Intermediate Spanish Language and Culture

Course goals

After completing this course students are able to:
- understand and demonstrate general knowledge and insight in Spanish and Latin American Culture, Art and History from 400 AD until the present moment and are able to interact and communicate in Spanish as independent users (near B1 CEFR and Advanced Low/Mid ACTFL).
 
In general, students are able to participate in most informal and some formal conversations in topics related to school, home, and leisure activities. They can also speak about some topics related to employment, current events, and matters of public and community interest as well as personal interest and individual relevance. Can deal with most situations likely to arise whilst travelling in an area where the language is spoken. Can describe experiences and events, dreams, hopes and ambitions and briefly give reasons and explanations for opinions and plans.

The exit level is Independent User B1 (CEFR) or Advanced Low/Mid (as defined in the ACTFL guidelines 2012).
 
Relationship between assessment and learning goals:

More specifically, the students:

1. Listening

1. Can understand the main points of clear standard speech on familiar matters regularly encountered in work, school, leisure etc., provided speech is clearly articulated in a generally familiar accent.
2. Can follow a lecture or talk within their own field, provided the subject matter is familiar and the presentation straightforward and clearly structure.
3. Can understand simple technical information, such as operating instructions for everyday equipment. Can follow detailed directions.
4. Can understand the information content of the majority of recorded material about familiar subjects delivered relatively slowly and clearly.
5. Can understand the main points in TV programs on topics of personal interest when the delivery is relatively slow and clear and follow many films in which visuals and action carry much of the storyline and which are delivered in straightforward language.

2. Reading

1. Can read straightforward factual texts on subjects related to their field and interest with a satisfactory level of comprehension.
2. Can scan longer texts in order to locate desired information, and gather information from different parts of a text, or from different texts in order to fulfil a specific task.
3. Can find and understand relevant information in everyday material and short official documents.
4. Can recognize the line of argument and the main conclusions in clearly signaled argumentative texts.
5. Can read a graduated novel and understand its main points as well as identify specific information.

3. Spoken interaction and production
 

1. Can communicate with some confidence on familiar routine and non-routine matters related to their interests and professional field. Can exchange, check and confirm information, deal with less routine situations and explain why something is a problem. Can express thoughts on more abstract, cultural topics such as films, books, music, etc.
2. Can follow clearly articulated speech directed at them in everyday conversation, though will sometimes have to ask for repetition of particular words and phrases.
3. Can maintain a conversation or discussion but may sometimes be difficult to follow when trying to say exactly what they would like to.
4. Can summarize and give their opinion about a short story, article, talk, discussion interview or documentary and answer further questions of detail.
5. Can sustain a straightforward description of one of a variety of subjects within their field of interest, presenting it as a linear sequence of points.
6. Can make a rehearsed academic presentation about a researched topic of public or personal interest. 

 
4. Writing

1. Can write straightforward, detailed descriptions on a range of familiar subjects within their field of interest.
2. Can write accounts of experiences, describing feelings and reactions in simple connected text. Can write a description of an event, a recent trip – real or imagined. Can narrate a story.
3. Can write relatively simple essays on topics of interest. Can summarize, report and give opinion about accumulated factual information on familiar routine and non-routine matters with some confidence.

5. Cultural knowledge

1. Can show general knowledge about geographical and demographical facts of Spain and Latin America.
2. Can understand clear references and demonstrate general knowledge about the main historical events of Spain and Latin America.
3. Can extract the historical and social context from a literary work in order to understand better the text and analyze it from a critical perspective.
4. Can show general knowledge about Hispanic artists and artistic movements from the Modern Age until the present time.
5. Can understand and demonstrate general knowledge about traditions, society and life style in the Hispanic world and compare them to those of their own country.
6. Can establish cross-disciplinary relations between the facts studied during this course and other disciplines of their studies.

Content

New course code and title from Fall 2025 onward The level and content of this course remain largely the same as the previous version UCHUMSPA11 Spanish Language and Culture I. There are beginner/introduction level entry requirements for this course. If you want to proceed to a higher level, choose UCHUMSPA31 Advanced Spanish Language and Culture. This was previously called UCHUMSPA21 Spanish Language and Culture II. Content This course focuses on the language, but also on the history, geography, artistic works, traditions and current events of the Spanish-speaking countries and their communities. Language learning constitutes the 75% of the course assignments, whereas Culture assignments constitute 25% of the final grade. Tasks in various forms related to language and cultural topics will be performed individually and in groups.   The students’ linguistic performance will be assessed by the following tasks: a midterm assignment and a final assignment, both covering the vocabulary and grammar studied during the course (CG 1abcd, 2, 4) an oral test in which the student must hold a conversation with the course instructor about topic of the most immediate relevance (CG 1ac, 3abce) a portfolio with different writing and oral activities related to the main thematic areas of the course, as well as readings of short stories, poems or essays to analyze and reflect about the cultural content (CG 1de, 2, 4, 5) The students’ cultural knowledge will be assessed by: a cultural project in which the students in groups will have to do a research about a relevant person from the literature, art, history and/or politics of Spain or Latin America and make a presentation about the character`s life and achievement and their relevance to the Hispanic and world culture(CG 2abde, 3adef, 5) a series of listening/reading/viewing responses about diverse cultural texts (CG 1, 2, 3, 5) Format Contact hours focus on language practice in line with the textbook chapters. Students will mainly work in pairs and small groups. All participants have to complete obligatory self-study assignments before class. Students are expected to take part during the lessons as well as in group tasks.