This intensive Spanish course is designed for students interested in pursuing studies in the health care area and in developing a professional career in cross-cultural settings in which effective communicative Spanish plays a crucial role. The emphasis of this course is placed both on the improvement of linguistic skills and also on the development of students’ intercultural competence within the frame of medical settings and public health. Students will learn about the Chilean health system and local health care practices while expanding their medical vocabulary.
Method of presentation:
Course includes listening and audiovisual activities, debates and role plays to enhance students’ understanding of medical vocabulary complemented with lectures and discussions of assigned readings.
Required work and form of assessment:
Oral presentations 20%; written essays and reading comprehension 20%; midterm test 20%; final oral exam 20%; and final written exam 20%.
content:
Session 1: Healthcare services
Discussion includes: Types of healthcare centers- public and private-, areas and professionals in a hospital and clinic, medical specialities.
Description of people and places
Review concepts of ‘ser’ and ‘estar’
Present indicative mood
Vocabulary related to hospitals and professionals
Session 2: Public and private healthcare systems
Discussion includes: Advantages and disadvantages of the local health care system and health care centers (premises and facilities)
Adjectives for comparison
Comparatives and superlatives
Vocabulary related to professionals and type of services
Sessions 3: In the doctor’s office
Discussion includes: doctor/patient relationships, medical tools and equipment, medical terminology. Also includes student role-play activities.
Expressing symptoms
Use of reflexive verb structures
Giving instructions using imperative mood (formally and informally)
Session 4: FIELDTRIP
Students visit public hospitals and private clinics with the objective of familiarize themselves with the local healthcare system and compare both kinds of health care providers.
Session 5: What happened to you?
Discussion includes: Describing symptoms, pain and intensity.
Describing recent past events using preterite and imperfective past tenses.
Vocabulary related to pain, aches and sore.
WRITTEN ASSIGNMENT SUBMISSION: Comparative essay on health care systems in Chile and in U.S.
Session 6: Children’s illnesses and vaccination
Discussion includes: Discussing vaccination and public policies to control common illnesses.
Review of the use of preterite and imperfective past tenses
Vocabulary related to illnesses, disease and vaccination and the organs of the digestive system.
Session 7: Prevention
Discussion includes: Causes of illnesses and disease and suggestions to prevent them.
Subjunctive mood for giving advice and warning
Vocabulary review: human body, organs and symptoms associated with them.
Session 8: ORAL PRESENTATION
Students make a presentation about their visits to public and private medical health care centers.
Session 9: Addictions
Discussion includes: description of the most common addictions that people have and their impact on health. Analysis of their causes, social consequences and of the effectiveness of campaigns to prevent them.
Present subjunctive
Particle se: impersonal style
Vocabulary related to addictions: alcoholism, tobacco, drugs, etc.
Session 10: MIDTERM EXAM
Session 11: FIELDTRIP
Visit to rural health care service. Students visit a rural primary care hospital and learn about the services provided and the type of community assisted.
Session 12: Accidents and first aid
Discussion includes: risks and accidents at home, first aid.
Accidental use of reflexive constructions
Verb collocations
Giving advice
Session 13: Accidents and emergencies
Discussion includes: accidents, emergency room work, CPR, handling accidents and injuries in a medical setting.
Description of events and processes
Imperatives to give instructions
Vocabulary related to accidents and injuries
WRITTEN ASSIGNMENT SUBMISSION: Addictions in U.S and Chile, consequences on society and the effectiveness of campaigns.
Session 14: Woman’s health and pregnancy
Discussion includes: woman’s health and sociocultural decisions. Pregnancy and reproduction.
Describing processes
Impersonal forms
Vocabulary related to conception, pregnancy and birth
Session 15: Abortion and contra-conception methods.
Discussion includes: description of contraception methods and its sociocultural implications, the pros and cons of abortion and the after morning pill.
Imperfect subjunctive
If-clauses
Session 16: AUDIOVISUAL ACTIVITY. Movie: Mar Adentro
WRITTEN ASSIGNMENT SUBMISSION: Woman, personal and socio-cultural decisions.
Session 17: DEBATE: Euthanasia: legal or illegal
Class is divided into two groups, one defends patients’ right to choose, the other one, opposes.
Session 18: Senior’s health
Discussion includes: illnesses and diseases that affect old people, healthcare for senior citizens.
Present indicative
Imperfect subjunctive
Session 19: Nontraditional medical treatments
Discussion includes: traditional and non-traditional health practices
Imperfect subjunctive
Expressing opinions
Session 20: FINAL ORAL PRESENTATION
Students present a project about a topic related to any sensible subject of medicine or Chilean health care system not studied during the course. Project includes the identification of a problem, research on the resources available and suggestion of concrete actions to solve or try to solve it.
Session 21: FINAL WRITTEN EXAM
Final exam assesses all contents reviewed along the course.
Required readings:
Dossier designed by the instructor which includes Spanish scientific journals, health and medical magazines, and other current pedagogical and relevant sources.
Aragonés, L., R., Palencia 2005. Gramática de uso del español. Teoría y práctica. Nueva Edición. Ed smele.
Dozier, E., Z. Iguina. 1999. Manual de gramática. Grammar reference for students of Spanish. Heinle and Heinle Publishers. 2nd Edition.
Florían, L. y A. M. Ruiz (2005) Ciencias de la salud. Manual de español profesional. Universidad de Alcalá. UAH
Martín, R., M., y M. Ellis 2000. Aventura 4. Hoodder & Stoughton. Grupo Hodder Headline Group
Peris, M., E. y N. Baulenas. 1998. Gente 2. Difusión. Barcelona. 4ta edición 2000.
Millares, S. 1999. Método de español para extranjeros. Nivel Superior. Edinumen. (2da edición 2002)
Samaniego, F., F. Alarcón, N. Rojas. 1995. Mundo 21. Heath. D.C. Heath and Company.
Terrel, T,. M., Andrade, J. Egasse., E. Muñoz., 1996. Dos Mundos. Third Edition. McGraw Hill, Inc.
Turk, P. y M. Zollo. 1990. ¡Ahora mismo!. Hoodder & Stoughton. Grupo Hodder Headline Group. (6ta edición 2000)
This intensive Spanish course is designed for students interested in pursuing studies in the health care area and in developing a professional career in cross-cultural settings in which effective communicative Spanish plays a crucial role. The emphasis of this course is placed both on the improvement of linguistic skills and also on the development of students’ intercultural competence within the frame of medical settings and public health. Students will learn about the Chilean health system and local health care practices while expanding their medical vocabulary.
Course includes listening and audiovisual activities, debates and role plays to enhance students’ understanding of medical vocabulary complemented with lectures and discussions of assigned readings.
Oral presentations 20%; written essays and reading comprehension 20%; midterm test 20%; final oral exam 20%; and final written exam 20%.
Session 1: Healthcare services
Discussion includes: Types of healthcare centers- public and private-, areas and professionals in a hospital and clinic, medical specialities.
Session 2: Public and private healthcare systems
Discussion includes: Advantages and disadvantages of the local health care system and health care centers (premises and facilities)
Sessions 3: In the doctor’s office
Discussion includes: doctor/patient relationships, medical tools and equipment, medical terminology. Also includes student role-play activities.
Session 4: FIELDTRIP
Students visit public hospitals and private clinics with the objective of familiarize themselves with the local healthcare system and compare both kinds of health care providers.
Session 5: What happened to you?
Discussion includes: Describing symptoms, pain and intensity.
WRITTEN ASSIGNMENT SUBMISSION: Comparative essay on health care systems in Chile and in U.S.
Session 6: Children’s illnesses and vaccination
Discussion includes: Discussing vaccination and public policies to control common illnesses.
Session 7: Prevention
Discussion includes: Causes of illnesses and disease and suggestions to prevent them.
Session 8: ORAL PRESENTATION
Students make a presentation about their visits to public and private medical health care centers.
Session 9: Addictions
Discussion includes: description of the most common addictions that people have and their impact on health. Analysis of their causes, social consequences and of the effectiveness of campaigns to prevent them.
Session 10: MIDTERM EXAM
Session 11: FIELDTRIP
Visit to rural health care service. Students visit a rural primary care hospital and learn about the services provided and the type of community assisted.
Session 12: Accidents and first aid
Discussion includes: risks and accidents at home, first aid.
Session 13: Accidents and emergencies
Discussion includes: accidents, emergency room work, CPR, handling accidents and injuries in a medical setting.
WRITTEN ASSIGNMENT SUBMISSION: Addictions in U.S and Chile, consequences on society and the effectiveness of campaigns.
Session 14: Woman’s health and pregnancy
Discussion includes: woman’s health and sociocultural decisions. Pregnancy and reproduction.
Session 15: Abortion and contra-conception methods.
Discussion includes: description of contraception methods and its sociocultural implications, the pros and cons of abortion and the after morning pill.
Session 16: AUDIOVISUAL ACTIVITY. Movie: Mar Adentro
WRITTEN ASSIGNMENT SUBMISSION: Woman, personal and socio-cultural decisions.
Session 17: DEBATE: Euthanasia: legal or illegal
Class is divided into two groups, one defends patients’ right to choose, the other one, opposes.
Session 18: Senior’s health
Discussion includes: illnesses and diseases that affect old people, healthcare for senior citizens.
Session 19: Nontraditional medical treatments
Discussion includes: traditional and non-traditional health practices
Session 20: FINAL ORAL PRESENTATION
Session 21: FINAL WRITTEN EXAM
Dossier designed by the instructor which includes Spanish scientific journals, health and medical magazines, and other current pedagogical and relevant sources.