as the presence of Islam, Judaism, and Protestantism in Spain, debates over Spanish rule in the Americas, uses of Spanish and indigenous American languages as instruments of power, and representations of gender, race, and social class. Students will thereby gain an appreciation of how early modern texts and visual culture serve to negotiate and shape the identities of one group vis-à-vis various “Others”. Additional consideration will be given to the legacy and continued impact of early modern cultural products and practices in present-day Spain and Latin America through the study of literary production, film, visual media, and pop culture.

About this Module

Learning Outcomes:

• Think critically about the ways in which writers and artists represent and grapple with major religious, linguistic, political, and cultural conflicts in the early modern Hispanic world
• Identify the rhetorical strategies used by early modern Hispanic writers to defend, contest, or problematize differing perspectives on issues such as the Islamic and Jewish presence in Spain, Spanish rule in the Americas, and the place of various languages, cultures, and artforms on the (trans)national stage
• Understand how racial, religious, political, gender, and class identities are constituted through discourses surrounding the “Other” in early modern Hispanic literature and art
• Consider the resonances of early modern cross-cultural conflicts and encounters in 19th-, 20th-, and 21st-century Spanish and Latin American identities
• Conduct research in Hispanic literary and cultural studies and refine writing and presentational skills

UNESCO highlights a set of key competencies that support individuals in their development and support society in achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). UCD has adapted these competencies and is combining them with others to form a general framework of learning competencies. This module will help you develop the competencies below to the levels specified. 
Learning Competency Additional Information Level

Collaboration

 The ability to learn from others; to understand and respect the needs, perspectives and actions of others (empathy); to understand, relate to and be sensitive to others (empathic leadership); to deal with conflicts in a group; and to facilitate collaborative and participatory problem solving. Advanced Beginner

Critical Thinking

 The ability to question norms, practices and opinions; to reflect on one’s own values, perceptions and actions. Advanced Beginner

Systems Thinking

 The ability to recognize and understand relationships; to analyse complex systems; to think of how systems are embedded within different domains and different scales; and to deal with uncertainty. Advanced Beginner

Strategic

 The ability to collectively develop and implement innovative actions that further sustainability at the local level and further afield. Not addressed

Integrated Problem Solving

 The overarching ability to apply different problem-solving frameworks to complex sustainability problems and develop viable, inclusive and equitable solution options that promote sustainable development, integrating the competencies in this list. Advanced Beginner

Self-awareness

 The ability to reflect on one’s own role in the local community and (global) society; to continually evaluate and further motivate one’s actions; and to deal with one’s feelings and desires. Not addressed

Normative

 The ability to understand and reflect on the norms and values that underlie one’s actions; and to negotiate values, principles, goals, and targets, in a context of conflicts of interest and trade-offs, uncertain knowledge and contradictions. Advanced Beginner

Anticipatory

 The ability to understand and evaluate multiple scenarios for the future – possible, probable and desirable; to create one’s own visions for the future; to apply the precautionary principle; to assess the consequences of actions; and to deal with risks and changes. Not addressed

Digital Literacy and Judgement

 The ability to access, evaluate, create and communicate information in digital environments; to engage critically, ethically and responsibly with digital technologies and digital information; to understand their opportunities, limitations, risks and impact on individual’s digital identities; and to exercise informed judgement in digital participation and decision-making. Advanced Beginner

AI Literacy & Agency

 The ability to understand, critically evaluate and responsibly engage with artificial intelligence; to recognise how AI systems are shaped by human values; to assess their ethical, social and environmental implications; and to exercise human judgement, agency and accountability in AI-related contexts. Not addressed

Wellbeing

 Wellbeing is having the resources and skills to meet life's challenges, including attributes such as personal development skills, resilience, stress management, strengths, lifestyle skills, nutrition, physical activity, sleep, alcohol/substance use, academic skills, time management, goal setting, interpersonal skills, group work, communication. Not addressed

The United Nations identified seventeen Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as core to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and UCD contributes in general to SDG 4 Quality Education. Further SDGs explored within this module if relevant are listed below. A scale of 1 - 5 indicates the extent to which the SDG is covered.


Goal Name Description Coverage

Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls 1

Reduce inequality within and among countries 1
 

Student Effort Hours:
Student Effort Type Hours
Specified Learning Activities

34
Autonomous Student Learning

52
Lectures

24
Total

110

Approaches to Teaching and Learning:
This module will involve two lectures and/or seminars per week. Students are expected to read the indicated material prior to class and participate actively in class discussions. Students will be assessed through an in-class commentary (40%) and a final essay or creative project (50%), with a proposal and annotated bibliography (10%) to be submitted for feedback prior to submission of the final essay/project. The instructor will provide opportunities for practice throughout the trimester to prepare students for these assessments.

Please note that the use of generative AI is not permitted for the completion of assessments in this module. This corresponds to "No AI" on the AI Assessment Scale.

Requirements, Exclusions and Recommendations

Not applicable to this module.


Module Requisites and Incompatibles
Not applicable to this module.
 

Assessment Strategy
Description Timing Component Scale Must Pass Component % of Final Grade Component repeat (in-module) Offered
Assignment(Including Essay): Paper / project proposal and annotated bibliography Week 11 Standard conversion grade scale 40% No
10
 No
Assignment(Including Essay): In-class commentary on a text or image studied in class Week 7 Standard conversion grade scale 40% No
40
 No
Assignment(Including Essay): Comparative essay on two works studied in the module, or creative project with commentary Week 15 Standard conversion grade scale 40% No
50
 No

As part of UCD's student support, under the Additional Consideration policy, extensions may be available for the following assessments in the module: Assignment (including essay/poster), Portfolio, Reflective Assignment, Report(s), and Individual Project.


Carry forward of passed components
No
 

Resit In Terminal Exam
Autumn No
Please see Student Jargon Buster for more information about remediation types and timing. 

Feedback Strategy/Strategies

• Feedback individually to students, on an activity or draft prior to summative assessment
• Feedback individually to students, post-assessment
• Group/class feedback, post-assessment
• Peer review activities

How will my Feedback be Delivered?

Not yet recorded.

All readings and other relevant material will be provided via Brightspace. Students are not required to purchase any books for this module.

Timetabling information is displayed only for guidance purposes, relates to the current Academic Year only and is subject to change.
Spring Lecture Offering 1 Week(s) - 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33 Thurs 12:00 - 12:50
Spring Lecture Offering 1 Week(s) - 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33 Tues 11:00 - 11:50
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