University undergraduate students studying in the Monica Partridge Building Digital Hub. Friday November 5th 2021.

Spanish and International Media and Communications Studies BA

University Park Campus, Nottingham, UK

Course overview

Communication defines us as human beings.

This degree gives you a chance to think critically about media and communication in your own society, globally and in a Spanish-specific context.

 

Indicative modules

Mandatory

Year 1

Spanish 1: Beginners

Mandatory

Year 1

Literature in Spanish

Mandatory

Year 1

Modern Latin America

Mandatory

Year 1

Spanish 1

Mandatory

Year 1

Questioning Culture: An Introduction to Research

Mandatory

Year 1

Media and Society

Mandatory

Year 1

Cultures of Everyday Life

Mandatory

Year 2

Spanish 2

Mandatory

Year 2

Spanish 2: Beginners

Mandatory

Year 2

Luso-Hispanic Cinemas

Mandatory

Year 2

Researching Media and Culture

Optional

Year 2

Modern Spanish and Spanish American Literature and Film

Optional

Year 2

New World(s): Contacts, Conquests and Conflict in Early Modern Hispanic History and Culture

Optional

Year 2

Understanding Cultural Industries

Optional

Year 2

Media Identities: Who We Are and How We Feel

Optional

Year 2

Transnational Media

Optional

Year 2

Political Communication, Public Relations and Propaganda

Optional

Year 2

Memory, Media and Visual Culture

Optional

Year 2

Los Angeles Art and Architecture 1945-1980

Optional

Year 2

Art and Architecture in Nottingham

Optional

Year 2

Black Art in a White Context: Display, Critique and The Other

Optional

Year 2

European Avant-Garde Film

Optional

Year 2

The Sixties: Culture and Counterculture

Optional

Year 2

Film and Television in Social and Cultural Context

Optional

Year 2

Work placement

Optional

Year 2

After Empire: Colonisation and its Legacies

Optional

Year 2

New Media and Digital Culture

Mandatory

Year 3

Year abroad

Mandatory

Year 4

Dissertation in International Media and Communications Studies

Mandatory

Year 4

Dissertation in Hispanic Studies

Mandatory

Year 4

Spanish 3

Optional

Year 4

Brazilian Slave Society

Optional

Year 4

Making the Cuban Revolution: Ideology, Culture and Identity in Cuba since 1959

Optional

Year 4

Literature and Film under Franco

Optional

Year 4

Painting in Spain

Optional

Year 4

Business and Society in Spain

Optional

Year 4

Communicating and Teaching Languages for Undergraduate Ambassadors

Optional

Year 4

Photographing America

Optional

Year 4

Mediating Disaster

Optional

Year 4

Global Cinema

Optional

Year 4

Working in the Cultural Industries

Optional

Year 4

Teaching Film and Media Studies for Undergraduate Ambassadors

Optional

Year 4

Film and Television Genres

Optional

Year 4

Gender, Sexuality and Media

Optional

Year 4

Public Cultures: Protest, Participation and Power

Optional

Year 4

Self, Sign and Society

Optional

Year 4

Creative and Cultural Industries Research Project

Optional

Year 4

Global Media Franchises

Optional

Year 4

Sound and Experience

Optional

Year 4

Politics and Visual Culture

Optional

Year 4

Contested Bodies: Gender and Power in the Renaissance

Optional

Year 4

Screen Encounters: Audiences and Engagement

Optional

Year 4

Performance Art

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About modules

The above is a sample of the typical modules we offer, but is not intended to be construed or relied on as a definitive list of what might be available in any given year. This content was last updated on Wednesday 4 September 2024. Due to timetabling availability, there may be restrictions on some module combinations.

With such a diverse range of modules across both subjects you'll encounter a wide variety of teaching methods. You'll be part of large lectures, small seminars and individual tutorials - some will be in person and some will be online.

You'll work in groups on projects and presentations but also be responsible for doing a large amount of individual study. The majority of the language teaching you will experience will be led by native speakers.

Teaching quality and support

We work hard at our teaching to give you the best experience possible.Tutor's contributions to high quality teaching and learning are recognised through our annual Lord Dearing Awards. View the full list of recipients.

They also both achieved over 90% student recognition that staff are good at explaining things in the 2022 National Student Survey. If you have worries abut your work we won't wait for them to become problems. You'll have a personal tutor from one department and a Joint Honours advisor from the other. They will support your academic progress and help find solutions to any issues.

"As a personal tutor, I work with you on your academic progress, but I also have a pastoral role with regards to your well-being. I see how you get on across all your modules, which enables discussions about you as an individual."
- Dr Gabriele Neher, Senior Tutor, Department of Cultural, Media and Visual Studies

Teaching methods

  • Lectures
  • Oral classes
  • Seminars
  • Tutorials
  • Workshops
  • Placements

A combination of essays and exams are the norm for most modules. Depending on the modules you choose you might also be asked to:

  • produce a podcast
  • create a video essay
  • pitch a business idea
  • develop a portfolio

Following your year abroad your improved language skills and cultural understanding will be assessed through a mix of presentations and written assignments.

Assessment methods:

  • Dissertation
  • Commentary
  • Essay
  • In-class test
  • Oral exam
  • Portfolio (written/digital)
  • Presentation
  • Reflective review
  • Written exam

The minimum weekly scheduled contact time you will have is:

  • Year one - at least 12 hours
  • Year two - at least 10 hours
  • Year three - at least 8 hours

Weekly tutorial support and the accredited Nottingham Advantage Award provide further optional learning activities, on top of these class contact hours. Your lecturers will also be available outside your scheduled contact time to help you study and develop. This can be in-person or online.

As well as your timetabled sessions you’ll carry out extensive independent study. This will include course reading, seminar preparation, completing assignments and groupwork with fellow students. A typical 20 credit module involves three to four hours of lectures and seminars per week.

Your lecturers will be members of our academic staff in Modern Languages and Cultural, Media and Visual Studies, many of whom are internationally recognised in their fields.

Class sizes vary depending on topic and type. Typically,

  • a lecture will have around 50 to 100 students
  • a weekly seminar will have 15 to 20 students

You will have developed a critical understanding of the creative and cultural industries. This will allow you to explore a variety of careers in those sectors.

Combined with your advanced language skills you'll be well placed to work internationally.

Your skills will be those in demand by most professional organisations:

  • ability to conduct and report on in-depth research
  • think critically and communicate effectively
  • operate independently and as part of a team
  • construct reasoned arguments and be able to defend them
  • have strict attention to detail and be a confident communicator

These skills will make your career:

  • resilient - as the nature of work changes you can adapt
  • flexible - you can choose across different sectors as you develop and grow and opportunities arise

Find out more about skills gained and career destinations:

Graduate profiles

Key fact

Only 14% of employers state that specific degree subjects are a selection criterion (Institute of Student Employers recruitment survey 2019).

Average starting salary and career progression

78.8% of undergraduates from the Faculty of Arts secured graduate level employment or further study within 15 months of graduation. The average annual starting salary for these graduates was £23,974.

HESA Graduate Outcomes (2017 to 2021 cohorts). The Graduate Outcomes % is calculated using The Guardian University Guide methodology. The average annual salary is based on graduates working full-time within the UK.

Studying for a degree at the University of Nottingham will provide you with the type of skills and experiences that will prove invaluable in any career, whichever direction you decide to take

.Throughout your time with us, our Careers and Employability Service can work with you to improve your employability skills even further; assisting with job or course applications, searching for appropriate work experience placements and hosting events to bring you closer to a wide range of prospective employers.

Have a look at our careers page for an overview of all the employability support and opportunities that we provide to current students.

The University of Nottingham is consistently named as one of the most targeted universities by Britain’s leading graduate employers (Ranked in the top ten in The Graduate Market in 2013-2020, High Fliers Research).

University undergraduate student Cole Pearce studying in Nightingale Hall accommodation's library, University Park. November 5th 2021.

The department has really helped me throughout my years at university by giving me useful and constructive feedback on various different projects as well as helping to guide me through my dissertation process, which can be quite daunting at times!

Daisy Slater

International Media and Communications Studies and Spanish BA

Course data

Open Day June 2022