Introduction

This course is designed for intermediate-advanced Spanish students interested in learning more about the culture and civilization of Spain. It is a practical course of conversational Spanish. Grammar is not the focus of the course and it will be addressed only if it results in a problem of understanding. Anyway, we have included at the end of each topic an optional section with a grammar review of some difficult aspects of the Spanish grammar.

The approach of the course is pragmatic and the topics are intended to facilitate interaction in the four communication skills: passive, reading and listening, and active, writing and speaking. For this purpose, each topic will provide a variety of input information, not just through the manual itself, but taking advantage of the sources of information that we may access with Internet, both in written form: newspapers, magazines, articles, etc., as audiovisual: television, videos, radio, songs, etc. Many of these input activities will be assigned as homework saving the classroom time for more communicative activities, sharing the information they have received, discussing it with other students, both in small groups as in the group-class, seeking to draw conclusions on the topic. These discussions are oral but each student should have prepared a written summary of the theme for that day. At the end of each chapter they may have a written test to assess their knowledge and encourage them to improve their writing skills. 

For the evaluation of these works we may assign a percentage (i.e. 30%) for grammar and vocabulary, but giving them the opportunity to correct the errors and recover all the points lost. The idea is to make sure that each student corrects all the mistakes. We may assign a time limit, i.e. a week, in which they, on their own, or with the help of a tutor, will have to fix all the grammatical problems that were marked.

In addition to the small tests at the end of each chapter, each student will prepare, over the length of the course, a paper on a topic of their choice (reacted with the class) which they will present both in writing and orally to the class before the end of the semester.

A second project that we may ask each student, is to read a book of a Spanish author of which they will also have to make a written report and oral presentation.

The final exam may be oral (they do a written test for each chapter and two papers) on one of the topics (choosing one among two or three drawn at random).

The final evaluation of the course depends on the teacher, but we might distribute the weight between the oral final exam, class participation, the chapter tests, written reports and oral presentations.

The material for each topic will be organized as follows:

Topics:

1. Origin and influences

2. Empire and decline

3. Spain today

4. Women and men

5. Youths and elders

6. Festivals and rituals

7. Cities and monuments