Study Center in Santiago, Chile Course Title: Advanced Spanish Language I Course code: SPAN 4001 CSLC Program: Liberal Arts Language of instruction: Spanish Credits: 4 Contact hours: 60 Semester: Fall 2016 Course Description This is an advanced course of Spanish according to the Curricular Plan from Instituto Cervantes (PCIC). The students in this course will be able to understand main ideas from complex texts about concrete and abstract topics, even if they are technical, as long as they are related to their field of study. Students will be able to socialize with native speakers fluently and naturally, in a way that the communication develops effortlessly between interlocutors. Participants will be able to produce detailed and clear written texts about varied topics, provide arguments from a point of view in general, indicating pros and cons in different positions. Through an active teaching approach, this course will cover grammatical aspects of the language, vocabulary and cultural features of Chile. These elements will reinforce the linguistic correction, the conceptual precision and the discourse creativeness of the student in the use of formal Spanish; which will help students become intercultural interlocutors. The course offers opportunities for students to correct, practice and develop confidence in applying structures and vocabulary in order to use these communicatively in social and academic contexts. The tasks and activities will support the acquisition of grammar, vocabulary and stylistic devices to express ideas in written texts. The same methodology is applied to develop oral expression in presentations and debates, at the same time listening and reading comprehension is supported by the use of videos and programmed readings. Specific Objectives: To develop confidence in conversational Spanish To learn and practice communicative functions To develop the conditions to allow an informed discussion on key topics from the Chilean culture and current situation of the country, emphasizing the role of the student as a social agent To manage devices to express themselves orally in debates To learn and practice grammar and vocabulary from cultural texts Practice strategies of grammar and vocabulary self-correction to develop autonomous learning
Methodology Grammar and vocabulary learning will be developed through cultural topics that will allow the use of contextualized and functional linguistic structures, which tend to be problematic for learners with intermediate levels of Spanish. The class dossier contains grammatical rules, drills, materials for reading comprehension and discussion of topics related to the host culture. From topics explored in the lessons, oral presentations as well as written work is carried out during the semester. In addition, group work correction activities will be part of the lessons too. Assessment Professor Mara Rementería: Grammar, vocabulary, Chilean culture and writing sessions. Oral presentations: 30% Tutorials: 10% Long compositions of 3 pieces of writing: 30% Grammar exam and short writings : 20% Class participation : 10% Professor Daisy Bravo: Speaking and debate sessions (*): Final presentation: 60% Class participation: 40% (*) The final grade from speaking and debate sessions will be averaged with the final grade of "Oral presentations" (30%). A 90% of attendance is required to pass, otherwise it will impact considerably class participation mark.
Sessions Session 1: Session 2: Presentation of objectives, contents and evaluations of the course. Main problems faced by Spanish language learners. Comments on the Chilean slang and idioms that students know in advance. Oral group work: information about Chile, previous knowledge, comparisons. Error correction from oral activity. Session 3: First Unit: (Part I) Oral activity: Your classes at the university. First impressions of the Chilean higher education culture. - Text: Expositive text. -Revision and explanation of the present tense. -Descriptive verbs. Session 4: Preparation of the topic to present using the material from the dossier. Session 5: Session 6: Session 7: Session 8: First Unit (Part II) Oral activity: The city -Revision of homework: descriptive verbs (Valparaíso). -Introduction of verb "Haber": forms and uses. Debate on the topics selected by students in the first lesson First Unit (Parte III): Oral activity: oral presentarion, group 1: "Región de Coquimbo". Error correction from classmates`presentations Vocabulary revision from bestiary texts Revision of exercises with verb "haber" Session 9: Second Unit (Parte I) Oral activity: Quiénes somos los Chilenos? Narrative text (past tense). The past tense presentation Session 10: Debate 1 Session 11: Second Unit (Parte II) Oral activity: Un soplo de historia Descriptive text (past tense) Personal pronouns
Session 12: Session 13: Second Unit (Part III) Oral activity: De pólvora y sangre Oral practice with present, past tenses and personal pronouns. Session 14: Debate 2 Session 15: Third Unit (Part I) Oral activity: Advertising texts. Argumentative text The imperative: forms and uses Session 16: Session 17: Third Unit (Part II) Oral activity: the cultural text, El derecho al delirio. Future tense and the conditional: forms and uses. Session 18: Third Unit (Part III) Oral activity: Las mujeres chilenas The subjunctive: conjugation and introductory uses. Sesión 19: Fourth Unit ( Part I) Oral activity: Las mujeres chilenas. The use of the subjunctive to express influence, impersonal expressions and emotion (columns 1,2,3,4) Session 20: Debate 3 Session 21: Session 22: Fourth Unit (Part II) Oral activity: Chilean cultural video. Uses of subjunctive to express "lo ideal, lo hipotético, para negar antecedente, para expresar duda, para expresar idea de futuro" and expressions that require subjunctive Session 23: Fourth Unit (Part III) Oral activity: oral presentation group 2: "Región de Los Lagos". Si pudiera vivir mi vida nuevamente If conditionals
Session 24: Debate 4 Session 25: Fifth Unit (Part I) Oral activity: Diarios de motocicleta. Textual connectors The uses of "para /por" Session 26: Session 27: Final debate Fifth Unit (Part II) Oral activity: Current affairs news in Chile The press The uses of "a, de, en, con". Session 28: Session 29: Session 30: Fifth unit (Part III) Oral activity: Sobre vicios y virtudes. Reporting verbs Oral activity: News presentations Indirect style and exercises Final test of the course Bibliography http://cvc.cervantes.es/ensenanza/default.htm CVC, Enseñanza http://www.todoele.net/ Todoele.net-http://www.colby.edu/~bknelson/SLC/index.php Colby, Spanish Language and Culture Morales P., Félix; Quiroz M., Óscar. Dudas y problemas gramaticales Diccionario de uso del español de Chile Martínez Amador, Emilio M. Diccionario gramatical y de dudas del idioma Diccionario panhispánico de dudas RAE