Duration
30h Th
Number of credits
Lecturer
Language(s) of instruction
French language
Organisation and examination
Teaching in the second semester
Units courses prerequisite and corequisite
Prerequisite or corequisite units are presented within each program
Learning unit contents
The course is taught in Spanish and aims at level B2+ of the CEFR.
Students are expected to apply their lexical, grammatical and cultural knowledge to various situations.
A portfolio of files and essentially press articles enables them to broach topical news especially as concerns Hispanic business as well as cultural life.
This year's particular focus will be on Spain and Argentina.
Students are expected to practice their listening comprehension using a textual corpus and a recording of conversations on economic, cultural, political and societal topics.
They are to get a glossary (compiled by their teacher) so as to study the lexicon relating to the topics dealt with.
While they are supposed to have a good command Spanish grammar, some revisions in class and via Lol@ will be provided.
Student participation is required at all times.
Learning outcomes of the learning unit
By the end of the course, students will be expected to be able to understand the essential content of complex texts, including a technical explanation relating to their specialism (basic comprehension).
They will have to be able to speak spontaneously, fluently and clearly on a wide range of topics, expound their opinion on topical news and argue effectively.
Prerequisite knowledge and skills
Succeeding in the previous study years of the HEC-ULg programmes or else reaching level B1+ (CEFR).
Having a command of Spanish as a whole.
A thorough knowledge of basic vocabulary (about 5000 words) as well as of the common business lexicon.
Planned learning activities and teaching methods
Vocabulary, speaking, listening, writing and reading skills are developed together on the basis of the various supports and methods:
- a portfolio of files and press articles provides the basis of communicative and interactive exercices, which take up half of each class. This input on the Spanish economic, political and cultural world feeds debates in which students are expected to be able to express an opinion and defend it effectively.
- For those choosing so, their performance in these debates will be scored as continuous assessment, in which case class attendance is required. They will be proposed to act as facilitators in one debate (alone or in pairs), so as to get experience of how to manage a meeting. The student facilitators will be assisted by the teacher for their preparation and will be assessed with greater leniency given the difficulty of their task. This type of exercices also aims at sharpening students' critical thinking and getting them to manage conflicts.
- Most conversation topics will be introduced by an audio or video document. Regular reading of the Hispanic press and preparation of the listening comprehension exam (to be done individually for a part using the textual corpus and recording) means to develop comprehension with regard to economic, cultural, political and societal topics. Listening comprehension is developed throughout the course (teacher's input, Hispanic guest-speakers, audio and video extracts, individual homework).
Please note: certains specific contents e.g. CVs, job interviews or business letters, will be dealt with in M2.
- Part of the time is devoted to role plays/business simulations, talks/oral presentations relating to the Hispanic business and economic world. Students are to present a synthesic summary of the articles on these topics so as to check their comprehension.
Specific business vocabulary will be acquired through reading about the Hispanic business world.
Grammar revision exercices will be proposed as remediation on the basis of the problems observed in writing and speaking.
Interactiviy is encouraged at all times.
Mode of delivery (face-to-face ; distance-learning)
About 22 taught in-person
Class attendance is vital. Please take this into account when signing up for the course.
Individual homework is focussed on various aspects:
- Training and learning of the business and economic lexicon; this is the more important given students wil have had no in-person teaching for almost 8 months.
- Readings as input for debates, role plays etc. on the basis of a textual corpus the form and content of which are to feed class discussions.
- Acquainting onself with cultural aspects through contacts with Hispanic native speakers.
Recommended or required readings
course readers / documents authored by the teacher:
1- Sintaxis: 2016-17 reader
2- Apuntes de gramatica: revision - theory and exercices
available from the Centrale as of end of Jan 2017
3- Glosario: relating to the topics dealt with: topical news, business and economic world, lexicon for speaking and writing
available from the Centrale as of end of Jan 2017
4 - Lexicologia: portfolio of documents on the topics dealt with
available from the Centrale as of end of Jan 2017
5-Comprension auditiva: texts available from the Centrale and recording to be downloaded via an internet link
Other documents are available on Lol@ (PPT as of Jan 2017, grammar and vocabulary exercices, pitfalls etc.)
Please refer to Lol@ regularly.
Assessment methods and criteria
Four parts accounting each for 1/4 of the final score:
- listening comprehension (scheduled outside the exam session):
audio excerpts from press articles and native speakers' conversations on topical news (dealt with in class) with transcription, fill-in and comprehension exercices;
one overall comprehension question or transcription exercices bearing on one audio extract NOT dealt with in class;
vocabulary of the texts dealt with in class: translations of words, idioms and short sentences from French into Spanish.
- vocabulary test on the Glossary and all verbal tenses (scheduled outside the exam session): translations of words, idioms and short sentences from French into Spanish and vice versa.
- writing (exam scheduled during the exam session): translation and grammar exercices, questions on the culture and composition on a topic dealt with in class.
- speaking (during the exam session or continuous assessment, optionally): conversation on topics dealt with in class.
Continuous assessment naturally requires weekly class attendance.
Please note:
A score of attendance for part of the exam or absence for part of the exam automatically entails a score of attendance for the course as a whole.
Severe failure (7/20 or less) in one of the 4 exam parts automatically entails failure for the whole course (even if the mean of the 4 parts is 10/20 or above).
Work placement(s)
No internship is provided with the course; students, however, are warmly encouraged to take any opportunity for a stay in a Spanish-speaking country.
Organizational remarks
Attending the first class of the term is mandatory as this gives out all essential information.
Contacts
Nicole GRUTMAN
email: Nicole.grutman@ulg.ac.be
Tel. : 04/232 72 80
Office 215 (N1)