Module manager: Antonio Martínez-Arboleda
Email: A.Martinez-Arboleda@leeds.ac.uk
Taught: Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun) View Timetable
Year running 2026/27
This module is not approved as a discovery module
This module takes a holistic view of social, political and cultural change in Spain from the end of the Franco dictatorship through to the years of socialist rule under José Luis Zapatero. The thirty-five years thus studied enable students to develop a detailed and situated knowledge of the institutions, cultural practices, political debates and transformations of contemporary Spain set against an informed historical background. Please note this is an optional module and runs subject to enrolments. If a low number of students choose this module, then the module may not run and you may be asked to choose another module.
On completion of this module, students will:
- understand the transformations of contemporary Spain
- develop historical sensitiveness regarding the memory of violent conflict and the legacy of authoritarianism
- obtain an in-depth knowledge of a range of cultural, political and social issues affecting contemporary Spain
- be aware of how history continues to affect contemporary realities in Spain
- have understood the role of the economy in social and political change
- be able to interrogate the relationship between institutions, identities and social movements in respect of social change.
On successful completion of the module students will be able to:
1. Appraise the social, cultural and political dynamics in of contemporary Spain
2. Apply complex theories of social and political change
3. Critically assess the relative importance of differences social, cultural and political influences of social change in Spain
On successful completion of the module students will be able to:
4. Develop a sustained and well-structured argument that is based on evidence and informed by relevant scholarly debates
5. Communicate ideas, evidence, and arguments in an effective way
Students will acquire the ability to sustain detailed and competent debates across a range of subject areas relevant to the module and to put into practice this knowledge in written form as part of the module assessment.
| Delivery type | Number | Length hours | Student hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lecture | 11 | 1 | 11 |
| Seminar | 11 | 1 | 11 |
| Private study hours | 178 | ||
| Total Contact hours | 22 | ||
| Total hours (100hr per 10 credits) | 200 | ||
The hours to be devoted to private study cover the extensive bibliographical searches and library readings that students will need to undertake in order to satisfy the demands of this module. These will be primarily of three types: general and consolidatory reading activities; specific readings for the successful development of the seminar presentations; in-depth readings for the completion of the assessed essays or Final Year Project.
Formative feedback will be available in the seminars where students discuss their project work as a group with input from the module staff and/or fellow students. At each of these seminars students will bring work in relation to set tasks, starting with readings and building to project prototypes as the semester progresses.
| Assessment type | Notes | % of formal assessment |
|---|---|---|
| Coursework | Essay | 60 |
| Coursework | Literature Review | 40 |
| Total percentage (Assessment Coursework) | 100 | |
Normally resits will be assessed by the same methodology as the first attempt, unless otherwise stated
Check the module area in Minerva for your reading list
Last updated: 30/04/2026
Errors, omissions, failed links etc should be notified to the Catalogue Team