Place and Identity in Contemporary Venezuelan Culture (MLS2072)

Staff	Dr Katie Brown - Convenor
Credit Value	15
ECTS Value	7.5
NQF Level	5
Pre-requisites	MLS1001 or MLS1056
Co-requisites	None
Duration of Module	Term 2: 11 weeks;

Module aims

This module aims to increase your knowledge and understanding of contemporary social, cultural and political issues in Venezuela, as well as ideas about place and identity. It will introduce you to a range of cultural production and methods for analysing different media, allowing you to practice both close textual reading and broader critical analysis of secondary material. This module also aims to develop your comprehension of written and spoken Spanish, and your skills in communication, intercultural understanding and research.

ILO: Module-specific skills

1. Demonstrate understanding of the exploration of place and identity in contemporary Venezuelan culture
2. Assess the sources in relation to knowledge of the Venezuelan context and critical theory

ILO: Discipline-specific skills

3. With some guidance from the course tutor, evaluate and apply a range of critical approaches to the material covered
4. Mount a detailed argument in the appropriate register of English, mustering a range of textual or other evidence in its support.
5. Understand and use, in written and oral contexts, a range of critical terms
6. Following broad guidelines, locate and identify library and electronic resources on a given topic

ILO: Personal and key skills

7. Conduct independent study, including preparing material for group discussion
8. Digest, select and organise material to produce, to a deadline, a coherent and cogent argument, developed through the mode of assessment
9. Interact effectively with the tutor and the wider group

Syllabus plan

Whilst the content may vary from year to year, it is envisioned that it will cover some or all of the following topics:

An introduction to theories of place and identity and nationalism in Venezuela under the Bolivarian Revolution
Discussion of ‘destierro’, migration and exile
Study of Abecedario del estio (memoir by Liliana Lara, 2019), Ni que nos vayamos nos podemos ir (play by Lupe Gehrenbeck, 2014), Manifiesto: país (collective poster exhibition on the meaning of country, 2014) and a selection of poems by Venezuelan migrants.

Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)

Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities	Guided independent study	Placement / study abroad
18	132	0

Details of learning activities and teaching methods

Category	Hours of study time	Description
Scheduled Learning and Teaching	5	Lectures. Provides framework for independent study and assessment
Scheduled Learning and Teaching	10	Seminars. Includes time for group discussion and interactive materials and assessed presentations.
Scheduled Learning and Teaching	1	Conclusion
Scheduled Learning and Teaching	2	Film screening
Guided Independent Study	132	Preparation for the sessions through reading and research.

Formative assessment

Form of assessment	Size of the assessment (eg length / duration)	ILOs assessed	Feedback method

Summative assessment (% of credit)

Coursework	Written exams	Practical exams
100	0	0

Details of summative assessment

Form of assessment	% of credit	Size of the assessment (eg length / duration)	ILOs assessed	Feedback method
Essay	70	2000 words	1-8	Mark and written comments
Individual presentation	30	10 minutes, plus 500 word handout	1-9	Mark and written comments

Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)

Original form of assessment	Form of re-assessment	ILOs re-assessed	Timescale for re-assessment
Essay	2000 word essay	1-8	Referral/deferral period
Individual presentation	Individual presentation (to lecturer), plus 500 word handout	1-9	Referral/deferral period

Re-assessment notes

Deferral – if you miss an assessment for certificated reasons judged acceptable by the Mitigation Committee, you will normally be either deferred in the assessment or an extension may be granted. The mark given for a re-assessment taken as a result of deferral will not be capped and will be treated as it would be if it were your first attempt at the assessment.

Referral – if you have failed the module overall (i.e. a final overall module mark of less than 40%) you will be required to submit a further assessment as necessary. If you are successful on referral, your overall module mark will be capped at 40%.

Indicative learning resources - Basic reading

Primary sources:

Assorted poems, to be provided.
Gehrenbeck, L. 2014. Ni que nos vayamos nos podemos ir. Unpublished play, copies will be provided.
Lara, Liliana. Abecedario del estio. New York: Sudaquia Editores
Various Authors. 2014. Manifiesto: país. Poster exhibition, pictures will be provided.

Select secondary reading:

Cresswell. T. 2015. Place: An Introduction. 2^nd ed. Chichester: Wiley Blackwell.
Ellner, S. and Hellinger, D. (eds) 2003. Venezuelan Politics in the Chávez Era: Class, Polarization, and Conflict. Boulder, CO: Lynne Rienner.
Gold, S. and S.J. Nawyn (eds) 2013. Routledge International Handbook of Migration Studies. London: Routledge.
Hall, S. and du Gay, P. (eds) 1997. Questions of Cultural Identity, London: SAGE Publications
Huppatz, K., Hawkins, M. and Matthews, A. (eds). 2015. Identity and Belonging. London: Palgrave MacMillan.
Páez, T. 2015. La voz de la diáspora venezolana. Madrid: Catarata.
Woodward, K. (ed.) 1997. Identity and Difference. London: Sage.

Module has an active ELE page?

Yes

Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources

ELE: https://vle.exeter.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=11042

Available as distance learning?

Origin date

14/01/2019

Last revision date

24/02/2022

Key words search

Place, Identity, Migration, Nationalism, Venezuela