Aims

In keeping with the overall aims of the degrees offered in the SML, the purpose of this course is to introduce students to the key issues in cultural politics in Colombia today. It will allow students to apply the critical skills acquired at stages one and two, plus the linguistic competence gained during the year abroad, to the study of the target culture. As they develop their analytical capacities, students will also gain a deeper understanding of Colombia's complex socio-cultural environment.

Constructed around the three main themes of race, class and gender, this module provides an in-depth introduction to cultural politics in Colombia. Students will study different forms of cultural production, ranging from telenovelas to reggaeton and from journalism to literature. In the process, they will gain insights into the complex socio-cultural mosaic that is Colombia today.

Outline Of Syllabus

In theoretical terms, this module focuses on approaches to cultural analysis that emphasise the themes of race, class and gender. However, the course is organised around different forms of cultural production and different cultural practices: telenovela, novel, TV, film, journalism, music and dance, showing how the main themes are represented in each of these forms.

Teaching Rationale And Relationship

We adopt flexible, blended learning methods and strategies to introduce students to the analysis of the relationship between culture and politics in Colombia. Lectures, both in the form of present in person sessions (where practicable) and in the form of non-synchronous online teaching, will outline general principles, illustrated by specific examples, and be supplemented by structured independent reading and guided online learning activities. Small group teaching, noted above as synchronous present-in-person or, if necessary, online synchronous teaching, will allow students to examine cultural products and explore local contexts, allowing for detailed discussion and analysis as well as revisiting and reinforcing knowledge from the lecture materials and online guided activities. Seminars will provide the students with the opportunity to lead discussion on a topic through interactive activities that develop their independent thinking and critical analysis. Both types of learning activities will include advice on how to prepare for assessment. Surgery hours allow students to consult the module leader with any particular difficulties in understanding concepts, tasks, etc. Independent learning includes preparation for small group work, further reading and assessment.This course depends heavily on audiovisual material and the online self study units make this easier to to manage, monitor and develop. It also enables students to engage with more detailed case studies than would otherwise be possible.

Assessment Rationale And Relationship

The in-class test in Spanish allows students to demonstrate their grasp of the foundational concepts required for the analysis of culture and politics in Colombia, while the final summative assessment allows students to build on the feedback gained both from the formative assessment, done in mid-semester, and the written exercise in order to express the knowledge and skills developed over the whole semester. The final essay has more weight as it is here that students will be able to apply their knowledge to the in-depth analysis of a specific cultural issue of their own choice.