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Objective

The object of the course:
You will learn the basics of the Spanish language and cultural features in Spanish speaking countries. By the end of the course, you can manage simple everyday communication situations in Spanish. You know the most common polite phrases in Spanish. You understand cultural differences between your home country and Spanish-speaking countries.

Course competences:
The course prepares and equips you to act and work in an international and multicultural environment.

The learning objectives of the course:
You can interact in simple and routine everyday situations, although problems in pronunciation and pauses may hinder communication. You understand the main points of a simple text. You can write a simple text using the vocabulary and structures you have learned on the course. You understand the cultural differences between your home country and Spanish speaking countries.

Content

Pronunciation

Communication: written and oral Spanish skills needed in simple, everyday interaction. For example, talking about yourself, greeting, introducing yourself, languages and nationalities, politeness phrases, restaurant vocabulary, family relationships, asking for directions, simple shopping situations, time and calendar, hobbies, expressing likes and dislikes.

Grammar: the present tense forms of regular and irregular verbs, positive and negative sentences, questions, personal pronouns, numbers, nouns’ gender and articles, declension and place of adjectives, verb structure ‘to like something’.

Cultural knowledge: characteristics of the Spanish-speaking culture, especially the Spanish communication culture.

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Material on Moodle workspace.
Handouts provided by the lecturer in class.

Recommended: Any Spanish school books and material you can find on the internet or from libraries. Learning applications for example Duolingo, Busuu, Memrise, LingO.

Teaching methods

Face-to-face implementation
Dates: 3.9.-3.12.2024
Lessons at classroom FK14 at Jamk main campus on Tuesdays at 16:00 - 18:30

Lectures, exercises and assignments, tests and exam.
Minimum of 80% attendance in the lessons is required. Any special arrangements must be discussed and agreed on at the beginning of the implementation.

Use of Artificial Intelligence: For practice, students are encouraged to create exercises, for example dialogues and vocabulary lists, in Spanish for themselves and for the others with the help of AI. However, that it is strictly forbidden to use AI, generative tools or any translators with the assignments which are passed to the lecturer for assessment.

NB! Starting from autumn semester 2024, the evaluation scale is Fail/Pass. If you need a numerical grade (1 - 5), it can be obtained on a separate certificate. The need for a numerical assessment must be communicated to the teacher at the beginning of the course. After the first assessed assignment or test, it is no longer possible to change the grading scale from pass-fail to a numerical scale.

Exam schedules

Exam at the end of the course in class.
Re-sit exam: to be agreed on with the lecturer.

Student workload

Teaching sessions 33–36 h
Preparing for lectures 40–50 h
Studying online 40–50 h
Assignments 2–4 h
Preparing for exam 3–6 h

Total 135 h (one credit equals 27 hours of student work).

Further information

Continuous feedback, self-evaluation, peer evaluation.

Active participation in class, tests, assignments, exam.

The assessment of learning is enhancement-led evaluation. The assessment is based on learning objectives, quality and criteria, and self-evaluation by the student plays an important role in the process.

Evaluation scale

Pass/Fail

Assessment criteria, approved/failed

Pass:
You understand basic expressions from slow and clear speech. You can interact in simple and routine everyday situations, although problems in pronunciation and pauses may affect communication. You understand simple texts on familiar topics. You can write a simple text. There may still be some faltering in the use of vocabulary and language structures.

Fail:
The level of competence does not reach the minimum requirements, or the assignments and exams of the course have not been successfully completed.

NB! If you need a numerical grade (1 - 5), it can be obtained on a separate certificate. The need for a numerical assessment must be communicated to the teacher at the beginning of the course. After the first assessed assignment or test, it is no longer possible to change the grading scale from pass-fail to a numerical scale.

Qualifications

No prerequisites.

Further information

The course is suitable for anyone willing to learn about the basics of the Spanish language and cultural features in Spanish-speaking countries.