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Place and Identity in Contemporary Venezuelan Culture

Module description

What does nation mean? How does migration affect families, communities and countries? These are some of the pressing questions we will explore in this module through studying different written and visual media from Venezuela. While nationalism is a key feature of contemporary Venezuelan politics, a history of migration to the country, unprecedented levels of emigration in the present, and social and political divides all challenge the national narrative. In this module, we will explore how migration, family, politics, language, sexuality and other factors influence or limit a sense of belonging to a place.

Module aims - intentions of the module

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.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

ILO: Module-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 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

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 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

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 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 Desde la salvajada (story collection by Alejandra Banca, 2022), 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)

Details of learning activities and teaching methods

Summative assessment (% of credit)

Details of summative assessment

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

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.
• Banca, A. 2022. Desde la salvajada. Madrid: Lecturas de arraigo.
• Gehrenbeck, L. 2014. Ni que nos vayamos nos podemos ir. Unpublished play, copies will be provided.
• Various Authors. 2014. Manifiesto: país. Poster exhibition, pictures will be provided.
• 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.

Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources

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

Key words search

Place, Identity, Migration, Nationalism, Venezuela