TOKYO INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

Course description and aims

"Spanish Seminar: Culture and Society" are designed for students who have finished either "Spanish: Intermediate Course 4'', or students who are well equipped with the grammatical knowledge of the language (who understand basic meanings of all the tenses and moods). By the end of the quarter, students will be exposed to the oral and textual materials of the language so that they will be able to understand those materials. Thus, on the other hand, they can expect to express themselves in more sophisticated and articulated phrases and sentences. You will learn how to read and write simple and not so simple texts using different tenses and moods, and will be ready to read some complicated texts or express themselves in more articulated ways.

Student learning outcomes

At the end of this course, students will realize they are able to read texts or listen to songs with unprecedented facility. You will also be able understand some complicated texts or express themselves in more sophisticated ways.

Keywords

Spanish grammar and vocabulary, Society and culture of the Spanish speaking countries

Competencies that will be developed

Class flow

The instructor will prepare materials for the class and students will try to grasp with those materials, either trying to listen to and understand the meaning of them, or to read them using dictionary and other references. Students are also encouraged to bring materials (in Spanish, of course, but perhaps some Spanglish or even Portuguese materials are also welcome!) that they are interested in. The instructor will check if they are instructive enough for the class and will use them in case he thinks they are.

Course schedule/Required learning

Out-of-Class Study Time (Preparation and Review)

To enhance effective learning, students are encouraged to spend approximately 100 minutes preparing for class and another 100 minutes reviewing class content afterwards (including assignments) for each class.
They should do so by referring to textbooks and other course material.

Textbook(s)

Course materials will be provided in class. Textbooks for "Spanish: Basic Course 1-4 '' and "Spanish: Intermediate Course 1-2'' by Tello Maroto and Ninomiya are useful for students. Books by Ueda and Nishimura (see the Japanese version for more information) are highly recommended to enhance your grammatical knowledge.

Reference books, course materials, etc.

From time to time the instructor will refer to books and other materials useful for students.

Assessment criteria and methods

Participation (70%), final essay (30%)

Related courses

• LAL.S202 ： Spanish: Basic Course 2
• LAL.S203 ： Spanish: Basic Course 3
• LAL.S204 ： Spanish: Basic Course 4
• LAL.S331 ： Spanish: Intermediate Course 1
• LAL.S332 ： Spanish: Intermediate Course 2
• LAL.S333 ： Spanish: Intermediate Course 3
• LAL.S334 ： Spanish: Intermediate Course 4
• LAL.S431 ： Spanish Seminar: Culture and Society 1
• LAL.S432 ： Spanish Seminar: Culture and Society 2
• LAL.S434 ： Spanish Seminar: Culture and Society 4

Prerequisites (i.e., required knowledge, skills, courses, etc.)

Students must have successfully completed "Spanish: Intermediate Course 4'' or have an equivalent competence in Spanish language.

Other

To give you some idea about what kind of material will be used in class, I thought it is useful the list of selected materials the instructor has used in former classes:
Texts:
Short stories by Gabriel García Márquez, especially from Doce Cuentos Peregrinos;
Articles in El País (España), El Universal (México), and New York Times (Spanish version)
Academic writings in Spanish by the instructor himself;
Songs by the singers such as: Celia Cruz, Mercedes Sosa, Silvio Rodríguez, Rubén Blades, etc.
Films:
El secreto de sus ojos, La historia oficial, Diarios de motocicleta, Chiamatemi Francesco (Argentina);
El gran calavera, Ahí está el detalle, El infierno, Cantinflas (México);
Hable con ella, Volver, Mar adentro (España); etc.