BSc Spanish and English Language

Key facts

4 years full-time with integrated year abroad

UCAS Code: QR34

Typical Offers
A Levels: ABB from 3 A-levels, including Spanish Grade B. General Studies accepted. Aston DOES NOT accept the double AS qualification in lieu of 2 AS-levels.

IB: 33-34 points in the IB diploma including TOK/Bonus points. Standard level Maths and English 5 required and 6 in Higher Level Spanish.

Access: Pass Access to HE Diploma with Merit in each module. Humanities or Social Sciences Access course preferred, but other courses considered on an individual basis. A-level grade B in Spanish or equivalent.

BTEC: National Extended Diploma DDD – DDM. A-level grade B in Spanish or equivalent. Mix of Diploma/ Subsidiary Diploma/A-levels acceptable.

We accept a wide range of UK, EU and International qualifications: please contact us for further advice.

Specific subject requirements:
GCSE English Language and Maths Grade C

Applicants receiving offers are invited to an open day.

Tuition fees: £9,000 (£1,000 during placement year) for UK/EU students. (2012). More on fees

Scholarships available for 2012

Key benefits

1st for graduate level jobs after 6 months for European Languages (unistats.com 2011)
90% of Modern Language students at Aston are satisfied with the quality of their course (Guardian University Guide 2012)
Contemporary and applied focus, with a high level of teaching delivered in Spanish
English Language scored 4.5 out of 5 for students' personal development (National Student Survey, 2011)
Aston is one of only a few UK universities to offer English Language programmes with a fully-integrated year abroad
Professionally relevant modules such as languages and the law and language in the news and media
Enlish Language modules that draw directly on the work done in our research centre

Programme Overview

The Spanish strand of the course is designed to develop your linguistic skills to near-native proficiency and fluency. We stress the development of your practical command of Spanish, emphasising language as a means of communication and mutual understanding. Our programme also aims to develop your understanding of Spanish culture and society - its traditions, its complexities, its underlying ideas - and to develop your critical, analytical and collaborative skills.

The English Language strand of the course aims to provide you with the theoretical knowledge and understanding of English language, how it works in society and its role in the world today. We emphasise the practical application of English Language studies to the real world through professionally relevant modules such as Teaching and Learning English and Language in a Legal Context.

Sample Module Options

The following module descriptions are indications only - the modules on offer and the content of the modules is subject to change.

Click on the module titles to find out more.

Year 1

In this module students will work on different skills involved in language learning: from listening and speaking, to reading, writing, and translating. Relevant texts will be used in order to increase students’ awareness of Hispanic culture, economy, history and society in an attempt to learn the language in the context in which it is produced. Students will have two hours per week of scheduled interactive seminars and one hour of oral classes

Assessment method: Class tests, oral tasks, portfolio on independent learning tasks and final exam.

The module seeks to provide students with a clear vision of Latin America. It attempts to balance the region’s general historical background with its social, cultural, political and economic developments. Particular attention will be given to the specific characteristics of each country, highlighting their differences and similarities. Students will also be introduced to Latin America’s general trends as well as to its role in the international arena.

Assessment method: Class test and exam.

The module seeks to provide students with an introductive overview of contemporary Latin American culture. It will introduce students to works of Latin American art, cinema, literature and architecture, as well as other relevant art forms, including music, dance, popular festivals, etc. All these will be discussed within their social, political, and historical contexts.

Assessment method: Oral Presentation and Exam.

The first part of the module aims to provide students with an understanding of the main processes and protagonists contributing to the development of a modern, prosperous democracy in Spain. It will focus on the political, ideological and economic changes which shaped the transition from dictatorship to democracy.

The second part offers an overview of Spanish culture through literature, cinema, art and music. Topics such as Spanish national identity and the recovery of the past will be examined in order to understand the key factors which have shaped Spanish culture. The course will provide students with the tools required for critical analysis of distinct cultural expressions.

Assessment method: Written exams and research task

In this module, students look at how words are used in written and spoken texts to create meanings, and use dictionaries, corpus analysis and other practical techniques to understand the processes involved, and to analyse words in different ways.

Assessment method: Two pieces of coursework (class tests & essay), 20% and 80%.

This module introduces you to the basics of one model of grammar: Systemic Functional Grammar, including key concepts and terms. It also involves practical workshop activities where you apply in practice what you have learnt in theory.

Assessment method: Two pieces of coursework (class tests & essay), 30%/70%

This module looks at language as it is employed for a variety of purposes in both private and public contexts. It also extends methods of communication to cover non-verbal means whereby messages are conveyed, as substitutes for and supplements to the use of words. Topic areas to be covered will include paralinguistics in interaction and in texts (links between image, gesture and word), language and technology, media language and the language of interpersonal communication.

Assessment method: One piece of coursework (project) – 100%

The module provides a brief introduction to the historical development of English, as a basis for the investigation of the concepts of language varieties and boundaries. This leads to an exploration of the issues and controversies surrounding the present-day role of English as a world language. An emphasis on language description reinforces the terminology and concepts taught in the companion modules of Level 1, while the teaching also focuses on the socio-historical forces which have shaped the development of English, reflecting the perspective of the programme overall.

Assessment method: One piece of coursework (essay) – 100%

This module considers language as an aspect of social practice, and looks at the links between linguistic and social issues. Using a ‘problem-solving’ perspective, we look at domains in which language is itself a matter of controversy and explore the concepts needed for informed analysis of the issues.

Assessment method: One piece of coursework (essay) 100%

This module introduces the concepts of register and genre: the ways in which spoken and written texts are shaped by their purpose, the relationship between reader and writer or speaker and hearer, and formal aspects of the communication (pictures, writing, speech, song etc).

Assessment method: Coursework 20%; Examination 80%

This module introduces language description at the levels of phonetics and phonology. It provides the descriptive and analytical tools needed to discuss phonological processes and aspects of speech production, involved in variation across accents of English.

Assessment method: Essay 30%; Transcription 20%; Assignment 50%.

Year 2

This module aims to develop proficiency in written and spoken Spanish to a standard that enables the student to communicate effectively and confidently with Spanish native speakers and sustain a work or study placement in a Spanish-speaking country. Students will work on the different skills involved in language learning: from listening and speaking to reading, writing, and translating. Relevant texts will be used, in order to increase students’ awareness of Hispanic culture, economy, history and society to learn the language in the context in which it is used.

Assessment method: Class test, dossier on independent learning tasks, oral tasks, final exam

The module aims to chart the trajectory of Spanish politics, economy, society and art since 1975. We will study the political process which led Spain to become a Parliamentary Monarchy after a military dictatorship in a reasonably non-violent atmosphere. We will pay particular attention to the role of democratic Spain in the European Union but will also look at other international connections.

Assessment method: Essay and exam.

The module seeks to provide the student with an in depth understanding of contemporary Latin America. It will focus on the region’s most recent social, cultural, political and economic developments.

Assessment method: Essay and exam.

The module focuses on the role of Spanish around the world. It deals with various linguistic and cultural issues related to several Spanish-speaking communities in the Americas, Europe, and Africa. Topics include: standard peninsular Spanish, varieties of peninsular Spanish, standard varieties of Spanish in Latin American, other varieties of Spanish in Latin America, Spanish in the US, Spanish in contact with other languages (Arabic, Catalan, English, French, German, Quechua, etc.).

Assessment method: Dossier on seminar tasks and exam

This module focuses on the role of journalism as a cultural practice in the Hispanic world, analysing the impact that media may have upon society and exploring various ways in which journalists’ coverage of events not merely reflects the social world but helps constitute and shape it. After an introductory session to Spanish-speaking media today, the first part of the module focuses on a range of journalistic practices and genres, introducing students to different styles of writing for journalists and to the challenges of producing an accurate, readable narrative including examples from print and broadcast journalism. The second part provides a historical perspective on media in Spain and Latin America, followed by a concentrated study of the debates and controversies surrounding journalism and its relationship with society.

Assessment method: Class test and oral presentation

This module explores the main organisational features of written discourse and a range of analytical approaches, including revisiting concepts from Grammar and Meaning to show how we build unified texts from individual clauses and sentences.

This module introduces you to different variations of English, including: social and regional variation; Englishes around the world and differences between spoken and written modes.

The context for the module will be set by considering how language and work are inter-related on a macro scale. It will look at the impact of global trends on both work and language practices, as increasing numbers of business enterprises trade across national borders, necessitating international – and ‘intercultural’ – communication. The remainder of the module will take a more micro perspective, reviewing the ways in which speakers, writers and readers make use of particular kinds of discourse in work-related communication.

This module aims to introduce you to the ways in which media texts both reflect and construct our social practice and values. It addresses a range of issues, such as what makes something newsworthy, whether there is objectivity in news reporting, whether different social groups are equally represented in mass media texts, and what part visual images and layout play in our media messages; and it introduces you to a variety of methods for describing and critically evaluating media texts in relation to these issues.

This is an introductory course to TESOL. By the end of the module, the students will have become aware of the basic requirements of a teacher of English to speakers of other languages. They will have had the chance to develop some of the skills necessary for the TESOL teacher. The emphasis will be on developing the skills, organisational and pedagogical, which will allow them to teach or tutor their specialism. The areas covered will be course and syllabus design, materials evaluation and preparation, strategies for teaching lexis and grammar, lesson planning, delivery and evaluation.

Year 3 - Year Abroad

Final Year

This module further develops and consolidates the Spanish language skills acquired during the three previous years of study and, if applicable, work placement. At the end of the module, students will have reached a proficiency level equivalent to a high C1/low C2 scale as defined by the European Common Framework for Languages. The module will cover linguistic, sociolinguistic and pragmatic components corresponding to this level of communicative language competence.

Students will also have the opportunity to reflect on their professional skills as they develop their video project. In order to do this, they will create and publish online an e-Portfolio targeting prospective employers.

Assessment method: E-portfolio, video production, and exams

In this module the student will research a chosen topic, agreed with the supervisor and the Module Convenor. The research may be on any subject considered appropriate for research at final year level within the Spanish Studies programme. Students will be expected to identify their own topic and approach. There will be maximum encouragement of individual initiative and research, while supervisors will encourage the exchange and construction of ideas, the development of a hypothesis where appropriate, and advice on dissertation organisation and presentation.

Assessment method: Dissertation and oral exam.

This module will consist of the analysis of literary works belonging to different genres, countries and periods in the 20^th century. This variety will provide a glimpse of the richness and variety of contemporary literature in Spanish. Works will cover the three main literary genres: prose, poetry and drama, and will be presented in a chronological order. Spain, Central America and South America will have a relevant presence in the module.

Assessment method: Four short reports and an essay.

In this module, students learn the key concepts and terminology of corpus linguistics

and how to use corpus tools to conduct research into language in use, and look at some areas of applied linguistics in which corpora are used, such as lexicography, pedagogy, and translation.

This module considers frameworks, methods of analysis and applications associated with critical discourse analysis. It also considers the relationship between critical discourse analysis and other forms of discourse analysis, thereby developing a critical awareness of discourse analysis in general.

This module aims to introduce you to the ways in which the social construction of gender both reflects and inflects our discursive practices. It addresses a range of issues, beginning with an overview of feminist language study and alternative views of the relationship between gender, language and society. The second part of the module then moves on to consider questions of how gender issues are reflected in a range of social and institutional contexts, including for example, education, the media and the workplace. You will be introduced, throughout the module, to a variety of methods for describing and critically evaluating gendered linguistic practices in relation to these issues and contexts.

This module will provide an introduction to key approaches to the analysis of authentic spoken language in interaction.It will give you an overview of how conversations are ‘constructed’ and the relationship between what is said and what is meant, as well as some of the ways in which these two crucial aspects vary according to context and culture. It will therefore equip you to describe and evaluate a range of types of spoken text in English, and will enable you to anticipate and resolve issues of data collection and transcription, including ethical considerations.

This module will focus on one specialist area of Applied Linguistics, the application of the tools and techniques of language description to spoken and written texts which have a significance in court cases. The module will look at topics such as: techniques for authorship attribution; questions of copyright and the detection of plagiarism; disputed police records of interview and confession; suspect suicide notes; and anonymous letters.

This course aims to enable students to research in significant depth a topic in English Language, and address, elaborate and apply key concepts used in the linguistic analysis of discourse, in professional, social, educational and/or cultural institutions and contexts. The dissertation allows students to undertake supervised research on a topic that is new to them. It is the longest and most sustained piece of research undertaken in the English Language part of their degree programme.

Year Abroad

Campus accommodation guaranteed for first year and final year students returning from year abroad.

The Third Year of your course is spent abroad in Spanish speaking country - increasing your fluency, enhancing your cultural awareness and adding value to your degree. The year abroad is an integral and assessed part of language studies at Aston University, fully supported by us, and of direct relevance to your degree.

A distinctive feature of our year abroad is the flexibility that we offer. You will be able to choose between undertaking a paid work-experience placement with a company, working as a teaching assistant in a school or studying at one of our partner universities - you might even choose to combine two of these options.

We are extremely proud of the high level of preparation, orientation and support that we provide before and during your year abroad. We have a full-time Placements Team who will give you plenty of individual help and advice, and even come and visit you during your time away.

Find out more about the Year Abroad.

Learning, teaching and assessment

You will take part in interactive seminars, presentations and group work as well as
attending lectures and tutorials. There are also opportunities for individual research and guided study. All Spanish modules will be taught in Spanish, which means that our students are at a real advantage when it comes to gaining maximum benefit and experience from the year abroad.

You will be allocated a personal tutor who you can provide help and advice.

Assessment is through a combination of written and oral exams, course work, essays, presentations and an extended dissertation during your final year.

Career Prospects

Aston is 1st for graduate level jobs after 6 months for European Languages (unistats.com 2011)

Our graduates are in demand from a wide range of employers who value their understanding of different cultures and societies, their communication skills and motivation for team work. Recent destinations for our Languages and Social Sciences graduates include:

Graduate Trainee Managers for British Airways, Aldi Stores, John Lewis Partnership and Selfridges
Journalist for Tatler Magazine
European Union/European Parliament Officers/Assistants
Marketing Assistant at Beiersdorf (makers of NIVEA amongst other products)
Bilingual Marketing Assistant at 3Com (an international Internet and Telecomms company)
Trainee Accountant at PricewaterhouseCoopers
Case Worker - Crown Prosecution Service
PhD Forensic Linguistics - Aston University
MSc Human Resource Managment, King's College London
Tenancy Support Worker, Midland Heart

Facilities & equipment

The School of Languages and Social Sciences has a dedicated Learning Support Team and excellent facilities including:

70 computers in 4 rooms
Streamed satellite television (French, German, Spanish)
TRADOS and memoQ Translation Software
Free DVD library (French, Spanish, German, English)
Audio and video-editing tools

Teaching Staff

Read what the Spanish and English staff have to say about their courses:

Dr Raquel Medina -Head of Spanish

'We are a dynamic, supportive, and dedicated group of lecturers and teaching fellows with many years of experience. We understand that it is essential for our students to be linguistically and culturally equipped with the necessary tools to succeed. We teach our entire degree programme in Spanish and focus on providing students with the practical linguistic, analytical and communications skills that they will apply in their future careers.''

Dr Krzysztof Kredens - Director of Undergraduate Programmes in English

''Our lecturers are renowned internationally for their work in Forensic Linguistics, Language and Gender, Language and Diversity and TESOL Studies. Staff at the Centre for Forensic Linguistics work routinely with law enforcement as expert witnesses in cases where speech and/or text constitutes part of the evidence. Most of our lecturers are research active. We are passionate about the teaching we provide and use our own research findings to inform it.''

Contact us

School of Languages and Social Sciences Undergraduate Admissions
Tel: 0121 204 3700
Email: lss_ugadmissions@aston.ac.uk

Student Profile

Abbey Wadey

BSc English Language

During my placement year I worked as an English Teaching Assistant at an international school in Malaysia and the placements office regularly contacted me to check on my progress.

Related courses

BSc English Language

BSc Spanish and Sociology

BSC International Business and Spanish

Fees & funding

Find out about tuition fees & student loans, and the bursaries and scholariships available.

Accommodation

All our accommodation is based on campus and over 80% of our rooms are ensuite. We offer a guarenteed place scheme for first years.

Student life

Our city centre location gives you the best of both worlds: a welcoming, lively campus community, in the heart of a vibrant city.

Student support - we're with you all the way

We offer a range of support services to ensure your time here is a success in academic, social and personal terms.

Outstanding graduate career prospects

Aston is ranked 5th in the UK, and the best outside London, for the percentage of graduates entering employment who achieve graduate level jobs (Sunday Times University Guide 2012)

gjgjgkghkg

Graduate Profile

Hannah Burgess

2011 Graduate - BSc Translation Studies: German

I aspired to become an in-house translator when I was studying at Aston. During my placement year, I worked as a translation and proof-reader for Wohanka. When I graduated they offered me a job - I now work full time as an in-house translator, prooreader and interpreter for Wohanka & Associates Ltd in Sheffield.

Birmingham - home to 65,000 students!