SPN-90008 - Module Specification
Language Centre
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences

Programme/Approved Electives for 2021/22

Available as a Free Standing Elective

Co-requisites

None

Prerequisites

Spanish 7 or equivalent (e.g. AS-level grade A, A level C, CEF level B1)

Barred Combinations

Description for 2021/22

In this module students will develop advanced communication skills in Spanish in everyday situations as well as in more complex contexts, in particular in discussing a range of topical issues in contemporary Spain and in more detail Spanish young people with their habits, aspirations, difficulties etc, all in contrast with other cultures represented in class. The main linguistic functions involve: express hope, wishes, complaints, demands, need, suggest solutions, giving advice and recommendations, etc. Students will consolidate the skills acquired at previous levels and build on them by moving beyond the situations of everyday life to more challenging and stimulating tasks such as to write an open letter to expose problems and to explore Spanish society through film, shorts, readings. In order to perform these tasks, some problematic aspects of Spanish grammar will be dealt with, including uses of subjunctive, conditional tenses, past tenses, use of connectives etc.
All language skills - reading, listening, speaking and writing as well as the pragmatic-socio cultural dimension of the language - are integrated in every tutorial. Students will also investigate the ways to learn and acquire a language, based on their own motivations and difficulties when learning Spanish.
The course book will be supplemented by a range of video material and there will be a variety of tasks and exercises during each class, such as discussion and role play; listening comprehension and reading and writing tasks and students will be required to complete a range of self-study tasks. Furthermore, students will make extensive use of Spanish/Latin American resources available on the Internet to consolidate vocabulary, grammatical structures and themes dealt with in class. There will be further self-study opportunities via the KLE. Feedback on formative and summative assessments will be provided at regular intervals.
Upon successful completion of this module and provided that students apply themselves fully to the course, by attending all classes, full use of practice materials on KLE will and engaging whenever possible with Spanish native speakers, they will normally have reached level B2 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR - B2)

This module aims
to build on students' existing knowledge of Spanish and consolidates all areas of grammar, while at the same time expanding the vocabulary base
to process book-length material in Spanish.
to analyse relatively complex grammatical structures of Spanish.
to process standard oral Spanish delivered at native-speaker speed.
to make full use of reference works relevant to language study
to use Spanish online resources including Spanish/Hispanic media.
The course is also designed to inquire in further depth about cultural differences of Spanish speaking countries.

Intended Learning Outcomes

understand some TV news and current affairs programmes: 2
take an active part in discussion in familiar contexts: 1
present clear, detailed descriptions on a wide range of subjects related to their field of interest: 1,2
write detailed text on a range of subjects: 2
use Spanish online resources including Spanish and Hispanic media: 2
demonstrate awareness of correct grammar, register and style and of different varieties of Spanish: 1,2
demonstrate awareness of cultural issues in Spanish speaking countries: 1,2
understand contemporary literary prose in different varieties of Spanish: 1,2

Study hours

20 hours of synchronous and asynchronous class time
100 hours class preparation and revision and private study
22 hours revision for and completion of written exam
8 hours preparation for and attendance at spoken interaction exam

School Rules

Admission to the module must be confirmed through completion of a language level self-assessment form
Students are only allowed to take one Spanish language module per semester.

Description of Module Assessment