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Ideology in the Hispanic World

Module description

Ideology, as a system of ideas and ideals, shapes politics and societies. We all have ideologies we believe in and share, which influence our interactions with others and how we view the world around us. In this module you will explore what ideology means and study some of the interrelated belief systems which have shaped the Hispanic world from the colonial period to the present day: colonialism, nationalism, race ideologies, and neoliberalism. Through the study of letters, political speeches, essays, film and other sources, you will learn about how the influence of these ideas across Spain and Latin America.  

Please note: A version of this module is open to Spanish beginners, so lectures and seminars will be delivered in English, but students of MLS1001 will need to read and quote primary texts in Spanish.

Module aims - intentions of the module

This module introduces ideology as an overarching concept and explores specific ideologies related to colonialism nation, race, and neoliberalism in the context of the Hispanic world. The module will encourage critical thinking and provide a strong base for understanding topics studied in later components of the Hispanic Studies pathway. It will encourage independent and collaborative specialised study of selected topics and texts, developing valuable transferable skills in historical/cultural contextualisation, textual analysis, oral discussion and team work. 

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

ILO: Module-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 1. Demonstrate an understanding of key examples of ideology in the Hispanic world.
• 2. Analyse selected sources in Spanish, relating them to specified aspects of their historical, cultural and social contexts

ILO: Discipline-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 3. Describe and evaluate, under guidance from the module tutor, key critical responses to topics/texts and apply standard critical approaches to the historical and cultural material covered.
• 4. Mount an argument in sound written English using basic textual or other evidence.
• 5. Use a reading list and other sources to identify critical material in Spanish and English relevant to a given aspect of the subjects covered, and report critical findings orally or in writing where appropriate.

ILO: Personal and key skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 6. Present cogent arguments orally or in writing where appropriate, in English, on a specified topic and following guidelines provided.

Syllabus plan

In the introductory lecture, we will think about what ideology means and ways in which it has shaped the Hispanic world. In subsequent weeks, we will focus on the definitions of nationalism, colonialism, race ideologies, and neoliberalism, as well as the connections between them. Through the study of political speeches, essays, letters, films and othersources, we will examine the effects of these sets of ideas in the past and today, with case studies from across Latin America. Extracts from a range of texts and films will be provided in Spanish.

Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)

Details of learning activities and teaching methods

Formative assessment

Summative assessment (% of credit)

Details of summative assessment

Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)

Re-assessment notes

Deferral – if you miss an assessment for certificated reasons judged acceptable by the Mitigation Committee, you will normally be either deferred in the assessment or an extension may be granted. The mark given for a re-assessment taken as a result of deferral will not be capped and will be treated as it would be if it were your first attempt at the assessment.

Referral – if you have failed the module overall (i.e. a final overall module mark of less than 40%) you will be required to submit a further assessment as necessary. If you are successful on referral, your overall module mark will be capped at 40%.

Indicative learning resources - Basic reading

Selected background reading:

• Aguilar Rivera, José Antonio. ‘Latin American Political Ideologies’. In: Michael Freeden and Marc Stears (eds.), The Oxford Handbook of Political Ideologies (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2013).
• Appelbaum, Nancy P., Anne S. Macpherson, and Karin Alejandra Rosemblat (eds). Race and Nation in Modern Latin America. (Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2003).
• Eagleton, Terry. Ideology: An Introduction (London: Verso, 2007)
• Freedan, Michael. Ideology: A Very Short Introduction (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2003)
• Green, Duncan, with Sue Branford. Faces of Latin America. (New York: NYU Press, 2013)

A full bibliography of recommended reading will be provided at the start of the module

Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources

• ELE - https://vle.exeter.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=7573

Key words search

Nationalism, race, colonialism, neoliberalism, Spain, Latin America