Spanish for General Communication (Level 2) (2235.YR.011201.1)

General information

Type:	OBL	Curs:	1,2	Period:	S semester
ECTS Credits:	4 ECTS

Teaching Staff:

Group	Teacher	Department	Language
Year 1	Norma Castellón Guila	Sección Español	ESP
Year 1	Joaquin Boyero Merino	Sección Español	ESP

Group	Teacher	Department	Language
Year 2	Norma Castellón Guila	Sección Español	ESP
Year 2	Joaquin Boyero Merino	Sección Español	ESP

To study this course students need to have a basic understanding of the language and have achieved the A2 level (Common European Framework of Reference - CEFR).

To study this course students need to have achieved the A2 level (Common European Framework of Reference - CEFR) or have passed this level.

Every class session includes activities to be carried out outside of class to help students assimilate the content through practice.

In an increasingly globalised world, business is not only undertaken at a regional level or solely with a neighbouring country, but on a far wider scale. For this reason, developing versatile and multilingual communication skills is necessary along with a broad and varied cultural background.

Globalisation also affects the job market, there is greater than ever competition and, in the case of students coming to ESADE, the need to master Spanish is evidently important as it provides access to job markets in Latin America or Spain.

Similarly, mastering a language such as Spanish will allow students to take part in recruitment processes in Spanish-speaking companies and thus be able to find work in any part of the world.

With regard to the programme, learning and mastering Spanish will enable students to attend classes, lectures and work groups delivered in Spanish as well as interact with their peers without difficulties.

The aim of the Spanish for General Communication subject is to provide students with the resources needed to achieve an intermediate level in the language and be able to comfortably interact in day-to-day situations.

Students will be able to develop learning strategies appropriate for their level and be able to converse with native speakers at an appropriate rhythm and speed.

Taking advantage of the immersive situation in which students find themselves, this course also aims to enable students to fully integrate in local social, cultural and academic life, participating actively and sharing spaces with faculty, classmates and others in their social setting.

By completing this level, students are expected to be able to:
- Communicate effectively in day-to-day private and professional settings.
- Understand the key ideas found in clear and simple texts written in standard language, whether in the academic or professional settings or during their free time.
- Produce simple and coherent written texts on topics they are familiar with or which are of interest to them.
- Narrate events. Summarise and comment.
- Describe their experiences, desires and aspirations.
- Explain causes and consequences.
- Talk about habits and customs.
- Explain purposes, plans and projects.
- Describe and evaluate situations and opinions. Agree and disagree. Justify an opinion. Reason.
- Provide advice and suggestions and propose solutions.
- Express desires, feelings, tastes and preferences.
- Present complaints.
- Formulate hypotheses and talk about possibilities.

1. FUNCTIONAL CONTENT - Discuss habitual actions in the past. - Recount past events. - Evoke past events. - Describe situations, contexts and circumstances in the past. - Relate two moments in time. - Order their discourse in time (antes, después...). - Tell an anecdote. - Tell a story. - Give information. - Ask for information. - Argue in favour of an idea or opinion. - Express agreement and disagreement. - Evaluate past events. - Ask for appraisals and opinions. - Evaluate and express opinions. - React to news. - Talk about customs. - Talk about tastes and preferences. - Express aversion. - Propose activities. - Give orders. - Give instructions. - Ask for and give permission. - Express obligation and need. - Give and deny permission. - Make requests. - Express desires. - Talk about future actions that depend on a given condition. - Talk about and express an opinion regarding people's personal natures. - Talk about the future: plans and projects. - Describe plans and intention. - Describe states of mind. - Express resignation, regret and/or embarrassment. - Appraise/valuate. - Express physical sensations. - Give advice, recommendations and solutions. - Express the causes and consequences of a given action. - Ask about and express knowledge of something.

2. GRAMMATICAL CONTENT - Review of the most important grammatical concepts from the previous level. - Irregular verbs in the present tense: morphology and use. - Present Perfect: morphology and use. - Past simple: morphology and use. - Contrast Present Perfect/Indefinite. - Habitual actions in the past: soler + infinitive. - Indicative Imperfect: morphology and uses: - Temporal markers for the past. - Causal connectors (como, por+Infinit.). - Final connectors (para+infinit.). - Imperative mode: Affirmative and negative: morphology and use. - Future Imperfect: morphology and use. - Conditional: morphology and use. - Present Subjunctive: morphology and primary use. - Ser and estar: uses that change meaning. - Direct and indirect object pronouns (tonic and atonic).

3. LEXICAL AND THEMATIC CONTENT - Biographies - Health and well-being - Literature and films - Vocabulary related to leisure. - New technologies. - Lexicon to describe people: adjectives for character, physical features. - Vocabulary related to public services. - Weather-related expressions. - Free-time activities: sports and games. - Travelling. - History and society. - Festivities and celebrations. - Vocabulary related to studies: pass/fail an exam, take notes, summarise. - Expressions related to emotions. - Work: unemployment, to be unemployed, to be on unemployment benefit, to work for an employer/ be self-employed (Law firm, consultancy firm, tax advisory office) - Company departments: Human Resources (HR), marketing, etc.

4. CULTURAL AND SOCIOLINGUISTIC CONTENT - Greetings and introductions. - Tú versus Usted. - Different ways to greet others: kiss, shake hands, etc. - Thank, accept, excuse oneself, reject, congratulate, express condolences, toast and invite. - Schedules: food, shops, work, etc. - Punctuality. - Clothing: what's appropriate and what isn't. - Spain (autonomous communities, provinces and languages). - Linguistic markets in social relations. - The use and choice of greeting. - Ways to address someone. - Appropriate use of please and thank you. - Expressions related to the human body and colours. - Positive and negative courtesy. - Talk about clichés. - Nationalities. - Stereotypes.

This subject will be taught following the course syllabus, and offering interactive activities designed to help students to learn in and outside the classroom.

The methodology applied in language classes and in Spanish, in particular, is as follows:

- Participatory sessions, with priority given to the communicative aspect though without foregoing grammar.
- A greater emphasis on oral production through presentations, discussions and interactive activities between students in a relaxed setting to favour learning.
- Student motivation in class to encourage participation and learning.

Gramática de uso del español. B1-B2 Editorial SM.
Aula 3 y 4 (nueva edición) Ed. Difusión.
Diccionarios bilingües.

Group	Teacher	Department
Year 1	Norma Castellón Guila	Sección Español
Year 1	Joaquin Boyero Merino	Sección Español

Group	Teacher	Department
Year 2	Norma Castellón Guila	Sección Español
Year 2	Joaquin Boyero Merino	Sección Español