Students who enter this course will have mastered most of the outcomes of the Independent Abroad level as defined by the IES Abroad MAP for Language and Intercultural Communication. Among other characteristics, these students are able to converse at a rate of speed approaching normal conversation. They are creative, spontaneous and self-reliant as they solve problems, interpret texts, negotiate, express their opinions, likes and dislikes in the culture. Although they still make errors and experience communication breakdowns, these students tend to resolve these challenges on their own. Students who enter this level can already understand a variety of colloquial expressions and slang, and are also able to understand a wider variety of native speakers from different backgrounds.
Students entering this level can succeed in a range of moderately complex university courses designed for native speakers. Before registering, they should consult with the appropriate IES Abroad academic adviser on course selection.
By the end of this course, students will have started to acquire the subtlety of expression and control of complex structures that characterize Competent Abroad learners. However, Emerging Competent Abroad learners have only partial mastery of these structures and quite often resort to simpler and more direct modes of expression, particularly when negotiating linguistically difficult or unfamiliar situations. Emerging Competent Abroad speakers understand local cultural attitudes, values, beliefs, and behavior patterns well enough to make an informed choice about which cultural features they would like to adopt or need to adopt in order to live harmoniously in the local culture. There may, however, be some gaps and inconsistencies in their knowledge, and they lack the depth of understanding and sophistication of those who have spent more time living and working in the local context.
Learning outcomes:
By the end of the course students will be able to achieve the outcomes for Independent level as defined by the IES Abroad MAP for language and Intercultural Communication. The key learning outcomes from the MAP are summarized below:
I. Intercultural Communication
A. Students will be able to describe and analyze key host cultures, subcultures, habits, norms, and behaviors in a variety of settings, and they will be aware of the risk that generalizations can lead to stereotypes.
B. Students will be able to reflect on and discuss the validity of their own cultural beliefs, behaviors, and values by contrasting and comparing them with the host cultures.
C. Students will demonstrate openness and acceptance of different beliefs and styles even when they do not agree with them.
D. Students will accept responsibility for their own learning by defining their linguistic goals and demonstrating independence in their exploration of the culture.
II. Listening
A. Students will be able to identify a fairly wide range of social and cultural dialects of the spoken language.
B. Students will be able to understand most native speakers and non-native experts and comprehend a wide range of moderately complex interactions.
III. Speaking
A. Students will be able to participate fully in most academic and social interactions using when appropriate complex language including slang, colloquial expressions, double meaning, and humor with increasing confidence.
B. Students will be able to make arguments to support hypotheses and opinions on almost any topic of their interest.
IV. Reading
A. Students will be able to read and understand textbooks and academic articles for classes taught in the host language as well as a wide range of popular texts for enjoyment.
B. Students will be able to read and understand authentic materials including newspapers, advertisements, brochures, instruction manuals etc. on abstract topics with some assistance at times.
V. Writing
A. Students will be able to write for a wide range of native audiences and express themselves clearly and effectively.
B. Students will be able to write essays for classes incorporating aspects of appropriate academic style with some assistance at times.
Required work and form of assessment:
FINAL GRADES
Grade for attendance, class work, attitude and participation , homework and minitests.
20%
Average grade for weekly writings (CORE)
20%
Grade for Project 1
10 %
Grade for Project 2
10%
Grade for the Midterm Exam
20%
Grade for the Final Exam
20%
Grading:
A Excellent performance
A-
B+
B Good performance
B-
C+
C Average performance
C-
D Below standard performance or poor comprehension of the contents of the course.
F Non fulfilment of the requeriments of the course or wrong understanding of the contents of the course.
Grill or rubric for the evaluation of writings
A
An original, excellent work, which clearly follows the instructions. The chosen subject is relevant and has been deeply analyzed (always according to the Spanish level of the student).
It has almost no language mistakes , or the mistakes it has, have not been dealt with yet due to the student´s Spanish level..
The student uses a lot of the structures taught in class.
The presentation is very well organized (it has an introduction,a developement and a conclusion or any other kind of organization which shows a previous writing plan.) Ideas are clearly expressed and related to one another by means of connectives or transitional sentences. The paragraphs also logically linked in this way.
The student uses a wide, accurate and suitable vocabulary according to his/her Spanish level, and he /she tries not to repeat many words.
The writing has been submitted in due time and manner.
The writing is neat and tidy.
B
An original, excellent work, which clearly follows the instructions. The chosen subject is relevant and has been well developed (always according to the Spanish level of the student).
It has some language mistakes (not many) that are not acceptable according to the student´s Spanish level.
The work has some (not many) organization problems, either because they do not have any introduction or conclusion, or because the different ideas are not well connected or the concepts are not clearly conveyed. The explanations can be understood, but with some effort.
The student uses some of the structures taught in class.
The student uses few connectives or plain ones like y,o,but and también, which he repeats constantly in order to organize his/her speech.
The vocabulary in the writing is wide, according to the student´s Spanish level, and he/she tries not to repeat many words.
The writing has been submitted in due time and manner.
The writing is neat and tidy.
C
A work which follows the instructions in a plain way. The chosen subject is not relevant and /or is not completely developed – always taking into account the Spanish level of the student).
The writing has many language mistakes which are unacceptablle according to his Spanish level. In this case, it is evident that there has not been a previous revision with the teacher.
The writing shows serious organization problems, or it lacks an introduction and an end, and disconnected odeas are predominant. Thre are very confusing paragraphs, but other central ones are correct. The teacher needs to make great effort to understand the message the sudent meant to convey, because it lacks many connectives or transitional paragraphs to link ideas.
The student uses much too limited vocabulary for his/her level, which is repeated all through the writing.
The writing has not been submitted in due time, and it is not tidy enough.
Grill or rubric for the evaluation of projectos (oral presentations)
A
An original, excellent , tidy work. The chosen subject matter is relevant. The student has done this research work with true interest. Besides, if the topic allows it , it shows an intercultural point of view, i.e., a deep observation of the similarities and differences between this new culture and his/her own.
The presentation is organized in a remarkably clear way, with an introduction, a development and a conclusion, and it is made with visual support (posters, pictures, etc.) which illustrate the topic.
It can be clearly seen that the student can handle the chosen topic with sound knowledge about it.
It is not a reading, but a fluent presentation. The student may use some notes as a reminder.
The student´s pronunciation is clear, so the presentation is easy to understand.
There are very few, or none of the mistakes the student could have avoided according to his/her Spanish level. The grammar and vocabulary taught in class is used during the presentation.
The student has showed his project plan to the teacher before the day of the presentation, in order to confirm the relevance of the topic and to make the necessary correction, which he/she applies at the moment of the presentation.
The student shows his /her intention to talk only in Spanish all through the presentation (he has learnt new words, and how to explain them in Spanish in case he/she is asked about them).
The student manages to catch the attention of the class and to gets the group to participate in his/her presentation.
B
The quality of the work is good, the chosen topic is relevant and it is well developed.
The presentation is attractive enough and it follows a logical organization.
Although the presentation has continuity, there are some interruptions, or the student reads several quite long passages. We are not referring here to some notes as a reminder, which the student is of course allowed to use.
The Spanish grammar and vocabulary are suitable. There are few language mistakes which could have been avoided according to his/her Spanish level.
Idiomatic expressions are correctly used according to the student´s Spanish level, though there may be some mistakes.
The previous draft is not well developed and the teacher´s corrections do not seem to have been taken into account.
The student shows his /her intention to talk only in Spanish all through the presentation (he has learnt new words, and how to explain them in Spanish in case he/she is asked about them).
The presentation has appropriate visual support.
C
This is a simple work, done just to carry out the teacher´s instructions. The chosen subject is not well developed. The presentation is not original, and it shows that it has been improvised.
It is badly organized and /or confusing, or it consists only of the description of a series of photographs, which shows tha lack of real organization of ideas).
The student reads all the time, so it is not a real presentation.
The pronunciation is not clear.
There are a lot of language mistakes which could have been avoided at his/her Spanish level.
The student tries to answer the questions he is asked in English, though he/she can do it in Spanish.
The student cannot answer questions about the suject he /she has chosen.
Grill or rubric for the evaluation of the attendance, work, attitude and participation in class
A
The student constantly participates in class. He/she chooses to make pertinent comments, make or answer questions. The student shows interest , he is always active in class and his/her participations are always pertinent. His/her attitude is enthusiastic and he/she shows self criticism, admits his mistakes and tries to correct them.
He works well in teams, in pairs or alone.
He brings extra topics to the class, such as questions that show he is interested in the class and that he has studied.
The student always does the required homework and he may even do extra homework, and always hands it in in due time and manner.
The student is always punctual for class and his attendance is perfect or almost perfect.
He/she tries to talk in Spanish all the time.
The student frequently attends the teacher´s office hours, to talk about his doubts and or interests concerning Spanish.
B
The student`s participation and class work are good, though he mostly participates only when he is asked to.
The student always or almost always does his homework, though not always. He /she only complies with the teacher´s instructions. He has a positive attitude, but sometimes he is distracted.
The student can work alone, in pairs or in groups.
He/she is always punctual and has a good attendance.
He/she sometimes attends the teacher´s office hours.
He/she almost always speaks in Spanish.
C
The student does not participate in class activities or only does it if he/she is directly asked to.
He/she seldom hands in work in due time and manner. He does just the least he can.
The student is not committed to the class activities (he forgets homework, or hands it in late, etc.). Sometimes he/she is present in class, but seems to be distracted or disturbs the class.
He/she is always late, and his/her attendance is bad.
He/she frequently translates into English in a loud voice.
He/she does not attend the teacher´s office hours.
content:
Week
Content
Assignments
Corresponding Learning Outcome(s)
Unit 1
Weeks 1 & 2
1. Functional: Formal letter and e-mail writing. Scholarship application. Recommendation letters.
2. Grammatical: Passive voice and impersonality clauses. Uses of se.
3. Vocabulary: Vocabulary related to crisis and global issues. Comparison and contrast terms.
4. Culture: 2001 Argentine Crisis. Immigration in Argentina. Reflections on exclusion, xenophobia, and discrimination.
Informal interview.
I.B, I.C, II.A, III.B, IV. B, V.A.
Unit 3
Week 5
1. Functional: Making a review of an event or show.
2. Grammatical: Word formation. Prefixes and suffixes. Revision of Ser/estar/haber.
3. Vocabulary: Word families. Vocabulary related to the senses. Vocabulary related to music and show business.
4. Culture: Argentine Rock. Blending with other rhythms and music styles. Stereotypes associated with Latin America.
Review of an event or concert.
I.A, I.B, I.D, II.A, III.A, IV. A, V.B.
Week 6
Oral Presentation of Project 1.
Unit 4
Week 7
1. Functional: Direct/Indirect speech. Opinion and argumentation resources.
2. Grammatical: Reporting verbs. Cause, consequence, opposition, and conditional transitions.
3. Vocabulary: Differences among the Spanish, Latin American and Argentine lexicons.
4. Culture: Language varieties and language politics.
I.A, I.C, I.D, II.A, II, B, III.B, IV. A, IV.B, V.A, V.B.
Week 8
Review for midterm exam.
Midterm exam.
Week 9
Mid semester break
Unit 5
Weeks 10 & 11
1. Functional: Understanding lunfardo and other local expressions for daily situations which are culturally significant. Talking informally with such expressions.
CORE Program (Cultural Orientation, Acculturation & Re-entry).
The first class day each week, save on weeks 6 and 14 (project weeks) and on weeks 8 and 16 (exam weeks), the students of IES Abroad Buenos Aires, will be expected to hand in a written text with their reflections, opinions and descriptions related to cultural, academic or touistic aspects, about what they did during the weekend (a trip, a ride around the city, a vist to a museum, a party, etc.). In these reports, the students should apply an intercultural point of view, and analyze similarities and contrasts between his own culture and this new culture they are getting to know, considering “culture” in the broad sense which the bibliography (Canale and Swain 1986, Sanz 1999, Miquel 2003) summarizes as “ The three Ps” , from the most evident and superficial (products, practices) to the most implicit (perspectives). The teacher of each course will determine the extent of each writing according to the Spanish level of the course. The best writings will be selected and exhibited on a board. At the end of the semester, the students whose reports were selected will receive a certificate signed by the authorities of IES Buenos Aires.
Class work and participation:
The student should attend the course with the required study material: book, reader, etc.
All class individual and group class activities, as well as any written answer or oral presentation may be graded.
The teachers may give quizzes to their students any time, without notice, in order to foster the students’ commitment and participation.
It is not allowed to sleep in class , or talk about topics other from the contents of the course. In case students do not follow these rules, the teacher is entitled to ask them to leave the room.
It is not allowed to use any kind of cell phones, either to make or receive calls or SMS during the class.
The use of laptops will only be allowed with the approval of the teacher.
It is not allowed to eat in class. Only drinking is permitted.
The students must help keep the classrooms neat and tidy.
Homework assignments
The students will have to spend 5 or 6 hours a week doing homework. We strongly recommend not to let undone homework pile up until the day before they are supposed to hand it in, but to devote an hour every day to it. The results are always much better in this way. The purpose of homework tasks is that students study, search information, and make exercises, in order to consolidate their knowledge of the topics taught in class. Homework will always include a writing per week. The students who hand it in later than required, will obtain a lower grade.
Research Projects ( they must be presented orally, with visual support)
Project 1 (individual or in groups of 2 or 3 students) Week 6
It consists of searching information about Buenos Aires and/or other places in Argentina and telling the class about it, using the communication tools reviewed and learned in class. The kind of research will depend on the interest of the students, so the subject will be chosen by each of them. It may be about museums, places for shopping or eating, parks and squares, bars, visual arts, monuments, habits, neighbourhoods, poets, soccer .
Also take into account that the visits with IES to sport events, such as fútbol and rugby, to museums like the ethnographic museum and Malba museum and to the theatre, may be the subject for your project, too. So bring your camera and a note book with you, in order to record all the details.
The way of presentation is also chosen by the students. It may be through a role play, a poster, a turist guide book , a video, a magazine, powerpoint with pictures, a recording, performing a play scene, a game, etc.
You should tell the teacher about the subject of your project and the technical requirements for its presentation. (over head, TV ,CD/DVD , etc.). If you use powerpoint for this project, you will not be allowed to use it for the next, and viceversa.
We recommend using posters hand made, so that a tangible product from your presentation remains, for other students interested in the subject to see.
The day of the presentation you are expected to hand in a written version of it. This writing will have another grade, as the weekly writings. In order to obtain a good grade, it is advisable to show the plan to the teacher, either in classes previous to the presentation or during the teacher´s office hours.
Project 2 (individual or in gruops of 2 or 3 students) Semana 14
It may be about:
a) a more academic project (e.g. tell the class about what you learned in other courses, perform part of the play you rehearsed at your drama course, etc.)
b) the trip or trips you made during the mid- semester break
c) a play you saw at the theatre, tango, your visits to different neighbourhoods in BA.
d) your final research paper on a subject at your choice.
In every case, you must talk with your teacher about the subject some days before your presentation, so that your work can be supervised.
For project 1, it is not compulsory to make presentation in a formal register, but for project 2 it is a requirement. (You will be expected to use special words and phrases to introduce the subject, to open and close each part of your presentation, to talk about conclusions , to close your presentation and open a debate, etc.)
You should tell the teacher about the subject of your project and the technical requirements for its presentation. (over head, TV ,CD/DVD , etc.). If you use powerpoint for project 1, you will not be allowed to use it for project 2.
We recommend using hand made posters, so that a tangible product from your presentation remains for other students interested in the subject to see.
The day of the presentation you are expected to hand in a written version of it. This writing will have another grade ( as the weekly writings). In order to obtain a good grade, it is advisable to show the plan to the teacher, either in classes previous to the presentation or during the teacher´s office hours.
Mid.term and Final Exams ( written )
During the weeks indicated in the schedule.
Office Hours
All the teachers have an office hour a week , to help the students with their projects or any other topic related to Spanish, wether it was taught in class or not. The students can ask the teacher to prepare a handout about any subject they may be interested in, even if it is not included in the syllabus.
IT WILL BE COMPULSORY for each student to meet the teacher at least 2 times during office hours, in order to have an interview. The first one will be before the mid semester break and the second , after the mid semester break. If the student cannot have these meetings at the time offered by the teacher because he/ she has another class, they must arrange another time to meet. The student must bring the books used in class, as well as any classwork or homework. Both the teacher and the student will talk about the student´s progress, suggestions to solve difficulties, and any other matter that may help consolidate the student´s learning.
Notes:
Ethics and Responsibility:
The students must follow the rules about plagiarism mentioned in IES Abroad Handbook, page 40. Using printed electronic sources or copying writings or exams from other students will not be permitted. The students who violate these rules will be immediately summoned by the Academic Dean and will be subject to severe sanctions.
Spanish Language in Context: Emerging Competend Abroad I
Research has demonstrated that study abroad can enhance every aspect of language ability. One of the most important general findings of this research is, however, that study abroad is most beneficial for the development of abilities related to social interaction. Students who go abroad can learn to do things with words, such as requesting, apologizing, or offering compliments, and they may also learn to interpret situations calling such speech acts in ways that local people do… In short, and logically, study abroad has been shown to enhance the aspects of communicative competence that are most difficult to foster in classroom settings (IES Abroad MAP© for Language and Intercultural Communication, p. 6).
Students who enter this course will have mastered most of the outcomes of the Independent Abroad level as defined by the IES Abroad MAP for Language and Intercultural Communication. Among other characteristics, these students are able to converse at a rate of speed approaching normal conversation. They are creative, spontaneous and self-reliant as they solve problems, interpret texts, negotiate, express their opinions, likes and dislikes in the culture. Although they still make errors and experience communication breakdowns, these students tend to resolve these challenges on their own. Students who enter this level can already understand a variety of colloquial expressions and slang, and are also able to understand a wider variety of native speakers from different backgrounds.
Students entering this level can succeed in a range of moderately complex university courses designed for native speakers. Before registering, they should consult with the appropriate IES Abroad academic adviser on course selection.
By the end of this course, students will have started to acquire the subtlety of expression and control of complex structures that characterize Competent Abroad learners. However, Emerging Competent Abroad learners have only partial mastery of these structures and quite often resort to simpler and more direct modes of expression, particularly when negotiating linguistically difficult or unfamiliar situations. Emerging Competent Abroad speakers understand local cultural attitudes, values, beliefs, and behavior patterns well enough to make an informed choice about which cultural features they would like to adopt or need to adopt in order to live harmoniously in the local culture. There may, however, be some gaps and inconsistencies in their knowledge, and they lack the depth of understanding and sophistication of those who have spent more time living and working in the local context.
By the end of the course students will be able to achieve the outcomes for Independent level as defined by the IES Abroad MAP for language and Intercultural Communication. The key learning outcomes from the MAP are summarized below:
I. Intercultural Communication
A. Students will be able to describe and analyze key host cultures, subcultures, habits, norms, and behaviors in a variety of settings, and they will be aware of the risk that generalizations can lead to stereotypes.
B. Students will be able to reflect on and discuss the validity of their own cultural beliefs, behaviors, and values by contrasting and comparing them with the host cultures.
C. Students will demonstrate openness and acceptance of different beliefs and styles even when they do not agree with them.
D. Students will accept responsibility for their own learning by defining their linguistic goals and demonstrating independence in their exploration of the culture.
II. Listening
A. Students will be able to identify a fairly wide range of social and cultural dialects of the spoken language.
B. Students will be able to understand most native speakers and non-native experts and comprehend a wide range of moderately complex interactions.
III. Speaking
A. Students will be able to participate fully in most academic and social interactions using when appropriate complex language including slang, colloquial expressions, double meaning, and humor with increasing confidence.
B. Students will be able to make arguments to support hypotheses and opinions on almost any topic of their interest.
IV. Reading
A. Students will be able to read and understand textbooks and academic articles for classes taught in the host language as well as a wide range of popular texts for enjoyment.
B. Students will be able to read and understand authentic materials including newspapers, advertisements, brochures, instruction manuals etc. on abstract topics with some assistance at times.
V. Writing
A. Students will be able to write for a wide range of native audiences and express themselves clearly and effectively.
B. Students will be able to write essays for classes incorporating aspects of appropriate academic style with some assistance at times.
FINAL GRADES
20%
20%
10 %
10%
20%
20%
Grading:
A Excellent performance
A-
B+
B Good performance
B-
C+
C Average performance
C-
D Below standard performance or poor comprehension of the contents of the course.
F Non fulfilment of the requeriments of the course or wrong understanding of the contents of the course.
Grill or rubric for the evaluation of writings
A
B
C
Grill or rubric for the evaluation of projectos (oral presentations)
A
The student shows his /her intention to talk only in Spanish all through the presentation (he has learnt new words, and how to explain them in Spanish in case he/she is asked about them).
B
The student shows his /her intention to talk only in Spanish all through the presentation (he has learnt new words, and how to explain them in Spanish in case he/she is asked about them).
C
Grill or rubric for the evaluation of the attendance, work, attitude and participation in class
A
B
C
Week
Content
Assignments
Corresponding Learning Outcome(s)
Unit 1
Weeks 1 & 2
1. Functional: Formal letter and e-mail writing. Scholarship application. Recommendation letters.
2. Grammatical: Simple Past/Past Perfect revision. Indicative/Subjunctive revision. Formal and informal register. Instructions, conditions, requirements, prohibitions. Concessive, consequence, and purpose clauses. Conditional clauses (si + …).
3. Vocabulary: Phrases for saying hullo and goodbye. Vocabulary related to school forms.
4. Culture: Transportation, security, environment, urban planning. Urban tribes.
Formal letter and
e- mail writing.
Photography contest.
I.A, I.C, II.A, III.B, IV. B, V.A.
Unit 2
Weeks 3 & 4
1.Functional: Writing headlines. Impersonality.
2. Grammatical: Passive voice and impersonality clauses. Uses of se.
3. Vocabulary: Vocabulary related to crisis and global issues. Comparison and contrast terms.
4. Culture: 2001 Argentine Crisis. Immigration in Argentina. Reflections on exclusion, xenophobia, and discrimination.
Informal interview.
I.B, I.C, II.A, III.B, IV. B, V.A.
Unit 3
Week 5
1. Functional: Making a review of an event or show.
2. Grammatical: Word formation. Prefixes and suffixes. Revision of Ser/estar/haber.
3. Vocabulary: Word families. Vocabulary related to the senses. Vocabulary related to music and show business.
4. Culture: Argentine Rock. Blending with other rhythms and music styles. Stereotypes associated with Latin America.
Review of an event or concert.
I.A, I.B, I.D, II.A, III.A, IV. A, V.B.
Week 6
Oral Presentation of Project 1.
Unit 4
Week 7
1. Functional: Direct/Indirect speech. Opinion and argumentation resources.
2. Grammatical: Reporting verbs. Cause, consequence, opposition, and conditional transitions.
3. Vocabulary: Differences among the Spanish, Latin American and Argentine lexicons.
4. Culture: Language varieties and language politics.
I.A, I.C, I.D, II.A, II, B, III.B, IV. A, IV.B, V.A, V.B.
Week 8
Review for midterm exam.
Midterm exam.
Week 9
Mid semester break
Unit 5
Weeks 10 & 11
1. Functional: Understanding lunfardo and other local expressions for daily situations which are culturally significant. Talking informally with such expressions.
2. Grammatical: Prepositions. Verbal periphrasis. Transformation verbs (volverse, quedarse, ponerse, hacerse, llegar a ser).
3. Vocabulary: Use of lunfardo (slang) and colloquial expressions.
4. Culture: Tango. Singers, composers, and songs (“Tomo y obligo”, “Por una cabeza”, “Tortazos”, “Triste paica”, “Milonga lunfarda”).
Moodle: Reference dictionary.
(This dictionary works as an interactive reference forum)
I.A, I.D, II.A, II. B, III.A, IV. A, V.A
Unit 6
Weeks 12 & 13
1. Functional: summarizing, organizing and conveying information about formal education and work experience. The resumé (curriculum vitae).
2. Grammatical: Relative clauses. Correlation of verb tenses. Gender revision. Expressing wishes.
3. Vocabulary: words and expressions related to work, education and gender issues.
4. Culture: Gender, sexism and feminism. Piropos: catcalls vs. flirtatious comments. Metrosexuales. Gender and sports.
I.D, II. A, II.B, III.A, IV. B, V.A, V.B
Week 14
Oral Presentación of Project 2.
Unit 7
Week 15
1. Functional: Narrating intrigue stories. Crime stories and police reports.
2. Grammatical: Verb aspect. Simple Past/Past Perfect revision. Nunca/siempre, en/durante.
3. Vocabulary: Journalistic vocabulary.
4. Culture: Jorge Luis Borges, “Emma Zunz”. Mujeres argentinas: “Yiya Murano, envenenadora”.
I. A, I.B, II. A, II.B, III.B, IV. B, V.A.
Week 16
Review for final exam.
Final exam
CORE Program (Cultural Orientation, Acculturation & Re-entry).
The first class day each week, save on weeks 6 and 14 (project weeks) and on weeks 8 and 16 (exam weeks), the students of IES Abroad Buenos Aires, will be expected to hand in a written text with their reflections, opinions and descriptions related to cultural, academic or touistic aspects, about what they did during the weekend (a trip, a ride around the city, a vist to a museum, a party, etc.). In these reports, the students should apply an intercultural point of view, and analyze similarities and contrasts between his own culture and this new culture they are getting to know, considering “culture” in the broad sense which the bibliography (Canale and Swain 1986, Sanz 1999, Miquel 2003) summarizes as “ The three Ps” , from the most evident and superficial (products, practices) to the most implicit (perspectives). The teacher of each course will determine the extent of each writing according to the Spanish level of the course. The best writings will be selected and exhibited on a board. At the end of the semester, the students whose reports were selected will receive a certificate signed by the authorities of IES Buenos Aires.
Class work and participation:
Homework assignments
The students will have to spend 5 or 6 hours a week doing homework. We strongly recommend not to let undone homework pile up until the day before they are supposed to hand it in, but to devote an hour every day to it. The results are always much better in this way. The purpose of homework tasks is that students study, search information, and make exercises, in order to consolidate their knowledge of the topics taught in class. Homework will always include a writing per week. The students who hand it in later than required, will obtain a lower grade.
Research Projects ( they must be presented orally, with visual support)
Project 1 (individual or in groups of 2 or 3 students) Week 6
It consists of searching information about Buenos Aires and/or other places in Argentina and telling the class about it, using the communication tools reviewed and learned in class. The kind of research will depend on the interest of the students, so the subject will be chosen by each of them. It may be about museums, places for shopping or eating, parks and squares, bars, visual arts, monuments, habits, neighbourhoods, poets, soccer .
Also take into account that the visits with IES to sport events, such as fútbol and rugby, to museums like the ethnographic museum and Malba museum and to the theatre, may be the subject for your project, too. So bring your camera and a note book with you, in order to record all the details.
The way of presentation is also chosen by the students. It may be through a role play, a poster, a turist guide book , a video, a magazine, powerpoint with pictures, a recording, performing a play scene, a game, etc.
You should tell the teacher about the subject of your project and the technical requirements for its presentation. (over head, TV ,CD/DVD , etc.). If you use powerpoint for this project, you will not be allowed to use it for the next, and viceversa.
We recommend using posters hand made, so that a tangible product from your presentation remains, for other students interested in the subject to see.
The day of the presentation you are expected to hand in a written version of it. This writing will have another grade, as the weekly writings. In order to obtain a good grade, it is advisable to show the plan to the teacher, either in classes previous to the presentation or during the teacher´s office hours.
Project 2 (individual or in gruops of 2 or 3 students) Semana 14
It may be about:
a) a more academic project (e.g. tell the class about what you learned in other courses, perform part of the play you rehearsed at your drama course, etc.)
b) the trip or trips you made during the mid- semester break
c) a play you saw at the theatre, tango, your visits to different neighbourhoods in BA.
d) your final research paper on a subject at your choice.
In every case, you must talk with your teacher about the subject some days before your presentation, so that your work can be supervised.
For project 1, it is not compulsory to make presentation in a formal register, but for project 2 it is a requirement. (You will be expected to use special words and phrases to introduce the subject, to open and close each part of your presentation, to talk about conclusions , to close your presentation and open a debate, etc.)
You should tell the teacher about the subject of your project and the technical requirements for its presentation. (over head, TV ,CD/DVD , etc.). If you use powerpoint for project 1, you will not be allowed to use it for project 2.
We recommend using hand made posters, so that a tangible product from your presentation remains for other students interested in the subject to see.
The day of the presentation you are expected to hand in a written version of it. This writing will have another grade ( as the weekly writings). In order to obtain a good grade, it is advisable to show the plan to the teacher, either in classes previous to the presentation or during the teacher´s office hours.
Mid.term and Final Exams ( written )
During the weeks indicated in the schedule.
Office Hours
All the teachers have an office hour a week , to help the students with their projects or any other topic related to Spanish, wether it was taught in class or not. The students can ask the teacher to prepare a handout about any subject they may be interested in, even if it is not included in the syllabus.
IT WILL BE COMPULSORY for each student to meet the teacher at least 2 times during office hours, in order to have an interview. The first one will be before the mid semester break and the second , after the mid semester break. If the student cannot have these meetings at the time offered by the teacher because he/ she has another class, they must arrange another time to meet. The student must bring the books used in class, as well as any classwork or homework. Both the teacher and the student will talk about the student´s progress, suggestions to solve difficulties, and any other matter that may help consolidate the student´s learning.
Ethics and Responsibility:
The students must follow the rules about plagiarism mentioned in IES Abroad Handbook, page 40. Using printed electronic sources or copying writings or exams from other students will not be permitted. The students who violate these rules will be immediately summoned by the Academic Dean and will be subject to severe sanctions.