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Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
115
Spanish
COURSE CODES:
PLACES 2012:
POINTS 2011:
DEGREE AWARDED:
TR001 (TSM)
41
440*-535*
B.A.
TSM points:
See page 27
Special Entry Requirements:
Leaving Certificate
HC3
In a language
other than English
Advanced GCE (A-Level)
Grade C In a language
other than English
Spanish (TSM) cannot be studied as a single honor course.
It must be combined with one other subject within the two-
subject moderatorship (TSM) programme. TSM is a joint honor
programme. An honors degree is awarded in both subjects.
For subjects that combine with Spanish see page 36.
Alternatively, Spanish may be selected as one of the two
languages studied in the European studies programme,
see page 64. Spanish can be studied ab initio (from
beginner level) in both TSM and European Studies.
See also:
TR090: Business studies and Spanish, page 41
Is this the right course for you?
Spain, currently one of Europe’s leading industrial nations, was
in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries the foremost Western
power, and Spanish is today the native language of over four
hundred million people. In terms of the number of countries –
more than twenty – in which it is officially spoken, it is second
only to English. If you are interested in reading and in the
language and culture of Spain and Spanish America, then this is
a course you will enjoy.
Course content
Spanish at Trinity College is taught by a variety of methods to
equip you with a comprehensive range of skills in the accurate,
fluent and sensitive understanding and use of the written and
spoken language. If you are a beginner the teaching provided
offers a realistic opportunity for you to reach the same standard
within a year as those who have studied the language previously.
The development of the skill of textual analysis through close and
careful reading, together with the organisation and expression of
ideas in written and verbal form, are integral aims of the department.
The Junior Freshman year
The primary focus of the Junior Freshman (first) year is to
establish and consolidate your competence in understanding
and using the Spanish language. Students studying Spanish
ab initio (from beginner level) attend nine hours of classes per
week, while non-beginners attend seven hours of classes.
The course covers four main areas:
n
Introduction to language study
n
Language classes (beginners attend seven per week and non-
beginners attend six per week). These comprise classes in grammar,
text analysis, practice in speaking and listening to Spanish
n
Introduction to modern Spain
n
Literature: close study of a different range of modern
Spanish and Spanish-American literature, based on five
texts
Years two and three
You will continue with language tuition taking three classes each
week:
n
Spanish language
n
Syntax and vocabulary of Spanish
n
Spoken Spanish
Starting in the Senior Freshman (second) year and extending
into the Junior Sophister (third) year you follow courses in Hispanic
linguistics and the literature of the Spanish Renaissance, modern
Spain and modern Spanish America. A course on the history of
early-modern Spain is also given. Each of these courses in the
second and third years are semester-long courses. The format
is one lecture followed by one tutorial per week. Students are
encouraged to give oral presentations on the texts followed.
The Senior Sophister year
If you elect to study Spanish in the Senior Sophister (fourth) year,
you will work more independently and with significant freedom of
choice. As well as studying Spanish language, theory of translation
and medieval Spanish literature, you will choose two other subjects
from a range of special subjects. These include contemporary
prose fiction, Spanish and Latin American cultural politics, and
a course in the literature of exile. You will also research and write
a dissertation under the supervision of a member of the department
on either a given topic or one that is of special interest to you.
Assessment
Essays submitted throughout the year are combined with written
and oral examinations at the end of each year.
Study abroad
Students are encouraged to spend a year in Spain or Spanish
America, especially at one of the universities with which we have
close associations, such as Granada, León, Salamanca, Seville,
or the Colegio de México. At a minimum, you will be required to
spend two months in a Spanish-speaking country prior to taking
your final exams.
Career opportunities
The main career opportunities are: teaching, journalism and
the visual media generally, while some recent graduates have
gained EU placements in Brussels.
A substantial proportion of students engage in further study,
particularly diploma and masters’ courses in interpreting and
translation. Ample opportunities exist in several universities, both
in the U.K. and in Ireland, with Trinity College’s new M.Phil. in
Literary translation and comparative literature proving popular.
A steady stream of undergraduates have also chosen to pursue
M.Litt. and PhD research degrees at Trinity College.
Further information
Tel: +353 1 896 1257
