Dr Siân Edwards

Biography

I studied French and Spanish from my first degree followed by an MPhil on the Mobilisation of Catalan Identity, the case of Avui (1994) and a Doctorate on the programmes of the Catalan political parties towards national identity between 1979 and 2000 (2004). I was appointed a Tutorial Fellow in Spanish at Cardiff University in 1993,  Lecturer in French at Swansea University (1997), Lecturer and Senior Lecturer in Hispanic Studies at Swansea University (2000) and Associate Dean of Undergraduates at the College of Arts and Humanities. I joined the School of Modern Languages in Cardiff University in 2015.

I have worked closely with the British Council in my role arranging the year abroad in Spain and Latin America, with Routes into Languages with schools in Wales and the Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol. I contribute regularly to local and international media programmes and reports on issues relating to contemporary Spain.

Professional Translations and Adaptations

Patagonia 150 Yma i Aros (Talybont: Y Lolfa 2015) ISBN-10: 178461128X ISBN-13: 978-1784611286 (from Welsh to Spanish). This volume of photographs depicts 150 years of the Welsh Settlement in Patagonia. It contains captions in Welsh, English and Spanish.http://www.ylolfa.com/en/dangos.php?&ISBN=9781784611286

‘The Virtual Reality of Catalonia’ (from Catalan) inA Week in Europe (Cardiff: The Welsh Academy 1995)

‘The Catalan Used on Television’ (from Catalan) in Mercator Media Forum (Cardiff: University of Wales Press, 1995)

Translation into Spanish (from Welsh) of the filmscript Branwen (1995)

The Security and Defence Policies of European Christian Democracy’ (from French) in David Hanley (ed), Christian Democracy in Europe: A Comparative Perspective (London: Pinter 1994)

Le Français pour l’École primaire; A programme to introduce French for primary school teachers, in cooperation with Trinity College Carmarthen (1992)

Honours and awards

Awarded Senior Fellowship of  Advance HE  (2020)

Studying modern languages in a Mulitlingual Context (Erasms mobility awards) University of Girona, (2017) Universitat Autònoma Barcelona (2019)

Office for Cultural and Scientific Affairs of the Embassy  of Spain in London: Grant to support PGR students for the 42nd annual conference of the Association of Contemporary Iberian Studies 1st-3rd September 2021( £400.00)

Professional memberships

Secretary of the Association of Contemporary Iberian Studies (ACIS)

Member of the MFL Strategic Panel for the Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol 

http://www.colegcymraeg.ac.uk/cy/astudio/trwyrgymraeg/pynciau/celfyddydau/ieithoeddmodern/

Speaking engagements

Speaking engagements 

• 1st-3rd September 2021 Conference Organiser 'Memory, Transitions and the Transnational', 42nd annual conference of the Association for Contemporary and Iberian Studies (ACIS) Caridff Univeristy virtual international conference.https://www.iberianstudies.net/conferences/
• 1st-2nd July 2021 'Engaging students with popplet as a visual map of language learning', 2021 Learning and Teaching Conference Cardiff University https://www.cardiff.ac.uk/learning-hub/view/engaging-students-with-popplet-as-a-visual-map-of-language-learning
• 4th -7th September 2018 'Language Learning: Barriers and Benefits' Association of Contemporary Iberian Studies (ACIS) Barcelona University.

• 7th-10th September 2016 'Enseñar el español en un contexto multilingüe en Gales, Reino Unido' XXVII Congreso Internacional de ASELE, Universidad de La Rioja, Logroño, Cilengua, San Millán de la Cogolla Panhispanismo y variedades en la enseñanza del español L2-LE.
• 2nd-4th September 2015 'Teaching Spanish in a Bilingual Environment', The Association of Contemporary Iberian Studies, Universidad Autónoma, Madrid.
• 3rd- 4thSeptember 2014: ‘War, Propaganda and ‘’Communicating the truth’’: the Spanish Civil War and the Welsh perspective, The Association of Contemporary Iberian Studies, University of Westminster.
• 2-4th July 2014 ‘Multilingual teaching- a comparative perspective of the Autònoma University and Swansea’, International Conference of the Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol, Cardiff. Pa le i’n hiaith mewn addysg uwch? (What is the role of our language in Higher Education?)
• September 2012 ‘Ymgyrchu ieithyddol yng Nghatalwnia’ International conference on language campaigning, Aberystwyth.
• 14th June 2012 ‘Egwyddor a Phropaganda: Cyfundrefn Franco a Chôr y Rhos’ Cynhadledd Ieithoedd Cyfrwng Cymraeg, Swansea University.
• 12th April 2011 ‘Wales, Workers, and Francoist Spain.’ Association of Hispanists of Great Britain and Ireland, Nottingham University.
• 6th -7thApril 2011 Seminari L’estat de la recerca dels processos d’institucionalització del franquisme’, University of Barcelona (Invited speaker)
• 3rd-4th October 2009 ‘Confessions of a Catalan Falangist Supporter’, Women in Spanish and Portuguese conference, Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford
• 6-7 July 2006: ‘Immigration, Representation and Identity in Catalan Politics’ at the international conference on Immigration in Catalonia: History, discourses, Representations, Queen Mary, University of London
• 3-4 June 2005: ‘Re-charting Catalonia’ in ‘Charting Transfers: Remapping Iberia’, Faculty of Medieval and Modern Languages, Trinity College, Oxford
• 23rd February 2005: ‘The Cultural Policies of the Catalan Political Parties since the 1980s’ Hispanic Studies Research Seminar
• 17th-19th September 1999: ‘Towards a new regionalist culture in the policies of the Catalan parties’, International Conference of the Association of Regional Studies Association, ‘The New Nationalism and Regionalism in Europe’, University of Bilbao.
• 3rd-4th September 1999 ‘Regional identity and Cross-border cooperation: the case of Languedoc-Roussillon, Midi-Pyrénées and Catalonia’. Association of Modern French Studies, ‘Towards the new millennium: Re-inventing France’, Cardiff.
• 11th September 1996 ‘Media Representations of Political Identity’, University College Keele.
• 3rd July 1996 ‘Reading comprehension and written expression’, using plays for University first year language teaching, Salford University.
• 10th May 1996 ‘Mirall Trancat’: Regionalism and Nationalism in Europe, International Seminar on Regionalism and Nationalism, Cardiff University.
• 8th September 1995 ‘The Press and the mobilisation of Public Sentiment’ International Conference ‘Identities in Flux’, University of Portsmouth

Committees and reviewing

Journal Reviewer: Journal of Contemporary European Studies, the Bulletin of Spanish Studies, Bulletin of Hispanic Studies and West European Politics

Book Reviewer: Routledge.

Publications

• Date
• Type
• Selected

Teaching

Undergraduate teaching

I have over twenty years experience teaching languages in Higher Education, having taught both French and Spanish language, translation and literature and cultural optional modules at all undergraduate levels. My teaching interests have focussed on  contemporary Spanish history and culture, particularly national and regional identities in Spain and in France, the Franco regime and Fascism and the Transition to Democracy. My particular specialism is Catalan national identity. I have supervised a large number of undergraduate dissertations on socio cultural, political and historical aspects of modern Spain from football and nationalism to gender representation in Spanish political parties to film and politics.

I led on the establishment of the academic programme and managment of the Languages for All initiative at Cardiff across nine langugages

I have long been involved in introducing the study of Modern Foreign languages through the medium of Welsh. I have innovated in terms of Welsh medium provision for degree programmes in both French and Spanish and continue to cooperate with colleagues from other HE institutions in Wales and the Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol.

Postgraduate 

I have taught MA programmes on the Cultures of Fascism and co-supervised PhD dissertation on language policy. I contribute to MA programmes in Translation studies.I would welcome prospective postgraduates with an interest particularly in Catalan society and politics, as well as within the broader context of the politics of identity and diversity in Spain or in terms of language teaching in the areas of bilingual teaching and what motivates language learners.

Current Teaching

ML0387 and ML0396 Dissertation

ML0366 High-Level Proficiency in Spanish Language

ML0280 Ex-Beginners Spanish Language

ML0187 Understanding Hispanidad in a Global Context

ML0097 and ML0099 Intercalary Year Dissertation

Exeternal Examiner Appointment

I have external examining experience in Spanish, French and Translation Studies. I am currently an external examiner at the University of Sussex (UG) and the University of Chester (UG and PG)

Other previous Examining Appointments

WJEC Spanish A level Examiner and Moderator

Member of subject advisory boards for GCE A and GCSE qualifications in Modern Languages for WJEC and OFQUAL.

My research interests have focussed on national and regional identities in Spain. My MPhil examined how the press mobilised public opinion in Catalonia during the transition to democracy in Catalonia and my PhD analysed the policies of Catalan political parties towards national identity between 1979 and 2000. I have also written on Welsh experiences of Spain, particularly during and following the Spanish Civil War. In terms of language teaching I have recently been working on research into the motivations of learners in bilingual contexts and the influence of multilingual environments on language learning.

Supervision