Aims

In consonance with the overall aims of the degrees offered in the SML: To develop critical reading skills in Spanish and/or Portuguese for stage 4 students.
- To provide access to contemporary academic literature on cultural studies and social studies on youth cultures from Latin America, Spain, and Portugal.

This module is taught and assessed in English. It will provide students with information and analyses of contemporary urban and rural youth cultures in Latin America, Spain, and Portugal. Most countries in Latin America are statistically "young societies," with a substantial proportion of their populations under the age of thirty. Many important changes these societies go through are perceived and interpreted by the young in a way that is peculiar and influential as well. Many important social and cultural movements of relevant impact in the region have then been ‘youth movements’, accompanied by numerous cultural manifestations.

Students work with research examples and original sources in Spanish and Portuguese.

Outline Of Syllabus

1. Youth cultures: useful concepts.
2. Transitions to adulthood and cultural diversity. Cases from Spain, Brazil, Bolivia and Peru
3. Marginalized urban youth. Cases from Brazil and El Salvador
4. Youth cultures and migration. Cases from Spain, Portugal, and Latinos in the US
5. Youth and politics. Youth and anti-racism, environmentalism and grassroots feminism. New right-wing movements. Cases from Chile, Argentina, Peru, Spain and Portugal.

Teaching Rationale And Relationship

This module combines lectures and seminar sessions and close supervision of independent research topics. Apart from 33 contact hours in a combination of lectures and seminars, there are recorded talks available as online resources or ad-hoc interviews conducted by the ML with specialists. After one general introductory lecture for the module, one introductory lecture for each of the four main topics will be followed by the study of specific cases from different countries. Different groups lead the discussion on the assigned readings for specific sessions, providing information beyond the common assigned readings.

Assessment Rationale And Relationship

The essay questions for this module are phrased broadly to allow students to narrow the research questions down to specific areas of their individual interests. The essay therefore tests independent research and writing skills. It is based on extensive use of sources in Spanish and/or Portuguese, and requires basic command of concepts in the sociology and anthropology of youth.

The case study assesses students' ability to work with secondary sources on one of the four areas of research and its manifestation in a country of each student's individual choice. It provides an opportunity to selectively explore relevant bibliography and critically work with a wide range of sources.

The formative assessment involves feedback on the formulation of the individual question for the final essay, research plan and bibliography.