SPAN203 - Spanish for Social and Professional Purposes

Year

Credit points

Campus offering

Prerequisites

SPAN202 Intermediate Spanish B or equivalent

Unit rationale, description and aim

Proficiency in an additional language enhances employment opportunities and cross-cultural awareness.

This unit is designed for independent users of Spanish and is linked to B2 on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). It aims to provide students with the ability to interact with Spanish speakers with ease and confidence. Students should be able to produce a clear, detailed text on a wide range of subjects. They should be able to understand the main ideas of complex texts on both concrete and abstract topics, including technical discussions within their discipline or profession. Students should be able to express opinions and talk about future plans, goals and possibilities.

Upon completion of this unit, students should have a reasonable command of the grammatical, lexical and syntactical elements of Spanish so that they can communicate complex ideas with little inaccuracy.

The unit will include an intercultural reflection, allowing students to demonstrate their intercultural awareness and their ability to effectively interact in Spanish.

Learning outcomes

To successfully complete this unit you will be able to demonstrate you have achieved the learning outcomes (LO) detailed in the below table.

Each outcome is informed by a number of graduate capabilities (GC) to ensure your work in this, and every unit, is part of a larger goal of graduating from ACU with the attributes of insight, empathy, imagination and impact.

Explore the graduate capabilities.

On successful completion of this unit, students should be able to:

LO1 - Demonstrate knowledge of the target language (its sound system, vocabulary and grammar) in professional or academic contexts such as listening to a lecture, attending a meeting, or writing a short paper (GA5)

LO2 - Demonstrate intercultural competence and the capacity to reflect on intercultural interactions and students’ own interactions in the target language (GA4)

LO3 - Communicate in Spanish with members of Spanish-speaking communities at the level of proficiency inked to ‘can do’ statements at B2 on the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR). For example, students should be able to communicate complex ideas, write detailed passages of text, explain and debate a viewpoint (GA1, GA5, GA6)

LO4 - Demonstrate the ability to solve problems and combine ideas collaboratively in a professional or academic context (GA7)

LO5 - Demonstrate independent learning skills and strategies to continue developing language proficiency and intercultural awareness (GA4, GA5, GA7).

Graduate attributes

GA1 - Demonstrate respect for the dignity of each individual and for human diversity

GA4 - Think critically and reflectively 

GA5 - Demonstrate values, knowledge, skills and attitudes appropriate to the discipline and/or profession 

GA6 - Solve problems in a variety of settings taking local and international perspectives into account

GA7 - Work both autonomously and collaboratively 

Content

Topics may include:

• Academic culture
• Professional and academic communities
• Education systems and practices
• Spanish cultural influences
• Genres in academic writing
• Academic vocabulary
• Spanish Art, Music and Dance

Language Functions and Competencies:

• Listening and note-taking
• Researching and presenting a short paper
• Developing an argument
• Outlining and defending a point of view
• Comparing and contrasting
• Reflecting on cultural differences

Learning and teaching strategy and rationale

Mode: 4 hours per week (8 hours per week in intensive mode). The usual semester pattern is 2 hours by video conference/virtual classroom across campuses and 2 hours face-to-face laboratory sessions. Presentation of new materials will be available for review on LEO.

Duration: 12 week-semester or equivalent in intensive block mode.

Students should expect to undertake 150 hours of study for this unit, including class attendance, weekly online exercises in LEO, interactive language practice and assignment preparation.

The approach to language learning and teaching is communicative with new language material presented in context using video and audio dialogues and readings. Students are expected to be active participants in all class activities including individual, pair and group work. Students will have the opportunity to demonstrate their independent learning skills and strategies, and their ability to reflect upon intercultural communication, by completing their Spanish Portfolio.

Assessment strategy and rationale

A range of assessment procedures will be used to meet the unit learning outcomes and develop graduate attributes consistent with University assessment requirements.

Overview of assessments

Representative texts and references

Students will be advised of textbook requirements in the first week of semester.