Academic Catalog

SPAN 14A: ADVANCED CONVERSATION I

Foothill College Course Outline of Record

Foothill College Course Outline of Record
Heading Value
Effective Term: Summer 2023
Units: 4
Hours: 4 lecture per week (48 total per quarter)
Prerequisite: SPAN 13B.
Advisory: May be taken concurrently with SPAN 5.
Degree & Credit Status: Degree-Applicable Credit Course
Foothill GE: Area I: Humanities
Transferable: CSU/UC
Grade Type: Letter Grade (Request for Pass/No Pass)
Repeatability: Not Repeatable

Student Learning Outcomes

  • Express agreement and disagreement on various topics and orally summarize previous discussions or readings.
  • Speak with fluency and pronunciation that is understandable to native speakers not used to interacting with foreigners.

Description

Continuation of SPAN 13B. Gives students practice in oral communication skills in an environment of increasingly challenging language situations. Practice on idioms and vocabulary as different from the usage of formal, written, and literary language. Work on differentiating and choosing the culturally appropriate register for a given situation. Discussion of the cultural manifestations and history of the Spanish-speaking world, including that of the Latino population of the U.S.

Course Objectives

The student will be able to:

  1. Describe the geography, historical events, and cultural aspects of the Spanish-speaking world, with emphasis on Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Perú, and Bolivia
  2. Relate the above-mentioned group of countries with the history and current situation of the Latino population in the U.S.
  3. Express agreement/disagreement in group discussions on various topics and respond with greater accuracy, speed, and fluency to a variety of topics with few errors
  4. Engage in a discussion providing argument to support an opinion
  5. Demonstrate an increased ability to speak informally and idiomatically about topics studied and related to those studied in class
  6. Narrate fully and accurately in all time frames while employing communicative strategies, such as rephrasing, circumlocution, and illustration
  7. Employ increasingly sophisticated vocabulary pertinent to the topic at hand and resorting to illustration or narration when vocabulary is above the student's level
  8. Employ idioms in culturally appropriate language situations

Course Content

  1. Describe the geography, historical events, and cultural aspects of the Spanish-speaking world, with emphasis on Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Perú, and Bolivia
    1. Analyzing and comparing the history of the Spanish-speaking world, with emphasis on Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Perú, and Bolivia
  2. Relate the above-mentioned group of countries with the history and current situation of the Latino population in the U.S.
    1. Discussion of pre-Colombian life and culture, and of the impact of Spain in the New World, with special attention to the above-mentioned regions
  3. Express agreement/disagreement in group discussions on various topics and respond with greater accuracy, speed, and fluency to a variety of topics with few errors
    1. Gaining awareness of current events and particular issues related to these populations and countries
  4. Engage in a discussion providing argument to support an opinion
    1. Gaining awareness of current events and particular issues related to these populations as they have settled in the U.S.: biculturalism, bilinguism, representation in popular culture, etc.
  5. Demonstrate an increased ability to speak informally and idiomatically about topics studied and related to those studied in class
    1. Describing cultural manifestations pertaining to literature, art, and music
    2. Choosing the right register as a cultural choice that is appropriate to the setting and situation
  6. Narrate fully and accurately in all time frames while employing communicative strategies, such as rephrasing, circumlocution, and illustration
    1. Advanced language functions, such as characterizing people, asking for clarification, reacting appropriately, elaborating, summarizing, reacting to criticism, etc.
    2. Rephrasing on-the-spot with occasional pauses and hesitations
    3. Interrupting, turn-taking
    4. Language usage for formal and informal situations
    5. Guessing strategies for comprehension
    6. Pronunciation that interferes occasionally with comprehension by native speakers not used to non-native speakers
  7. Employ increasingly sophisticated vocabulary pertinent to the topic at hand and resorting to illustration or narration when vocabulary is above the student's level, related to:
    1. Social expectations, relationships, conflicts
    2. Cultural and ethical values
    3. Politics, history, current events
    4. Music, literature, art, film
    5. Vocabulary building skills, such as recognizing prefixes, suffixes, guessing strategies
  8. Employ idioms in culturally appropriate language situations
    1. Idioms, colloquial and formal expressions appropriate to the context

Lab Content

Not applicable.

Special Facilities and/or Equipment

1. When taught on campus: use of smart classroom.
2. When taught virtually: ongoing access to computer, internet, and email.

Method(s) of Evaluation

Methods of Evaluation may include but are not limited to the following:

Class participation in student-led and teacher-led conversations
Oral presentations to small groups and the class at large
Oral interviews
Demonstration of conversational skills outside of class

Method(s) of Instruction

Methods of Instruction may include but are not limited to the following:

Students will participate in student-centered and teacher-guided conversations
Students will present oral reports on a cultural topic and will lead roundtable discussions on topics of their choice
Students will review, study, and practice expressions and vocabulary
Students will collaborate in pairs and groups in learning exercises

Representative Text(s) and Other Materials

Haro, María Paz. Cinema for Spanish Conversation. 2020.

Blanco, José A.. ¡Revista!. 2022.

News In Slow Spanish: https://www.newsinslowspanish.com/home/news/advanced

Spanish Proficiency Exercises: https://espanolabierto.org/spanish-proficiency-exercises/

El español en los Estados Unidos: https://espanolabierto.org/el-espanol-en-los-ee-uu/

Antología abierta de literatura hispana: https://espanolabierto.org/antologia-abierta-de-literatura-hispana/

Types and/or Examples of Required Reading, Writing, and Outside of Class Assignments

  1. Follow weekly blogs, news, and opinion pages from newspapers in the Spanish-speaking world
  2. Write reaction pieces to the news and summaries of events
  3. Listen to native speakers talk on specific topic and respond appropriately
  4. Write original compositions in which they analyze the ideas, art, and literature presented in class

Discipline(s)

Foreign Languages