Studying at the University of Vigo

 Hello!

 After spending a semester studying at the University of Vigo in Galicia, Spain, I thought I would tell you about the modules I chose and what classes were like. I hope if you are going to study there you find it helpful, and if you aren't you might still find it interesting to learn about university in Galicia.

 I studied at the Faculty of Philology and Translation. I took five main modules, which had the most credits attached, and two smaller ones. The smaller modules - Galician language and culture, and magic and conjuring - will get their own blog posts. Here, I will tell you about the five larger ones.

Languages, Communication and Cultures

 I feel this module fitted into the fields of anthropology and linguistics. We debated what language is; whether only humans are capable of it, or whether animals can be (an example we discussed being chimps who are taught to communicate with humans using sign language). 

 We also talked about how world languages are categorised, the differences between languages, how we acquire language, and about gestures. The classes involved a lot of discussion, which was good for getting to know people. 

 We were set practical tasks, for example recording one another speaking our native language, which I enjoyed. Overall, this was one of my favourite modules, and I was delighted to receive the Matrícula de honor in it - the highest honour in the Spanish university system.

Information and Communication in Spanish

 This module was about the different forms in which we may encounter the Spanish language. We learnt about the Real Academia Española, which decides on the official version of Spanish and produces dictionaries, and then we explored variations of Spanish spoken around the world.

 We looked at how language is used in the press and online. For our assessment we each had to do a big written project around an element of how Spanish language can be used. I chose to focus on the language used to describe the Spanish Royal Family in different newspapers and magazines.

 I really enjoyed working on my project and found it one of the most rewarding things I did in Vigo. The module was interesting and I learnt a great deal.

The History of the European Union

 This module did what it said on the tin. We learnt about the history of the EU, moving through the decades and looking at documents, maps, posters and political cartoons. I feel like I learnt a huge amount, both from the classes and from revising for the two exams we were set.

 Of all my modules, this was the one whose classes were most similar to Uni lectures. I liked our teacher's style of gently, carefully explaining things, and the way images were used - cartoons especially can help facts and dates stick in your mind.

 Brexit was fairly new when I started this module, and as the only Brit in the class, I worried I would be singled out to talk about it, but that didn't happen. It was a nice, chilled module. 

20th and 21st Century Spanish Literature

 In this module we read Spanish novels and plays, which took up a lot of time, but which I enjoyed. We were set regular little tasks, such as one on Lorca, whose imagery I find powerful and haunting, and one on Gloria Fuertes, who wrote many books for children, along with poetry. 

 We also worked on a play by Lauro Olmo called La camisa (The shirt), which really stuck with me, and a play by Francisco Nieva called Baile de los Ardientes (Dance of the Passionate), which was rather strange but very interesting.

 We had a visit from a poet, Ángeles Mora, who talked to us about her writing. It was really nice to hear her read her poems to us in person. This module was quite tiring due to the amount of reading required, but I'm very glad I chose it because I discovered some fascinating literature.

Latin American Literature: Poetry and Theatre

 In this module we learnt about poetry from across Latin America, from long, epic poems about gauchos (similar to cowboys) in Argentina to the beautiful little poems of the Nicaraguan Rubén Darío. We also looked at plays from different periods and in diverse styles.

 We had tasks to do for this module, too, with the most challenging but also the most fulfilling being a presentation on a Latin American poet. I was assigned the Uruguayan writer Idea Vilariño, and worked hard to learn about her life and work and present it as dynamically as I could.

 The rest of the class were native speakers of Spanish, so I was perhaps at a disadvantage, but I was happy with my presentation and the teacher was very pleased. I was marked 10 out of 10 on this module, and am very proud.

 I hope these summaries have been useful and interesting. I enjoyed all of my modules and definitely learnt a lot, both in terms of knowledge and in terms of working in different ways. I am more flexible and resourceful now as a writer and researcher.

 I got good marks in all of my modules, 10 out of 10 in one, and the Matrícula de honor in another. I was delighted with my results, and I look back on my hours spent in the Faculty - in class, working in the computer room, eating in the canteen, reading in the library - with real affection.

 Thanks for reading.

 Liz x