Module Information
Course Delivery
| Delivery Type | Delivery length / details |
|---|---|
| Seminars / Tutorials | 3 hours per week; 1 hour per fortnight |
Assessment
| Assessment Type | Assessment length / details | Proportion |
|---|---|---|
| Semester Assessment | 20%: 8 written assignments, 4 of them under exam conditions (those taken under exam conditions counting twice as much as the others); 10%: oral (4 marks based on attendance, active contribution and performance in small oral groups); 20%: listening comprehension (4 tests). | 50% |
| Semester Exam | The oral Examination takes the form of a 15-minute interview with two members of staff (one of whom may be the external examiner, who may join in). During this interview the candidate will be asked: (a) to offer a brief presentation (maximum 5-7 minutes) in the target language on a selected topic and (b) to engage in a general conversation arising in the first instance from the presentation itself. Some weeks before the oral exam, students will be provided with 8 topics taken from the topics covered during the oral classes throughout the year. They will need to prepare all eight of these topics as only one of them will be given to the student in the exam. The final exam topic will be provided to the candidate at the beginning of the examination. There will be no period of preparation time immediately beforehand. Candidates are reminded that they are not allowed to read from a script and are not allowed to bring any notes into the examination room; they must not deliver a previously learnt speech. The presentation should lead into (and be constructed so as to lead into) a conversation and further discussion of the topic. A more general conversation will follow. | 20% |
| Semester Exam | 3 Hours written examination | 30% |
| Supplementary Exam | 3 Hours 1 x 3-hour written examination (unless ONLY the oral component is failed, in which case the supplementary exam will be an oral examination). | 100% |
Learning Outcomes
By the end of the module, if you have made satisfactory progress, you will be able to:
- quantify your own improvement in Spanish vocabulary, grammatical knowledge and spoken language since before going abroad
- translate idiomatically into and out of Spanish, using factual or fictional texts
- translate selected unseen passages in class
- prepare passages for translation and discussion in class
- explain and justify your own choice and use of different linguistic registers
- demonstrate active command of stylistic levels of Spanish
- demonstrate competence in preparing effectively for essay-writing: structuring work, constructing logical argument and expressing ideas in the appropriate linguistic register
- apply language skills acquired in Spanish, and during the year abroad, with particular emphasis on achieving as native-like a pronunciation as possible
- express yourself with confidence using a rich and varied vocabulary
- apply orally the complex vocabulary and grammatical structures introduced in written classes
- present independently prepared material in spoken or written Spanish
- analyse and discuss complex Spanish texts
- give detailed insight into Spanish cultural and political affairs
Language modules have, as an integral part of their structure, regular homework assignments and class tests as well as end of year examinations. All assessment is designed to measure your progress against learning outcomes at the appropriate level.
Brief description
The module is intended to consolidate, develop and refine the linguistic ability of students after their year abroad in both written and spoken language. A fortnightly class concentrates on the study and use of different types of linguistic concepts and registers, utilizing translation, free expression and expansion, while the weekly class consists of various types of written and spoken exercises, including essay, precis, comprehension, unseen translation, commentary and debate. The remaining cycles of the course-book prescribed at Level 2, 'A que no sabes ...? It will also be used a range of real radio listenings comprehensions in class and independently by students in the Language Laboratory. The weekly conversation class consolidates and develops communicative skills; a range of different topics will be covered during the year. In this class students will be required to offer a presentation on a given topic in part fulfilment of the purposes of continuous assessment. Students are expected to participate actively in all classes and to use the CALL programme, cassettes and television facilities as requested.
Reading List
General TextLourdes Miquel Lopez y Neus Sans Baulenas (1989) ¿A que no sabes ...? Curso de perfeccionamiento de espanol para extranjeros 6th Edelsa, Madrid Primo search Recommended Text
Del Moral, Rafael (2003) Manual práctico del español coloquial Madrid: Editorial Verbum Primo search
Notes
This module is at CQFW Level 6