Why study Spanish with History at Aberystwyth University?
- From the off-set, you will receive 4 hours of language work per week. This includes reading/writing, aural, listening and translation. These four areas of linguistic development provides you with the solid foundation to increase your fluency competencies in Spanish.
- History at Aberystwyth has been taught since 1872, making our department the most established and foremost in Britain.
- This degree is also available to students who wish to study Spanish at beginners level. At beginners level and in your first year, you will be taught differently to the students who are entering the course at an advanced level (A level or equivalent) will receive intensive language classes bringing you to the same linguistic level as our advanced students. In your second and final year, you will be continuing the course with all advanced students.
- In addition to linguistic classes, we offer all students core and optional modules that expose you to literature, culture, language, politics and business.
- In the Department of History and Welsh History, our teaching is innovative and research-based. This means that you will have the opportunity to explore specialisms in History which include early medieval period to the present day, ranging from four continents, and embracing political, social, economic and cultural history.
- The University also benefits from the National Library Wales which is located next to our Penglais campus, a copyright library (one of five copyright Libraries across the UK). This facility provides you the opportunity to discover a wealth of historical archives that may be of use for your future projects.
- All students in our department thrive in our multilingual environment. As a vibrant University, we attract students from all corners of the world. Many of our staff who will teach you are native speakers of the target language that they speak. We also teach most of our modules and classes through the target language, therefore the combination of departmental life and academic development will ensure that you have maximum exposure to the target languages that you're learning.
- The highlight of this degree for all of our students is the year abroad. You will be required to spend your year abroad (your third year) in Spain or a Spanish speaking country. Some students opt to spend their time equally studying with our partnered Universities in Spain. Others have spent their time undertaking a paid or unpaid work experience. Find out what your options are by visiting our Studying Abroad page.
Ein Staff
Mae gan bob un o ddarlithwyr yr Adran Hanes a Hanes Cymru gymwysterau hyd at safon PhD, ac mae gan y rhan fwyaf hefyd TUAAU.
Mae gan bob un o ddarlithwyr yr Adran Ieithoedd Modern gymwysterau hyd at safon PhD ac maent yn gwneud gwaith ymchwil. Rydym hefyd yn cyflogi tiwtoriaid iaith, rhai ohonynt â gradd PhD, a phob un yn addysgwyr profiadol. O bryd i'w gilydd, cyflogwn siaradwyr brodorol o brifysgolion sy'n bartneriaid i ni dramor (lectoriaid), sy'n dod atom â chymeradwyaeth uchel ar sail eu llwyddiant academaidd yn eu prifysgolion eu hunain, ac mae sawl un ohonynt wedi hyfforddi fel addysgwyr.
What opportunities exist after graduating?
Many of our students go on to teach the language they themselves have learned and a high proportion of our graduates go into administrative and managerial posts. A degree from the Department of Modern Languages is a qualification which opens the door to many professions in Britain, such as the civil service, tourism, social work, librarianship, publishing and broadcasting, and our degrees also take our students across the world.
While many History graduates take up careers directly linked to their subject such as working in the fields of archives, heritage or museum management, others find employment in a wide range of related and non-related professional employment, including librarianship, records management, journalism, media, advertising, the legal profession, local government, business and finance, a range of jobs which incorporate research, professional writing, the police force, the military, public relations and personnel management. The research and analytical skills you will develop during your degree also provide a sound basis for postgraduate study and for a career in academia.
Your year abroad will set you apart from the majority of graduates, demonstrating your ability to live in a foreign environment, and immerse yourself in a different culture. Alongside this, the university will offer you a range of initiatives to help improve your employability skills. Paid work and work experience opportunities are available in the University and the town, and the Careers Advisory Service are able to assist you in planning your future, putting together a CV, and looking for work during and after your studies. Furthermore, the University’s Personal Development Portfolio, in which you record and reflect on your academic studies, the development of your skills and your plans for the future is a useful way of tracking your progress through your studies, and can help you to decide what career might be suitable for you.
Transferable Skills
Studying for a degree in French and History will equip you with a range of transferable skills which are highly valued by employers. These include:
- The ability to express ideas and communicate information in a clear and structured manner, in both written and oral form;
- Effective problem-solving and creative thinking skills;
- The ability to work independently;
- Time-management and organisational skills, including the ability to meet deadlines;
- Self-motivation and self-reliance;
- Team-work, with the ability to discuss concepts in groups, accommodating different ideas and reaching agreement;
- Research skills.
What will I learn?
The breakdown below will provide you with an illustration of what you may study during the four year degree scheme.
In every year you will take a core language module and a range of optional modules. The language module will cover oral, aural and writing skills. In the first year option modules may cover:
- Introduction to literary studies and civilization;
- New Historical skills and concepts, and a comprehensive introduction to university-level study skills, through our Year 1 core module Introduction to History;
- European Film;
- New Historical periods, themes and subject areas, through our wide choice of Year 1 optional modules;
- Language, Culture and Identity in Europe.
In your second year you may choose from:
- An independent research project;
- Specialised languages modules (language of business etc.);
- The way in which the meaning, methods and writing of History have changed over time, through our year 2 core module Making History;
- Insights into the historian's craft, through practice-based seminar classes;
- A large choice of content modules on literature, film and art;
- Different topics and periods from our extensive list of year 2 optional modules
- Teaching of English to Speakers of other Languages.
In your third year, you will study or work abroad in a Spanish-speaking country.
In your final year, you can choose from modules such as:
- Semantics and Lexicography;
- Two optional modules of your choice from the Department of History and Welsh History;
- Cultural and Artistic Movements;
- a special subject, in which you undertake in-depth research, using original sources and engaging with cutting edge scholarship;
- Spanish culture and film;
- Spanish current affairs;
- Your History dissertation, independently researched by you on a subject of your choice, supervised by an expert historian in the department;
- Teaching of English to Speakers of other Languages;
- Independent research project.
How will I be taught?
A variety of teaching formats are used in class. Lectures will introduce you to topics, while in seminars you will be expected to participate in the discussion.
You will be assessed in a variety of ways in your modules. You will have to give oral presentations, sit listening tests, write reports and undertake increasingly complex translations in language classes, as well as sit oral and written exams. In content modules, you might be asked to write an essay, undertake a research project, give an oral presentation, or sit an exam.
The aims of the History syllabus are to communicate the variety and excitement of current approaches to the academic study of History, and to teach such key skills as information retrieval, interpretation and self-expression. You will be assessed by a variety of methods, including examinations, assessed essays, projects, presentations, and a dissertation on a subject of particular interest to you.
The Department is committed to teaching through individual tutorials and small-group seminars alongside traditional lectures, and to delivering innovative and high quality teaching that will allow you to realise your potential, and to meet your learning expectations. Some preparatory reading in advance of your seminars will enable you to fully engage in the more detailed discussions and sharing of ideas that take place, and the small numbers of students in each seminar group means that you will receive a lot of attention from the lecturers. The one-to-one tutorial gives you the opportunity to receive individual attention and useful feedback from your lecturer on the coursework that you have submitted. Coursework will develop your capacity to research, analyse and present an argument clearly and coherently, while seminars will help you hone your presentation skills.
You will be assigned a personal tutor throughout your degree course, who will help you with any problems or queries, whether these are academic-related or personal issues. You should feel free to contact them at any time for help and advice.
