An intermediate Spanish course, in which the linguistic and communicative contents of each course are based on three criteria: a) grammar, b) oral and written expression and comprehension, and c) cultural context. The specific content will be chosen based on usefulness and frequency in everyday communication, especially in a university-level academic setting.
Prerequisites:
None
Learning outcomes:
By the end of the course, students should be able to:
Communicative Outcomes:
Talk and ask about past experiences (including descriptions), short stories and legends;
Express future facts; talk in a simple way about hypothetical situations
Express courtesy in formal situations; give complements; express agreement and disagreement; express and understand opinions and doubts (argumentative techniques)
Describe activities (estar+gerundio); express and understand wishes and needs
Invite, accept or reject invitations; give and ask for instructions with different discursive strategies according to the communicative situation; make suggestions; express duties, likes and dislikes (using gustar)
Write formal letters
Participate in simple dialogue; read and understand simple newspaper articles; write and read formal or familiar letters and narratives.
Grammar Outcomes
Conjugate regular and irregular verbs in the present and the past (pretérito indefinido or perfecto simple); conjugate new irregular verbs
Use indefinite pronouns: algo, alguien, alguna, nada, nadie, ninguno. The determiner: otro.
Conjugate in the past imperfect tense, and understand when to use preterite vs. imperfect
Use connecting words: sin embargo, a ver si, así que, ya que, por eso, por lo tanto, por un lado, por el otro, aunque.
Use verb phrases: empezar a + infinitivo, dejar de + infinitivo, teminar de + infinitivo, volver a + infinitivo, tratar de + infinitivo, seguir + gerundio, continuar + gerundio, estar + gerundio, quedarse + gerundio.
Express politeness in simple conditional expressions: podría/me gustaría + infinitive.
Narrate using cuando, siempre que, cada vez que + modo indicativo
Conditional clauses.
Introduction to the pluscuamperfecto tense.
Direct object duplication.
Introduction to reported speech.
The imperative tense.
Prepositions: “por, de, en”.
Make suggestions and give instructions with impersonal structures.
Express possession with verbs in the imperative tense.
The Subjunctive: the present in different contexts to express desire, necessity and requests.
Express opinion using the indicative or subjunctive (with the negation of those verbs (creo que + indicative, no creo que + subjunctive)).
Argumentative techniques: deny, accept, explain, give examples, generalizations, etc.
Method of presentation:
Lectures will be supplemented with activities and exercises, such as role plays and field studies, designed to actively involve the students in the use of language. Assignments on grammar and vocabulary, quizzes, authentic reading materials, and weekly written and oral assignments will be a regular part of the course as well. Students will complete 3 research projects, a midterm and a final examination.
Required work and form of assessment:
10% Participation
10% Daily Homework
10% Quizzes
10% Research Project 1
10% Research Project 2
10% Research Project 3
20% Midterm exam
20% Final exam
An 80% attendance is required.
content:
(This weekly schedule may be subject to change)
Week 1
Communication: Introducing oneself
Grammar: Basic grammar review: present tense. Regular and irregular verbs. Personal pronouns.
Culture: Study abroad: what do you expect from this experience?
Week 2
Communication: Expressing likes, dislikes, emotions and feelings
Grammar: The verb gustar/interesar/preocupar. Reflexive verbs. The contrast between imperfecto and
indefinido. Use of connectors: sin embargo, a ver si, así que, ya que, por eso, por lo tanto, por un lado, por el otro, aunque.
Culture: First impressions of Argentine culture
Week 3
Communication: Reading newspaper articles
Grammar: Past tense: the pretérito pluscuamperfecto. Temporal markers
Culture: The city and its history
Week 4
Communication: Narratives.
Grammar: Reported speech: telling what another has said. Pronouns and verbal changes in the reported speech.
Culture: Biographies of Argentine characters
Week 5 PRESENTATION OF PROJECT 1
(Interview of a Porteño)
Week 6
Communication: Cultural ads in magazines and newspapers.
Grammar: Accept or reject invitations. Different levels of formality. Give advice.
Culture: Buenos Aires cultural offering: playhouses, cafés, art exhibitions, etc. MID-TERM EXAM
Week 7
Communication: Legends and popular short stories
Grammar: The imperative. Making suggestions. Use of objective pronouns with verbs in the imperative.
Culture: Leaving the city: popular culture in the provinces.
Week 8
Communication: Making plans
Grammar: The subjunctive: context of use. Expressing opinions, wishes and hypothetical facts.
Culture: Variety within the Spanish language (accent and dialect).
Week 9
Communication: A Film or book review
Grammar: The subjunctive: pretérito imperfecto. The use of the subjunctive with verbs of opinion in the negative.
Culture: watching an Argentine film
Week 10 PRESENTATION OF PROJECT 2
(Theme: city/country, students will present on a chosen topic (a museum, food and drink, parks, art, a TV show, traditions, soccer, etc.))
Week 11
Communication: Debating in Spanish.
Grammar: Argumentative techniques: deny, accept, explain, give examples, generalizations, etc. Give a personal opinion.
Argumentative devices: connectors and discourse markers.
Week 12
REVIEW
Week 13 PRESENTATION OF PROJECT 3
(Presentation of a cultural topic of the students’ choice—ex. something learned in a field-study, IES Abroad trip, another IES Abroad course, cultural activity, etc)
Week 14 FINAL
Required readings:
Reading materials are chosen according to Spanish level: signs, magazines and newspaper articles, short stories, reviews, biographies, manuals, poems, lyrics, recipes, papers, short novels, etc.
An intermediate Spanish course, in which the linguistic and communicative contents of each course are based on three criteria: a) grammar, b) oral and written expression and comprehension, and c) cultural context. The specific content will be chosen based on usefulness and frequency in everyday communication, especially in a university-level academic setting.
None
By the end of the course, students should be able to:
Communicative Outcomes:
Grammar Outcomes
Lectures will be supplemented with activities and exercises, such as role plays and field studies, designed to actively involve the students in the use of language. Assignments on grammar and vocabulary, quizzes, authentic reading materials, and weekly written and oral assignments will be a regular part of the course as well. Students will complete 3 research projects, a midterm and a final examination.
10% Participation
10% Daily Homework
10% Quizzes
10% Research Project 1
10% Research Project 2
10% Research Project 3
20% Midterm exam
20% Final exam
An 80% attendance is required.
(This weekly schedule may be subject to change)
Week 1
Communication: Introducing oneself
Grammar: Basic grammar review: present tense. Regular and irregular verbs. Personal pronouns.
Culture: Study abroad: what do you expect from this experience?
Week 2
Communication: Expressing likes, dislikes, emotions and feelings
Grammar: The verb gustar/interesar/preocupar. Reflexive verbs. The contrast between imperfecto and
indefinido. Use of connectors: sin embargo, a ver si, así que, ya que, por eso, por lo tanto, por un lado, por el otro, aunque.
Culture: First impressions of Argentine culture
Week 3
Communication: Reading newspaper articles
Grammar: Past tense: the pretérito pluscuamperfecto. Temporal markers
Culture: The city and its history
Week 4
Communication: Narratives.
Grammar: Reported speech: telling what another has said. Pronouns and verbal changes in the reported speech.
Culture: Biographies of Argentine characters
Week 5
PRESENTATION OF PROJECT 1
(Interview of a Porteño)
Week 6
Communication: Cultural ads in magazines and newspapers.
Grammar: Accept or reject invitations. Different levels of formality. Give advice.
Culture: Buenos Aires cultural offering: playhouses, cafés, art exhibitions, etc.
MID-TERM EXAM
Week 7
Communication: Legends and popular short stories
Grammar: The imperative. Making suggestions. Use of objective pronouns with verbs in the imperative.
Culture: Leaving the city: popular culture in the provinces.
Week 8
Communication: Making plans
Grammar: The subjunctive: context of use. Expressing opinions, wishes and hypothetical facts.
Culture: Variety within the Spanish language (accent and dialect).
Week 9
Communication: A Film or book review
Grammar: The subjunctive: pretérito imperfecto. The use of the subjunctive with verbs of opinion in the negative.
Culture: watching an Argentine film
Week 10
PRESENTATION OF PROJECT 2
(Theme: city/country, students will present on a chosen topic (a museum, food and drink, parks, art, a TV show, traditions, soccer, etc.))
Week 11
Communication: Debating in Spanish.
Grammar: Argumentative techniques: deny, accept, explain, give examples, generalizations, etc. Give a personal opinion.
Argumentative devices: connectors and discourse markers.
Week 12
REVIEW
Week 13
PRESENTATION OF PROJECT 3
(Presentation of a cultural topic of the students’ choice—ex. something learned in a field-study, IES Abroad trip, another IES Abroad course, cultural activity, etc)
Week 14
FINAL
Reading materials are chosen according to Spanish level: signs, magazines and newspaper articles, short stories, reviews, biographies, manuals, poems, lyrics, recipes, papers, short novels, etc.