This subject provides students with the necessary language and intercultural skills to communicate in everyday personal situations in Spanish. Students are introduced to the grammatical structures and vocabulary that will allow them to converse about the self in a number of informal situations, and which will empower them to explore their relationship with the societies and cultures of the global Spanish-speaking community. Students will develop writing strategies that enable them to be able to produce, by the end of the semester, a number of descriptive, personal texts, such as emails, letters, and family profiles. They will refine reading and listening skills through engagement with authentic cultural materials. Students will collaborate on an inquiry-led group project that brings them into contact with authentic cultural materials, such as artworks, advertisements, music and poetry, all aimed at facilitating their appreciation of important cultural notions of interpersonal relations, the family and the home. Students are afforded a taste of the richness of the Hispanic World in this subject; they are invited to develop a personal awareness and understanding of diverse cultural identities through project-based and object-based assessment tasks and sustained in-class activities.

This subject equips students with more sophisticated language and intercultural skills to be able to express and situate themselves within a wider socio-cultural context, in Spanish. Writing strategies, such as editing, summarizing ideas and making writing persuasive will prepare students to produce, by the end of the semester, a number of texts, such as summaries and essays, in the past tense and focused on describing personal experience. Students will also learn to converse about the self in a variety of situations that progressively, throughout the semester, become increasingly less personal and more related to the world around them. Important cultural information about consumer culture, intimate relationships and working life in the Hispanic World will support students in communicating appropriately in this context. Students engage with authentic materials such as songs, film, social media and short written texts as part of group project work designed both to develop an appreciation of the wide range of identities that make up the Hispanic World and to further develop their reading, listening, writing and speaking skills. Students continue to be exposed to the diversity of the Hispanic World in this course and to critically reflect on their own awareness and understanding of the cultural identities of the Hispanic World.

The subject allows students to sharpen their skills in listening, speaking, reading, writing and research through an integrative learning experience that involves using the Spanish language to critically examine key cultural texts from the Hispanic world.

Cultural texts studied may include films, literature, art works, propaganda and/or archived ephemera, which act as catalysts for discussion, critical thinking and insight in relation to the Hispanic world. Texts examined chronicle issues and events of historical and political significance, while touching on shared cultural themes.

Through a close reading of Spanish-speaking cultural products of various kinds, students will develop an appreciation for the particular powers of each mode of representation. This subject also introduces students to basic research methods in Hispanic Cultural Studies, such as archival work, translation, interviewing, and the study of primary and secondary sources.

This subject enhances students’ language and intercultural skills in Spanish. At the end of this subject students will be able to communicate about the self and others through reading and writing personal stories and learning how to describe emotions, places and people. They will become confident conversing in everyday informal and a few formal situations. Students will also learn about the Spanish speaking world and Hispanic cultures through reading newspapers and watching the news from different Spanish speaking countries. They will be introduced to literary stories and histories (from short narratives and videos) across a variety of culturally and politically significant topics. By the end of the semester, students will be able to use a variety of structures and vocabulary in the Spanish language including present and past tenses.

This subject equips students with more sophisticated language and intercultural skills to communicate about the self and other in Spanish in a wider range of social contexts. By the end students will be able to comprehend and produce a variety of personal stories. They will have the language skills necessary to describe emotions, places and people and to use language appropriate to everyday informal and an increasing number of formal situations. By reading newspapers and literary stories and watching the news and videos from different Spanish speaking countries they will learn to comprehend and write public stories. Students will also learn to give their opinion, participate in debates, evaluate and report on ideas in the Spanish language through engaging with culturally and politically significant texts from the Spanish-speaking world.

In this subject, students will continue to develop their linguistic and cultural competence in Spanish. They will also advance their skills in textual analysis, with a special focus on the long tradition of testimonial texts (testimonios), both in recent Spanish and Latin American history. Through the study of first-person narratives, students will learn how to create and use authentic Spanish and Latin American cultural materials. This will allow them to produce and defend their own first-person testimonies in the shape of both formal (class presentation of personal experiences) and informal contexts (personal blogs, etc.). Through these activities students will gain an appreciation of the cultural and historical realities that have shaped the Spanish and Latin American modern and contemporary world. They will develop an understanding of the principles of first person testimonies, and will learn how to present and articulate their own ideas, both in oral and written forms. In addition, students will become confident in the use of vocabulary, sentence and text structures utilised in different contexts (formal and informal), as presented in diaries and journal articles, short and long narratives, and visual texts.

The focus of this subject will be on the improvement of students’ oral and written language competence and the learning of textual study skills in Spanish, through the study of selected oral and written narratives. These particular texts are part of the long tradition of Spanish and Latin American short stories or historias. Their analysis will allow students not only to understand their textual structure, but also to create their own narratives both in formal contexts (short narration, news reporting, etc.) and informal contexts (blog entry and discussion, etc.). Additionally, students will gain an appreciation of the cultural, historical and literary realities that have shaped the Spanish and Latin American modern and contemporary world. In this subject students will become proficient in using complex sentence structures and verb forms. Students will also become confident in communicating their own literary ideas both in oral and written forms by using a variety of vocabulary, oral expressions and textual analysis skills.

This subject enhances students' language and intercultural skills in Spanish. At the end of this subject students will be able to communicate about the self and others through reading and writing personal stories and learning how to describe emotions, places and people. They will become confident conversing in everyday informal and a few formal situations. Students will also learn about the Spanish speaking world and Hispanic cultures through reading newspapers and watching the news from different Spanish speaking countries. They will be introduced to literary stories and histories (from short narratives and videos) across a variety of culturally and politically significant topics. By the end of the semester, students will be able to use a variety of structures and vocabulary in the Spanish language including present and past tenses.

This subject equips students with more sophisticated language and intercultural skills to communicate about the self and other in Spanish in a wider range of social contexts. By the end students will be able to comprehend and produce a variety of personal stories. They will have the language skills necessary to describe emotions, places and people and to use language appropriate to everyday informal and an increasing number of formal situations. By reading newspapers and literary stories and watching the news and videos from different Spanish speaking countries they will learn to comprehend and write public stories. Students will also learn to give their opinion, participate in debates, evaluate and report on ideas in the Spanish language through engaging with culturally and politically significant texts from the Spanish-speaking world.

In this subject, students will continue to develop their linguistic and cultural competence in Spanish. They will also advance their skills in textual analysis, with a special focus on the long tradition of testimonial texts (testimonios), both in recent Spanish and Latin American history. Through the study of first-person narratives, students will learn how to create and use authentic Spanish and Latin American cultural materials. This will allow them to produce and defend their own first-person testimonies in the shape of both formal (class presentation of personal experiences) and informal contexts (personal blogs, etc.). Through these activities students will gain an appreciation of the cultural and historical realities that have shaped the Spanish and Latin American modern and contemporary world. They will develop an understanding of the principles of first person testimonies, and will learn how to present and articulate their own ideas, both in oral and written forms. In addition, students will become confident in the use of vocabulary, sentence and text structures utilised in different contexts (formal and informal), as presented in diaries and journal articles, short and long narratives, and visual texts.

The focus of this subject will be on the improvement of students’ oral and written language competence and the learning of textual study skills in Spanish, through the study of selected oral and written narratives. These particular texts are part of the long tradition of Spanish and Latin American short stories or historias. Their analysis will allow students not only to understand their textual structure, but also to create their own narratives both in formal contexts (short narration, news reporting, etc.) and informal contexts (blog entry and discussion, etc.). Additionally, students will gain an appreciation of the cultural, historical and literary realities that have shaped the Spanish and Latin American modern and contemporary world. In this subject students will become proficient in using complex sentence structures and verb forms. Students will also become confident in communicating their own literary ideas both in oral and written forms by using a variety of vocabulary, oral expressions and textual analysis skills.

This subject is aimed at enabling students to substantially advance in their learning of Spanish language and Hispanic cultures, while also providing them with opportunities to develop workplace skills. In this subject, students will analyse sophisticated canonical and non-canonical texts that emerged from the major Spanish and Latin American literary movements. Advanced knowledge of the Spanish language will be promoted by studying, analysing and understanding texts such as short stories, theatre, poetry and essays. Students will study advanced Spanish language structures, such as complex verbal forms (e.g. subjunctive mode) and complex sentence structures, through textual analysis, essay writing, oral presentation and in-class discussion. Academic skills are enhanced through learning how to write scholarly essays in Spanish and to do close readings in a variety of genres, while community leadership skills are developed through peer mentorship, and oral skills improved through individual and group presentations.

In this subject, students will continue to develop their linguistic and cultural competence in Spanish. They will also advance their skills in textual analysis, with a special focus on the long tradition of testimonial texts (testimonios), both in recent Spanish and Latin American history. Through the study of first-person narratives, students will learn how to create and use authentic Spanish and Latin American cultural materials. This will allow them to produce and defend their own first-person testimonies in the shape of both formal (class presentation of personal experiences) and informal contexts (personal blogs, etc.). Through these activities students will gain an appreciation of the cultural and historical realities that have shaped the Spanish and Latin American modern and contemporary world. They will develop an understanding of the principles of first person testimonies, and will learn how to present and articulate their own ideas, both in oral and written forms. In addition, students will become confident in the use of vocabulary, sentence and text structures utilised in different contexts (formal and informal), as presented in diaries and journal articles, short and long narratives, and visual texts.

The focus of this subject will be on the improvement of students’ oral and written language competence and the learning of textual study skills in Spanish, through the study of selected oral and written narratives. These particular texts are part of the long tradition of Spanish and Latin American short stories or historias. Their analysis will allow students not only to understand their textual structure, but also to create their own narratives both in formal contexts (short narration, news reporting, etc.) and informal contexts (blog entry and discussion, etc.). Additionally, students will gain an appreciation of the cultural, historical and literary realities that have shaped the Spanish and Latin American modern and contemporary world. In this subject students will become proficient in using complex sentence structures and verb forms. Students will also become confident in communicating their own literary ideas both in oral and written forms by using a variety of vocabulary, oral expressions and textual analysis skills.

This subject is aimed at enabling students to substantially advance in their learning of Spanish language and Hispanic cultures, while also providing them with opportunities to develop workplace skills. In this subject, students will analyse sophisticated canonical and non-canonical texts that emerged from the major Spanish and Latin American literary movements. Advanced knowledge of the Spanish language will be promoted by studying, analysing and understanding texts such as short stories, theatre, poetry and essays. Students will study advanced Spanish language structures, such as complex verbal forms (e.g. subjunctive mode) and complex sentence structures, through textual analysis, essay writing, oral presentation and in-class discussion. Academic skills are enhanced through learning how to write scholarly essays in Spanish and to do close readings in a variety of genres, while community leadership skills are developed through peer mentorship, and oral skills improved through individual and group presentations.

In Latin America, cultural expression generally responds to specific socio-political contexts. This course explores different forms of resistance, mainly in popular music. Through the analysis of protest songs, it studies dissident social movements and artistic reactions to socio-political events. Each of the forms of expression selected for this course are explored within the socio-cultural space/time from which they emerge, telling stories of pain, loss and defeat but also the complexity and endurance of the resistance. Despite the racial, geographical, national, genre and ideological differences, all these cultural expressions share the constant search for identity and freedom.

In Latin America, cultural expression generally responds to specific socio-political contexts. This course explores different forms of resistance, mainly in popular music. Through the analysis of protest songs, it studies dissident social movements and artistic reactions to socio-political events. Each of the forms of expression selected for this course are explored within the socio-cultural space/time from which they emerge, telling stories of pain, loss and defeat but also the complexity and endurance of the resistance. Despite the racial, geographical, national, genre and ideological differences, all these cultural expressions share the constant search for identity and freedom.

This subject provides students with a comprehensive introduction to Latin American societies, economies, and politics. It offers an overview of the region’s history and cultures, and relates these to practical challenges and opportunities for global integration. The subject examines Latin American responses to globalisation and engagement with international institutions. Emphasis is placed on evolving relationships between Latin America and other players in the region, including China, through case studies of national development, economic growth, and cultural exchange. This subject is taught in English.

This subject allows students to study key aspects of Hispanic culture, primarily through the analysis of specific literary texts and/or films. Students will also have the opportunity to study the development of Hispanic society. By the end of the subject, students should have been introduced to a number of literary texts and/or films in order to improve their standard of comprehension and to gain some understanding of the process of literary/cultural criticism. They should also have acquired the ability to examine critically various aspects of Hispanic history and culture.

This subject allows students to study key aspects of Hispanic culture, primarily through the analysis of specific literary texts and/or films. Students will also have the opportunity to study the development of Hispanic society. By the end of the subject, students should have been introduced to a number of literary texts and/or films in order to improve their standard of comprehension and to gain some understanding of the process of literary/cultural criticism. They should also have acquired the ability to examine critically various aspects of Hispanic history and culture.

Issues related to gender and sexuality are key to understand social and cultural practices in Spain and Spanish-speaking countries in the Americas. In this subject such issues are explored in relation to their representation in cultural texts – including fiction literature, film and TV. Major themes to be explored include gender violence, gay marriage legislation, gender reassignment legislation, post-colonial feminisms, new masculinities, and sexism in language.

This subject focuses on the interaction between cuisine and nationalist discourses in Spain and Peru, exploring how food can function as a site of control and/or a vehicle for the construction of nationhood. Studies of national cuisines demonstrate that how we talk about food is as revealing of our identity as what we eat. Some important developments in the newly emerging field of Hispanic Cultural Food Studies reveal that gastronomic identities can be mobilised within different social contexts to different political and cultural ends. These range from the prescription and re-description of gender roles to processes of modernisation, from national renewal to questions of national boundaries. Culinary identities in Spain and Peru will also be examined in the context of regional rivalries, regional integration, post-colonial legacies and dictatorial rule.

Academic skills are enhanced through learning how to write scholarly essays in Spanish and to do close readings of a variety of food texts and scholarly and journalistic articles. Workplace-relevant skills are developed through collaborative project-based group work, and investigative and oral skills developed through media that could include podcasts, radio broadcasts, or other journalistic presentations.

This subject focuses on the interaction between cuisine and nationalist discourses in Spain and Peru, exploring how food can function as a site of control and/or a vehicle for the construction of nationhood. Studies of national cuisines demonstrate that how we talk about food is as revealing of our identity as what we eat. Some important developments in the newly emerging field of Hispanic Cultural Food Studies reveal that gastronomic identities can be mobilised within different social contexts to different political and cultural ends. These range from the prescription and re-description of gender roles to processes of modernisation, from national renewal to questions of national boundaries. Culinary identities in Spain and Peru will also be examined in the context of regional rivalries, regional integration, post-colonial legacies and dictatorial rule.

Academic skills are enhanced through learning how to write scholarly essays in Spanish and to do close readings of a variety of food texts and scholarly and journalistic articles. Workplace-relevant skills are developed through collaborative project-based group work, and investigative and oral skills developed through media that could include podcasts, radio broadcasts, or other journalistic presentations.

Since the early 1990s, the major national cinemas in the Spanish-speaking world (Spain, Mexico and Argentina) have undergone a deep renewal of both their industrial structures and their thematic/aesthetic traditions. The regained popularity of these cinemas in their own domestic markets and worldwide has also had a knock-on effect in their areas of influence – e.g. US films shot in Spanish, Spain’s Catalan-language cinema, national cinemas of smaller Latin American countries. This course explores current trends in Spanish-language film from a range of countries, including the three major national cinemas as well as a cross-section of minor and emergent cinemas. The course is taught n Spanish; all films will be screened in Spanish with English subtitles.

The dichotomy Civilisation vs Barbarism has been one of the guiding fictions of Argentinian cultural history since 1845, when Domingo Sarmiento’s Facundo: Civilisation and Barbarism was published. Written at a time of cultural crisis, this founding essay established a fundamental binary that would rule the rest of Argentina’s history until today. The students will analyse the opposing sides and examine the peculiar dividing mentality created by the intellectuals of the country in the 19th century, which framed the first idea of Argentina. Its ideological legacy is in some sense a mythology of exclusion rather than a unifying national idea, a recipe for division rather than a consensus pluralism. Through a variety of readings and online activities, the subject invites you to explore, and contextualise globally, the realities and fictions that inhabit Argentina: a two-sided country, a place of contradictions.

The subject is delivered in Spanish language, online, over three weeks during the winter break. In a flexible and interactive mode, students will have the opportunity to integrate a variety of communication tools and collaborate with peers in a versatile and innovative environment. Students will thus enhance their digital literacy and practice skills as well as a number of skills relevant to a workplace environment, such as problem-solving, teamwork, clear communication, self-evaluation, information literacy and professionalism.

Part of the assessment of this subject will contribute to the ePortfolio students develop in their Spanish and Latin American Studies subjects. This digital platform offers the opportunity to showcase relevant workplace skills and digital and intercultural competencies in the target language, as well as individual interests and ideas.

The dichotomy Civilisation vs Barbarism has been one of the guiding fictions of Argentinian cultural history since 1845, when Domingo Sarmiento’s Facundo: Civilisation and Barbarism was published. Written at a time of cultural crisis, this founding essay established a fundamental binary that would rule the rest of Argentina’s history until today. The students will analyse the opposing sides and examine the peculiar dividing mentality created by the intellectuals of the country in the 19th century, which framed the first idea of Argentina. Its ideological legacy is in some sense a mythology of exclusion rather than a unifying national idea, a recipe for division rather than a consensus pluralism. Through a variety of readings and online activities, the subject invites you to explore, and contextualise globally, the realities and fictions that inhabit Argentina: a two-sided country, a place of contradictions.

The subject is delivered in Spanish language, online, over three weeks during the winter break. In a flexible and interactive mode, students will have the opportunity to integrate a variety of communication tools and collaborate with peers in a versatile and innovative environment. Students will thus enhance their digital literacy and practice skills as well as a number of skills relevant to a workplace environment, such as problem-solving, teamwork, clear communication, self-evaluation, information literacy and professionalism.

Part of the assessment of this subject will contribute to the ePortfolio students develop in their Spanish and Latin American Studies subjects. This digital platform offers the opportunity to showcase relevant workplace skills and digital and intercultural competencies in the target language, as well as individual interests and ideas.

The subject allows students to sharpen their skills in listening, speaking, reading, writing and research through an integrative learning experience that involves using the Spanish language to critically examine key cultural texts from the Hispanic world.

Cultural texts studied may include films, literature, art works, propaganda and/or archived ephemera, which act as catalysts for discussion, critical thinking and insight in relation to the Hispanic world. Texts examined chronicle issues and events of historical and political significance, while touching on shared cultural themes.

Through a close reading of Spanish-speaking cultural products of various kinds, students will develop an appreciation for the particular powers of each mode of representation. This subject also introduces students to basic research methods in Hispanic Cultural Studies, such as archival work, translation, interviewing, and the study of primary and secondary sources.

In this course students learn about a selection of European cuisines and how they have been plated up for consumption in Melbourne. Food and wine are often used to support national and regional identity. In the first part of this course, students will consider the relationship between gastronomy and identity. Students will be introduced to a range of key culinary concepts and practices and the way we talk about them. Through analysis of some of the key features of French, Italian and Spanish cuisines, students will consider how these countries’ culinary profiles speak to wider socio-political issues such as authenticity, food and space, cultural practices and the history of food and wine.

In the second part of this course, students will consider issues of “authenticity” in the way cuisines are plated up for consumption in Melbourne. This will require students to interrogate their assumptions and expectations about European foods and wines and to reflect on their personal experience of the “taste” of Europe.

In this course students learn about a selection of European cuisines and how they have been plated up for consumption in Melbourne. Food and wine are often used to support national and regional identity. In the first part of this course, students will consider the relationship between gastronomy and identity. Students will be introduced to a range of key culinary concepts and practices and the way we talk about them. Through analysis of some of the key features of French, Italian and Spanish cuisines, students will consider how these countries’ culinary profiles speak to wider socio-political issues such as authenticity, food and space, cultural practices and the history of food and wine.

In the second part of this course, students will consider issues of “authenticity” in the way cuisines are plated up for consumption in Melbourne. This will require students to interrogate their assumptions and expectations about European foods and wines and to reflect on their personal experience of the “taste” of Europe.

This subject explores portrayals and perceptions of perceived “Others” in Europe – such as Jews, Muslims, “gypsies” and refugees - and how they have contributed to European identities in the past and today. Looking at literature, film, philosophy, music, food and popular culture, the subject will seek to understand how Europe’s Others are essential to the formation and maintenance of national, ethnic and religious identities in many European countries. It will examine the role of Others “within” (such as the Jews) and Others “without” (such as colonial subjects) and consider kinds of European “Othering” that position the Other as either appealing and attractive or threatening and repulsive. From colonial-era exoticisation to present day xenophobia, European views of the Other have been central to definitions of the self and shaped the continent’s history, politics, culture and languages. Students will gain an appreciation of nation and national identity in Europe as a discursive and comparative process, and an understanding of the distinct national stories of a number of European countries.

This subject explores portrayals and perceptions of perceived “Others” in Europe – such as Jews, Muslims, “gypsies” and refugees - and how they have contributed to European identities in the past and today. Looking at literature, film, philosophy, music, food and popular culture, the subject will seek to understand how Europe’s Others are essential to the formation and maintenance of national, ethnic and religious identities in many European countries. It will examine the role of Others “within” (such as the Jews) and Others “without” (such as colonial subjects) and consider kinds of European “Othering” that position the Other as either appealing and attractive or threatening and repulsive. From colonial-era exoticisation to present day xenophobia, European views of the Other have been central to definitions of the self and shaped the continent’s history, politics, culture and languages. Students will gain an appreciation of nation and national identity in Europe as a discursive and comparative process, and an understanding of the distinct national stories of a number of European countries.

European modernism refers to a wide range of experimental and avant-garde trends in literature and arts at the end of the 19th and early 20th century and has proven a major influence on current (Western) literature, film and the arts. This course introduces students to key themes of modernist literature, theatre, and film in Europe. The course familiarizes students with key writers and thinkers of this period and will address the ways in which they provoked their readers/viewers through new and complex forms and styles. Major themes comprise the crisis of representation, the representation of cosmopolitanism and urban cultural dislocation, consciousness and memory, and sexuality. (Students undertaking this subject will be expected to regularly access an internet-enabled computer).

European modernism refers to a wide range of experimental and avant-garde trends in literature and arts at the end of the 19th and early 20th century and has proven a major influence on current (Western) literature, film and the arts. This course introduces students to key themes of modernist literature, theatre, and film in Europe. The course familiarizes students with key writers and thinkers of this period and will address the ways in which they provoked their readers/viewers through new and complex forms and styles. Major themes comprise the crisis of representation, the representation of cosmopolitanism and urban cultural dislocation, consciousness and memory, and sexuality. (Students undertaking this subject will be expected to regularly access an internet-enabled computer).

The eye-witness account and the personal memoir offer powerful ways of exploring the human legacy of overwhelming historical events on individual lives. But how do literary genres like the memoir and autobiography manage to speak about unspeakable topics, how do they represent the unrepresentable and write about trauma? What is the function, and what the effect, of writing memory for the victim, for the reader, and for the perpetrator? How do the offspring of the victims and perpetrators "remember" their parents" traumas and shape memories of events they have only experienced second-hand? What is the relationship between fiction and memory in memoir writing and how do we read a testimonial of a Holocaust survivor that has been faked? This subject will introduce students to a selection of testimonial writing and films that tell individual stories of a shameful national past. It explores the effect of generic convention on the relation of history and memory, and the need for generic invention to speak trauma and tell the un-tellable. Its focus will be on the Holocaust, the Algerian War, and life under Eastern bloc communist regimes. This subject will focus on writing from France, Germany, and Italy in the first instance, but may from time to time include writing from other parts of Europe.

A team-taught study of European cinema during a period of intense political and social change. Students who complete this subject should be familiar with some of the major developments in cinematic representation in Europe from the early 20th century to the present. They should be able to relate the films studied to their national and European cultural and historical context.

Note: This subject is taught in English.

A team-taught study of European cinema during a period of intense political and social change. Students who complete this subject should be familiar with some of the major developments in cinematic representation in Europe from the early 20th century to the present. They should be able to relate the films studied to their national and European cultural and historical context.

Note: This subject is taught in English.

This subject examines the relationship between language and society in Europe. It focuses on issues of relevance in an increasingly integrated Europe in which European and other languages are in contact through migration, travel, business, and mass media, and in which English is taking on an important role as a lingua franca. The topics to be covered include: the relationship between majority and minority languages, dialects and the standard language. bilingualism and multilingualism. semi-communication. language planning at state and European levels. politeness and forms of address. and the status and influence of English.

This subject examines the relationship between language and society in Europe. It focuses on issues of relevance in an increasingly integrated Europe in which European and other languages are in contact through migration, travel, business, and mass media, and in which English is taking on an important role as a lingua franca. The topics to be covered include: the relationship between majority and minority languages, dialects and the standard language; bilingualism and multilingualism; semi-communication; language planning at state and European levels; politeness and forms of address; and the status and influence of English.

Italy and Spain are undoubtedly the culinary epicentres of the Mediterranean with food cultures that have intersected repeatedly since Ancient times. In this 18-day intensive in-country subject students will learn about the centrality of eating to Italian and Spanish ways of life and consider the relationship between identity, place and food. Through a series of programmed food activities, including hands-on experiences, students will explore different facets of Italian and Spanish culinary culture, experiencing first-hand two of the most important food trends in Italy and Spain: slow food in Italy and haute cuisine in Spain. Students will critique also the role of gender in relation to the food cultures of Italy and Spain, in particular the gendering of authority in the high-end kitchen Students will critique their own participation in food tourism and this subject will equip students with the conceptual and practical tools for developing intercultural sensitivity and adaptability.

Students will spend approximately 9 days in each country. Accommodation will be shared. Enrolment is by application and a quota will be applied. While there is no need to speak Spanish or Italian to complete this subject, special arrangements can be made for languages students.

Translation is not a simple language replacement exercise; it is one of the main ways in which cultures shape political thought, literature, and science. This subject will offer answers to basic questions about how this happens. What are the main solutions available to translators? What goes on in the translating brain? How can technologies help translators? How does translation change in accordance with different languages and text genres? Students will also gain hands-on experience with the practical skills of post-editing, translation memories and subtitling.

Learning a language culminates not only in linguistic and cultural proficiency but also in the development of advanced skills in areas valued by industry: intercultural competence, communication and lateral thinking. This subject offers students the opportunity to recognise and extend these skills by engaging with an industry collaborator in target-language communities in Australia. Students will work in teams to develop solutions, either to progress an existing project or to initiate a project, in consultation with the industry partner and in line with the rigour of workplace knowledge and processes. The subject brings together students from a mix of language majors and is taught in English, but will result in assessable outcomes in a target language.

The subject comprises three phases: 1) three initial weeks of seminars (delivered in English to students in all language streams) which introduce students to team- and project-work strategies, workplace culture, career pathways, as well as the industry partner’s multi-dimensional real-world challenge ; 2) eight weeks of collaborative work in a target language in response to a project brief, under close supervision and to a schedule of reporting deadlines; and 3) the presentation of project outcomes in the target language to an audience of industry specialists, community members and peers.