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| Module Availability |
All year |
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| Assessment Pattern |
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Unit(s) of Assessment
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Weighting Towards Module Mark( %)
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Portfolio
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25%
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In-class presentation
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25%
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Spoken test
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25%
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In-class written test
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25%
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Qualifying Condition(s)
A weighted aggregate mark of 40% is required to pass the module.
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| Module Overview |
This is a Level 2 module for Spanish. It is taught in the target language over Autumn and Spring semesters, one contact hour per teaching week. Attendance is compulsory. |
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| Prerequisites/Co-requisites |
Successful completion of HE1 or equivalent |
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| Module Aims |
This module aims to prepare students for the linguistic and cultural encounters of their placement year at a university or company in a Spanish-speaking country. The module enables students to participate in the society the language of which they study and to operate confidently and flexibly within different linguistic and cultural contexts. Language work is embedded in challenging and relevant situations of intercultural communication; students use the target language to analyse the relationship between language and culture.
Students will be encouraged to self-assess their progress in communicating at an advanced level in Spanish and to map their competence against the descriptors of the Common European Framework for Languages.
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| Learning Outcomes |
Upon successful completion of the module students will be able to:
- Differentiate between cultural and linguistic characteristics within the Spanish-speaking communities;
- Communicate efficiently in everyday and work situations;
- Reflect on and learn from the close relationship between language and culture.
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| Module Content |
Case studies taken from the fields of law, business and sociology serve as the stimulus for linguistic and cultural training. The emphasis is on spoken communication and on informal writing. Students are encouraged to:
- reflect on the influence of cultural values on behaviour;
- perceive cultural differences as appropriate and enriching;
- become conscious of stereotypes and prejudices;
- be willing to deal with conflict;
- communicate with others using their ways of expression, both verbally and non-verbally;
- adopt a comparative perspective on other cultures and their own;
- view the foreign culture from the inside and as outsiders;
- mediate between the target culture(s) and their own culture(s);
- evaluate and maintain a critical distance towards sources.
Students use the target language to:
- gather and assess information;
- express opinions and impressions;
- talk about and interpret pictures clarify meaning;
- research meaning;
- make comparisons;
- design questionnaires;
- keep a reflective log.
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| Methods of Teaching/Learning |
Teaching will be in small groups. The module is taught entirely in the target language and the stimulus material used will be drawn from a variety of texts. Students learn how to write a reflective log and how to use ethnographic research tools to record and evaluate observations.
Self- and peer-assessment will be used to foster students' insight into their learning progress.
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| Selected Texts/Journals |
Peoplewatching, Desmond Morris, Vintage, 2002
Experiencing Intercultural communication, J. Martin/ T. Nakayama, McGraw-Hill, 2008
Intercultural Communication in contexts, J. Martin/ T. Nakayama, McGraw-Hill., 2007
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| Last Updated |
JULY 2009 |
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