| Unit name | Spanish Language and Cultures 2b |
|---|---|
| Unit code | HISP20126 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | I/5 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 4 (weeks 1-24) |
| Unit director | Ms. Marga Menendez-Lopez |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units) |
Spanish Language and Cultures 1b |
| Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you may not take alongside this one |
None |
| School/department | Department of Hispanic, Portuguese and Latin American Studies |
| Faculty | Faculty of Arts |
Why is this unit important?
This unit will do three things:
As in the first-year programme, those essential language skills cannot be acquired independently of the cultures in which any language is spoken.
You will continue to develop productive and receptive language and sociolinguistic skills by using authentic material from the cultures studied. In addition to transferable skills, such as academic and digital literacy, using references, group and independent work, reflection, and public speaking, you will also enhance your written and verbal communication skills and develop skills of constructing clear and reasoned arguments in the language through participating in discussions and debates in the classroom and in your assignments.
How does this unit fit into your programme of study?
This unit forms the basis for your linguistic and intellectual progress to the level required for the year abroad. It is therefore a “must-pass” component in your studies. As you develop a growing insight into language use in different communicative and cultural contexts, you will also draw on this knowledge to form a bridge to other areas of study across your course. You will learn to reflect on cultural contrasts between the language and cultures you are learning about and those you are already familiar with.
An overview of content
You will achieve a level of communicative competence in the language equivalent to the following aspects of the CEFR at level B2/B2+ threshold.
How will you, personally be different as a result of the unit?
Students will have progressed from a lower intermediate level of communicative competence to a level that will enable them to deploy more complex skills in engaging with the language and cultures that they are learning. They will have learned to reflect more deeply on the cultural contrasts between the language and cultures they are learning about and those they are already familiar with. They will be prepared for the challenge of the year abroad in the third year of study.
Learning Outcomes
Students will be able to:
1. Write short texts in Spanish, synthesising and integrating different viewpoints, responding to and commenting on issues in the culture(s) of Spanish, using the appropriate register and conventions.
2. Use Spanish to present and discuss orally current affairs topics, synthesising and integrating different viewpoints, and responding to and commenting on an oral text, using the appropriate register and conventions.
3. Recognise and apply target language structures and vocabulary for everyday and academic use accurately and appropriately, including more specialised vocabulary and sophisticated structures.
4. Understand the main points and details of short oral texts, live or recorded, delivered in standard forms of Spanish on everyday and academic topics.
5. Understand and respond to the main points and details of short written texts in Spanish from a range of text types on everyday and academic topics and mediate between Spanish and English in an effective manner.
You will take part in a variety of in-person classes that focus on revising and developing your awareness and practising language structures. Using authentic materials in class, you will reflect on the pluricentric nature of the target language’s cultures and gain intercultural insight and awareness.
Some classes focus on explicit grammar and vocabulary instruction, while others focus on developing your communicative competence in receptive and productive skills. The activities you carry out in class will be followed up with formative tasks and self-directed exercises that are a vital part of your progress and build up your knowledge and confidence from week to week. Regular set homework is crucial in preparing for classes from week to week and gaining meaningful feedback to improve your performance, but you will also need to engage in independent study beyond these directed activities if you are to achieve the levels of linguistic fluency and intercultural competence our students aspire to. Your teachers will offer guidance on this.
Tasks which count towards your unit mark (summative):
When assessment does not go to plan
When required by the Board of Examiners, you will normally complete reassessments in the same formats as those outlined above. However, the Board reserves the right to modify the form or number of reassessments required. Details of reassessments are normally confirmed by the School shortly after the notification of your results at the end of the academic year.
If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.
If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. HISP20126).
How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours
of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks,
independent learning and assessment activity.
See the University Workload statement relating to this unit for more information.
Assessment
The assessment methods listed in this unit specification are designed to enable students to demonstrate the named learning outcomes (LOs). Where a disability prevents a student from undertaking a specific method of assessment, schools will make reasonable adjustments to support a student to demonstrate the LO by an alternative method or with additional resources.
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit.
The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. For appropriate assessments, if you have self-certificated your absence, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (for assessments at the end of TB1 and TB2 this is usually in the next re-assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any exceptional circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
