Advanced Conversational Spanish: Daily & Practical Uses

The course has been created for students who have already completed an intermediate level of Spanish and who, consequently, have a thorough knowledge of the basics of Spanish grammar, but who now wish to turn their focus on consolidating their understanding and expanding their ability to communicate through real practice, both orally and in specific written formats. The main aim is to develop your communicative proficiency. To achieve the course goals, you will participate in active conversation inside and outside the class, while you practice your grammar in class and on homework activities to enhance your writing skills. Since successful communication always depends on the cultural context, a key part of the course will be discussing topics related to the social and cultural context in which the course is taught (i.e., Argentina and Buenos Aires). Various types of texts will be read and analyzed during class time. You will be asked to write plot summaries or reports, short essays and reaction papers on movies.

To give you further opportunities to develop your linguistic and intercultural skills, this course will expose you to interaction with the local community as you learn about Argentine society. This gives you a privileged opportunity to develop first-hand insight and sensitivity towards cultural differences and to understand the ways in which culture and language intersect. In this sense, you will be encouraged to utilize these lessons not just as a useful aid to your progress in other courses at the CEA Study Abroad Center, but as a set of tools for unlocking a wide range of intercultural discoveries whilst living and studying abroad.

Activities include in-class discussions, debates, surveys, interviews, presentations, and writing activities. Given the importance of using language in context, you will therefore experience the Spanish language and culture through real practice: for example, you will learn to talk about food by researching in local restaurants or interviewing local chefs. A key component of the course will be activities designed to promote direct contact with the host culture, via surveys, interviews, and language exchanges with local students. This is an active course and to take full advantage of it, you must be motivated to learn and ready to participate. Only in this way will you make real and observable improvements in your oral and written competency.

Previously titled as Conversational Spanish: Daily & Practical Uses/SPN303