Culture and Language Class: Spanish at an Intermediate Level 1-2 3700-ISSC-24-CLCSI12
Based on a socio-semiotic perspective, during the lessons the teacher will put emphasis on dealing with some humanistic or social science topics. For example, popular culture and literature; cultural identities and facts such as novels, comics, films, documentaries; history and analysis of cultural representations, etc.
During the classes, the students will discuss grammar and lexical issues, and practice their listening, reading, speaking, and writing skills, up to level B1.1 Grammar issues will be introduced and developed through practical exercises and translations of sentences and short texts, containing familiar grammatical structures. The vocabulary is broken down into thematic blocks. Listening skills are practiced on the basis of original recordings or statements presented by the lecturer. The understanding of contents is checked through tasks related to the text. Writing skills are developed by analyzing texts in Spanish and attempting to create one’s own written statements. During the classes, the students will practice their ability to create spoken statements about topics introduced within a framework of selected thematic blocks.
Type of course
Prerequisites (description)
Course coordinators
Learning outcomes
Knowledge: the graduate
- has a structured, advanced knowledge of the Spanish culture and Spanish language at B1 level (K_W01, K_W03, K_W10)
- has an in-depth knowledge of the language as the basic form of expression and as medium of a given culture, reflecting its characteristic historical and cultural processes (K_W01, K_W03, K_W10, K_W11)
- is well familiar with the methods of analyzing texts (K_W03, K_W10, K_W11)
Abilities: the graduate is able to
- use Spanish language at B1 level (K_U09)
- interpret and analyze texts independently, taking into consideration their context (K_U06, K_U09, K_U10)
- write short texts in Spanish (K_U06, K_U09, K_U10)
Social competences: the graduate is ready to
- carry out the work plan of is contribution to a class, according to the teacher’s guidelines (K_K01, K_K04)
- take part actively in discussions in Spanish, respecting the views of their partners (K_K04)
- improve his personal culture (K_K01)
Assessment criteria
Two unexcused absences are permitted.
Completion of attendance, homework and activities will allow you to take the final exam.
Continuous evaluation (based on the activity during the course and preparation for the classes), oral presentations, test (written) and exam (written).
The material and content of the course will be adapted by the teacher according to the reality of the group (e.g. number of students and language level).
Evaluation details:
• Process mark (completion of activities, homework, class participation, punctuality, etc.). 20%
• Two written tests 15% each.
• Two oral presentations per student during the semester 25% each.
Students who pass all of these assessments with a 3 or higher do not need to take a final exam. However, if a student wants to improve his or her grade, he or she can take a written exam during the final exam period.
If someone does not obtain at least a 3 in one or more assessments, the student must take a final exam in which the failed content is repeated. The exam will be written if one or more written assessments have not been passed; the exam will be oral if one or more oral assessments have not been passed. If one or more written and one or more oral assessments have not been passed, the final examination shall comprise a written and an oral part.
In exceptional cases (e.g. non-compliance of activities, non-compliance with homework, no or poor participation in classes, unpunctuality, etc.), a written exam will be given at the end of the semester for students who are determined by the teacher to need it. This exam must be passed with a minimum grade of 3.
In case the student is studying an Erasmus in another country, in order to pass the course, the student will be required to complete some online exercises assigned by the teacher, as well as an oral presentation as a final evaluation. The homework and the oral presentation must be passed with at least a 3.
Bibliography
The course is conducted on the basis of texts prepared by the lecturer specifically to enable the students to master grammatical structures and basic vocabulary as quickly as possible, together with the knowledge of Spanish culture and some humanistic or social science topics.. In addition, material from the textbooks selected by the lecturer will be used.
Corpas, J., E. García & A. Garmendia (2016): Aula Internacional Nueva Edición 3. Barcelona: Difusión.
Baralo, M.; Genis M.; Santana, M. E. Vovabulario Avanzado (B1). Anaya.
Aragonés, L; Palencia, R. Gramática de uso del español. Teoría y práctica (A2-B1).
Extra material (written, audio and video) from different sources will also be included according to the needs of the group.
Additional information
Additional information (registration calendar, class conductors, localization and schedules of classes), might be available in the USOSweb system: