SPANISH 104/104G: Beginners' Spanish 1

Semester 2, 2019

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¡Bienvenidos a Español 104/104G!

(Semestre 2, 2019)

SPANISH 104/104G:      Beginners' Spanish 1 (15 points)

Course Coordinator:     Christine Arkinstall   

Note: This course website is organised in modules, each one of which has the previous module as its prerequisite. It is crucial that you complete the work on time. The Course Programme is on the Home Page. It contains all essential information for the Course.

 Assessment:

Detailed course description:  

This course is for students who have no previous knowledge of the Spanish language, that is, true beginners. It helps them acquire basic linguistic structures and develop conversational competence. The four language skills ―speaking, listening, reading, and writing― and knowledge of the cultures and traditions of Spain and Spanish America are integrated into the four class hours per week. Language learning is reinforced trough in-class practice, audio-visual activities, aural and reading comprehensions, homework assignments, and independent work using a richly populated course website. Attendance at all lectures is strongly recommended in order to benefit from interactive activities which help develop communicative skills and ensure steady progress.

There is extensive exposure to Spanish in class so that students become acquainted with its sounds and rhythm and start building the vocabulary and grammar they need to express themselves in this language. We begin by learning how to greet people, introduce ourselves, and provide basic personal information such as occupation, nationality, and phone number. We journey through the Spanish-speaking world to discovery how to talk about locations (e.g. the city and house where we live and the place where we work) and how to give and ask for directions to go from one place to another. We then learn to talk about the food we like and how to order it at a restaurant, how to describe the physical appearance of people as well as their personality, and how to shop for clothing and describe what people are wearing. Lastly, we learn to narrate the activities of our daily routine and how to break away from it by making invitations to different types of social event.

Lessons are interactive, with opportunities for you to practice in pairs, small groups, or the whole class.