During this course students will develop communicative skills related to explanatory and argumentative interactions on a number of sociocultural topics. Students will gain proficiency in the skillful use of the language: They will be able to build upon their grammatical knowledge and vocabulary, exploit their communicative resources when engaging with native speakers in fluent conversation, give a presentation on a complex topic, and hold argumentative debates.
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 on 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).
Student Profile
Students entering this level must be able to fulfill most of the learning outcomes of the Novice Abroad level, as defined by the IES Abroad MAP for Language and Intercultural Communication. Specifically, they should already be able to express themselves on a variety of concrete, everyday topics and meet their basic needs in the language. Students who enter this level may be more proficient in reading and writing skills than oral communication, especially if they have never traveled or studied abroad previously. Although students may have been exposed previously to certain competencies taught at this level, they need additional practice and instruction to move toward mastery of these competencies. Students at this level may succeed in partner university courses as long as such courses are primarily designed for international students and/or require passive student linguistic participation (art studios, dance).
In this course, students will develop cultural awareness and skills to work through the challenges of cultural adaptation. They will begin to appreciate the value of these language and intercultural skills. Students will also begin to develop independence and autonomy so that, when communication does break down, they have some tools at their disposal to resolve these challenges independently. Students should welcome correction and guidance from their instructors, hosts, and others in the community as they progress.
By the end of this course, students will begin to converse at a rate of speed approaching normal conversation. They will start to become creative, spontaneous and self-reliant as they solve problems, interpret texts, negotiate, express their opinions, likes and dislikes in the culture. Although students will still make errors and experience communication breakdowns, they are sometimes able to resolve these on their own. Students will understand some colloquial expressions and slang, and are starting to understand a wider variety of native speakers from different backgrounds. By the end of this level, students will be capable of achieving the learning outcomes outlined below.
Prerequisites:
Completion of IES Abroad’s Emerging Independent Abroad outcomes from the MAP for Language and Intercultural Communication, determined by placement test.
Attendance policy:
Attendance is mandatory for all IES classes, including field studies. Any exams, tests, presentations, or other work missed due to student absences can only be rescheduled in cases of documented medical or family emergencies. If a student misses more than three classes in any course half a letter grade will be deducted from the final grade for every additional absence. Seven absences in any course will result in a failing grade.
Learning outcomes:
Students who are placed in this level should be capable of achieving the outcomes in the Novice Abroad level as defined by the IES Abroad MAP for Language and Intercultural Communication. By the end of the course, students will be able to achieve some of the outcomes for the Emerging Independent Abroad level as defined by the MAP for Language and Intercultural Communication. The key learning outcomes from the MAP are summarized below:
I. Intercultural Communication
Students will be able to solve some daily troublesome situations and meet needs with limited help.
Students will be able to make some informed comparisons between the host culture and the students’ home cultures.
Students will be able to distinguish between verbal and non verbal communication that reflects politeness, formality, or informality.
Students will be able to recognize simple patterns of intonation and their meaning.
II. Listening
Students will be able to understand some interactions (media, speeches, music, conversations, etc.), especially if the speaker is used to interacting with non-native speakers.
Students will be able to understand direct requests, questions, and simple conversations on familiar and concrete topics.
III. Speaking
Students will be able to talk to a limited extent about persons and things in their immediate environment, as well as their plans and their experiences.
Students will be able to address moderately complicated situations involving familiar subjects.
IV. Reading
Students will be able to read passages and short texts (notes, detailed instructions, etc.) on familiar topics and understand the general meaning.
Students will be able to support their understanding of texts through the use of context, visual aids, dictionaries, or with the assistance of others in order to facilitate comprehension.
V. Writing
Students will be able to communicate with limited effectiveness through notes, emails, and simple online discussions and chats.
Students will be able to write short essays on concrete topics of limited levels of complexity, although with reliance on the communicative patterns of their native language.
Method of presentation:
CLASS DISCUSSION: The aim of class discussions is to provide the student with a more holistic view of Spanish language. These discussions offer the student the opportunity to present their views and hear the perspective of other students on selected topics.
CLASS DEBATE: The debate provides a lively forum for exchange of views on a prepared topic.
STUDENT PRESENTATIONS: Presentations provide the student with the opportunity to develop oral presentation skills and to receive constructive feedback from their peers and professor on their approach.
HOMEWORK AND DAILY PARTICIPATION: Students will work individually and in groups in order to systematize and to practice orally all the grammatical concepts learned in class, with the opportunity to clarify doubts.
Required work and form of assessment:
Midterm: 10%; Final Exam: 20%; Oral Exams (2 exams): 10%; Quizzes (6 quizzes minimum on listening, speaking, reading, writing, intercultural communication): 15%; Video/Oral presentation: 10%; Compositions: 15%; Field studies: 10%; Class participation: 10%.
Alonso Raya, Rosario et alii (2ª edición 2006): Gramática básica del estudiante de español. Barcelona: Difusión.
Aragonés, L. y Palencia, R. (2006): Gramática de uso del español A1-B2. Madrid: Ediciones SM.
Brief Biography of Instructor:
Laura Vázquez was born in Madrid. She has been teaching Spanish and Spanish Cinema to American students for over 10 years, and has been a Faculty Regional Educational Technology Specialist at IES Abroad Barcelona since 2011. She studied Spanish literature in Madrid and during that time she also lived in Italy for a year, studying literature and Italian as an Erasmus student. In 2001 she spent 7 months in the US, teaching Spanish and Spanish Cinema in Washington and Lee University (VA). She is now writing her PhD thesis on intercultural studies and cinema. She loves multiculturalism, new technologies and learning about other cultures, which is always very important in her job.
Rosa Brión was born in Galicia, Spain, where she earned a degree in English Studies at the Universidade de Santiago de Compostela. She later moved to U.K. to do a postgraduate masters degree in theoretical linguistics at the University of Reading, and then to Germany to earn a degree in German Studies at Heidelberg Universität. Her academic areas of concentration was syntax and semantics. She was then appointed by the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs to be Spanish lecturer at the University of California, Berkeley, where she spent three years. She is currently an associate professor at Universitat de Barcelona and is writing her PhD thesis on “Institutional Discourse on Gender Violence” at the Universitat Pompeu Fabra. She has been teaching Spanish at IES since 2004.
Intensive Advanced Spanish in Usage I-II
During this course students will develop communicative skills related to explanatory and argumentative interactions on a number of sociocultural topics. Students will gain proficiency in the skillful use of the language: They will be able to build upon their grammatical knowledge and vocabulary, exploit their communicative resources when engaging with native speakers in fluent conversation, give a presentation on a complex topic, and hold argumentative debates.
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 on 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).
Student Profile
Students entering this level must be able to fulfill most of the learning outcomes of the Novice Abroad level, as defined by the IES Abroad MAP for Language and Intercultural Communication. Specifically, they should already be able to express themselves on a variety of concrete, everyday topics and meet their basic needs in the language. Students who enter this level may be more proficient in reading and writing skills than oral communication, especially if they have never traveled or studied abroad previously. Although students may have been exposed previously to certain competencies taught at this level, they need additional practice and instruction to move toward mastery of these competencies. Students at this level may succeed in partner university courses as long as such courses are primarily designed for international students and/or require passive student linguistic participation (art studios, dance).
In this course, students will develop cultural awareness and skills to work through the challenges of cultural adaptation. They will begin to appreciate the value of these language and intercultural skills. Students will also begin to develop independence and autonomy so that, when communication does break down, they have some tools at their disposal to resolve these challenges independently. Students should welcome correction and guidance from their instructors, hosts, and others in the community as they progress.
By the end of this course, students will begin to converse at a rate of speed approaching normal conversation. They will start to become creative, spontaneous and self-reliant as they solve problems, interpret texts, negotiate, express their opinions, likes and dislikes in the culture. Although students will still make errors and experience communication breakdowns, they are sometimes able to resolve these on their own. Students will understand some colloquial expressions and slang, and are starting to understand a wider variety of native speakers from different backgrounds. By the end of this level, students will be capable of achieving the learning outcomes outlined below.
Completion of IES Abroad’s Emerging Independent Abroad outcomes from the MAP for Language and Intercultural Communication, determined by placement test.
Attendance is mandatory for all IES classes, including field studies. Any exams, tests, presentations, or other work missed due to student absences can only be rescheduled in cases of documented medical or family emergencies. If a student misses more than three classes in any course half a letter grade will be deducted from the final grade for every additional absence. Seven absences in any course will result in a failing grade.
Students who are placed in this level should be capable of achieving the outcomes in the Novice Abroad level as defined by the IES Abroad MAP for Language and Intercultural Communication. By the end of the course, students will be able to achieve some of the outcomes for the Emerging Independent Abroad level as defined by the MAP for Language and Intercultural Communication. The key learning outcomes from the MAP are summarized below:
I. Intercultural Communication
II. Listening
III. Speaking
IV. Reading
V. Writing
CLASS DISCUSSION: The aim of class discussions is to provide the student with a more holistic view of Spanish language. These discussions offer the student the opportunity to present their views and hear the perspective of other students on selected topics.
CLASS DEBATE: The debate provides a lively forum for exchange of views on a prepared topic.
STUDENT PRESENTATIONS: Presentations provide the student with the opportunity to develop oral presentation skills and to receive constructive feedback from their peers and professor on their approach.
HOMEWORK AND DAILY PARTICIPATION: Students will work individually and in groups in order to systematize and to practice orally all the grammatical concepts learned in class, with the opportunity to clarify doubts.
Midterm: 10%; Final Exam: 20%; Oral Exams (2 exams): 10%; Quizzes (6 quizzes minimum on listening, speaking, reading, writing, intercultural communication): 15%; Video/Oral presentation: 10%; Compositions: 15%; Field studies: 10%; Class participation: 10%.
Week
Content
Assignments
Corresponding Learning Outcome(s)
Week 1
Unit 1
1.Functional: Asking for/giving information; describing oneself; locating
events in the past; expressing the duration of events; talking about interests and hobbies.
2.Grammatical: preterite vs. present perfect; time expressions.
3.Vocabulary: Adjectives to describe personality, time expressions.
4.Culture: University life (Erasmus/IES); Spanish and American working life. Famous events and people in Spanish history.
-Describing character and study habits: What kind of student am
I?
-Activities: Past tenses and time expressions/markers
-Writing a resume and a letter of presentation.
I.A, B, C II.B
III.A, B IV.A, B V.A, B
Week 2
Unit 2
1.Functional: Describing a city: Locations, services, characteristics; expressing recommendations for travelling.
2.Grammatical: Uses of SER / ESTAR; relative clauses with indicative and subjunctive; relative pronouns preceded by a preposition.
3.Vocabulary: Adjectives to describe people, places and objects; discourse markers.
4.Culture: Urbanism in Spain vs. USA; Spanish stereotypes.
-Activities: Description of places and people
-Debate: the ideal city to study.
-Field Study: Visit a market
I.A, B, C, D II.A, B III.A, B IV.A, B
V.A, B
Week 3
Unit 3
1.Functional:Talking about books;
expressing likes and dislikes about literature; explaining anecdotes and
narrating stories in the past.
2.Grammatical: Past tenses, time conjunctions and time adverbs to narrate in the past.
3.Vocabulary: Literary genres, narrative discourse organizers for both oral and written stories.
4.Culture: Spanish and Latin-American literature, short stories
-Survey about reading habits.
-Review of irregular pasts; activities contrasting past tense uses.
-Analyzing short stories and fairy tales.
-Writing a modern fairy tale.
-Exam 1
I.A, B II.A, B
III.A IV.A, B V.A, B
Week 4
Unit 4
1.Functional: Expressing preferences about travel destinations, reacting to opinions, recommending places, giving
directions and expressing location.
2.Grammatical: Prepositions (place), motion verbs, giving advice, commands.
3.Vocabulary: Vocabulary related to travelling, cities and describing places.
4.Culture: Spanish cities, touristic places and monuments.
-Reading comprehension and fill- in-the-blanks on Gracia, the student barrio.
-”Dictado Picasso”.
-Creating a touristic brochure of a Spanish destination.
-Designing a touristic tour of
Barcelona´s barrios.
- Field study: Visit Gràcia
Barrio
I.A, B, C, II.A, II, B, III.A,
IV.A, B, V.A, B, C
Week
5
Unit
5
1.Functional: Locating events in the past; narrating historical events; describing life in different time periods.
2.Grammatical: Review of past tenses; temporal subordinate conjunctions; verbal combinations with a temporal meaning.
3.Vocabulary: Time verbal periphrasis (seguir..., dejar de..., ponerse a... etc.); temporal subordinate conjunctions.
4.Culture: Spanish 20th-century history; Spanish politics; “la Conquista de las Américas”.
-Listening to academic lectures on Spanish recent history.
-Practice on past tenses, temporal discourse markers, and temporal verbal periphrasis in context.
-Critical analysis of the discourse on “la Conquista”.
-Debate on America´s most significant historical events.
I. A, B II. A
III. A, B
IV. B V.B
Week 6
Unit 6
1.Functional: Express and react to opinions.
2.Grammatical: Indicative/subjunctive with opinion.
3.Vocabulary: Cinema.
4.Culture: Spanish cinema.
-Cinema survey.
-Cinema vocabulary.
-Movies synopsis.
-Re-telling movies.
I. B
II. A. B III. A. B
IV. A. B
Week 7
Unit 6
1.Functional: Express and react to opinions.
2.Grammatical: Indicative/subjunctive with opinion.
3.Vocabulary: Cinema.
4.Culture: Spanish cinema.
- Writing a synopsis.
- Film viewing and discussion.
- Movie critique: the best movie.
- Field study: Visit Parc del laberint.
I. A. B II. A. B
III. A
IV. A. B V. B
Week
8
Unit
7
1.Functional: Expressing hypothesis about the future.
2.Grammatical: Expressions of hypothesis (indicative vs. subjunctive); uses of the future tense.
3.Vocabulary: Objects and tools; description of characteristics and functions.
4.Culture: Work culture; the job market in Spain; environmental issues.
-Listening: Making predictions about the future.
-Edward Hopper´s paintings: Hypotheses about what may have happened.
-Reading: The job market in
Spain
-Science: Inventions that have changed our lives
-Exam 2
I. A, B II. A
III. A, B IV. A, B
V. B
Week
9
Unit
8
1.Functional: Expressing conditions with different degrees of likelihood. Arguing for and against.
2.Grammatical: Conditional sentences; conditional tense and past Subj.; pronouns.
3.Vocabulary: Linguistic skills, language politics.
4.Culture: Bilingualism in Cataluña;
linguistic diversity in Spain.
-Practice on conditional sentences: Assessing the likelihood of a condition, and conjugating the verbs accordingly.
-Pronouns: Understanding the role of the event/state participants.
-Research on linguistic diversity in Cataluña, Spain, and the
E.U. vs. U.S.A.
I. A, B II. A, B III.A, B IV. A, B V.B
Week
10
Unit 9
1.Functional: Expressing demands and petitions with different degrees of
politeness/assertiveness. Repeating a
message.
2.Grammatical: Use of the Subj. with verbs of command. Reported speech.
3.Vocabulary: The Media.
4.Culture: Spanish media.
-Reporting what someone else has said.
-Verbs for “telling”.
-Identifying the communicative intention: Indirect requests vs. giving information.
I. A II. B
III.A, B
IV. A
Week
11
Unit 10
1.Functional: Expressing opinion, denying events, debating.
2.Grammatical: Discourse markers to express concession and to deny information.
3.Vocabulary: Social issues.
4.Culture: “Los indignados”.
-Room-mate casting.
-Dealing with complaints.
-Reading: The 68’ Revolution and the Indignados Revolution.
I. B
III. A, B IV. A, B
Week 12
Unit 10
1.Functional: Expressing opinion, deny events, debating.
2.Grammatical: Past tense, subjunctive vs indicative.
3.Vocabulary: Expressions for debating.
4.Culture: Reverse culture shock.
- Final oral presentations.
- Home, sweet home.
- Review for final exam
-Final exam
I. B.C
II. B
III. A.B IV.A
V.V. A.A. (2008): Destino Erasmus 2, SGEL, Madrid.
On-line bilingual and monolingual dictionaries.
On-line dictionary of synonims.
Alonso Raya, Rosario et alii (2ª edición 2006): Gramática básica del estudiante de español. Barcelona: Difusión.
Aragonés, L. y Palencia, R. (2006): Gramática de uso del español A1-B2. Madrid: Ediciones SM.
Laura Vázquez was born in Madrid. She has been teaching Spanish and Spanish Cinema to American students for over 10 years, and has been a Faculty Regional Educational Technology Specialist at IES Abroad Barcelona since 2011. She studied Spanish literature in Madrid and during that time she also lived in Italy for a year, studying literature and Italian as an Erasmus student. In 2001 she spent 7 months in the US, teaching Spanish and Spanish Cinema in Washington and Lee University (VA). She is now writing her PhD thesis on intercultural studies and cinema. She loves multiculturalism, new technologies and learning about other cultures, which is always very important in her job.
Rosa Brión was born in Galicia, Spain, where she earned a degree in English Studies at the Universidade de Santiago de Compostela. She later moved to U.K. to do a postgraduate masters degree in theoretical linguistics at the University of Reading, and then to Germany to earn a degree in German Studies at Heidelberg Universität. Her academic areas of concentration was syntax and semantics. She was then appointed by the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs to be Spanish lecturer at the University of California, Berkeley, where she spent three years. She is currently an associate professor at Universitat de Barcelona and is writing her PhD thesis on “Institutional Discourse on Gender Violence” at the Universitat Pompeu Fabra. She has been teaching Spanish at IES since 2004.