Academic Catalog

SPAN 14B: ADVANCED CONVERSATION II

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 14A.
Advisory: May be taken concurrently with SPAN 6.
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

  • React and hypothesize on a wide range of topics.
  • Speak with fluency and pronunciation that is understandable to native speakers not used to interacting with foreigners.

Description

Continuation of SPAN 14A. Gives students practice in aural/oral communication skills in an environment of increasingly challenging language situations. Evaluation and response to real, current material: politics, literature, art, music, film. Critical analysis of the cultural manifestations and history of the Spanish-speaking world, including the Latino population of the U.S. Evaluation of the cultural values inherent in conversation. Integration of cultural competency into conversation skills: what's appropriate in a given culture (in terms of register, vocabulary, and values) and in a given setting within that culture.

Course Objectives

The student will be able to:

  1. Describe the geography, historical events, and cultural aspects of the Spanish-speaking world, with special emphasis on Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, and Paraguay
  2. Express agreement/disagreement in group discussions on various topics, from both a concrete and an abstract perspective
  3. Analyze critically the history of the Spanish-speaking world and evaluate its current situation, especially as it relates to the history and especial problems of the Latino population in the U.S.
  4. Summarize and synthesize a variety of narratives: news, movies, reviews, literature in various genres, and essays
  5. Provide coherent narrations of paragraph length in all time frames while employing communicative strategies, such as rephrasing and circumlocution, with greater confidence and fluency
  6. Engage in a discussion providing a structured argument to support and defend an opinion
  7. Elicit information for a variety of purposes, with the appropriate pitch, stress, and tone
  8. Employ detailed vocabulary, specific to the topic at hand, and choose from alternative vocabulary when asked to perform complex tasks, such as hypothesizing and arguing
  9. Employ with accuracy low-frequency structures (ranging from idioms and colloquial expressions to formal formulaic language)

Course Content

  1. Describe the geography, historical events, and cultural aspects of the Spanish-speaking world, with special emphasis on Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, and Paraguay
    1. Analyzing and comparing the history of the Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, and Paraguay
    2. Evaluation of pre-Colombian life and culture in the above-mentioned region, and of the impact of Spain in the New World
  2. Express agreement/disagreement in group discussions on various topics, from both a concrete and an abstract perspective
    1. Critical analysis of current events and particular issues related to these populations and countries
  3. Analyze critically the history of the Spanish-speaking world and evaluate its current situation, especially as it relates to the history and especial problems of the Latino population in the U.S.
    1. Evaluation of the particular problems facing these populations in the U.S: immigration, biculturalism, bilinguals, representation in popular culture, etc.
  4. Summarize and synthesize a variety of narratives: news, movies, reviews, literature in various genres, and essays
    1. Describe 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
  5. Provide coherent narrations of paragraph length in all time frames while employing communicative strategies, such as rephrasing and circumlocution, with greater confidence and fluency
    1. Advanced language functions, such as characterizing people, asking for clarification, reacting appropriately, elaborating, summarizing, reacting to criticism, etc.
    2. Improvising, reacting to criticism, and rephrasing on the spot with fluency and confidence
    3. Extended discourse without unnatural or lengthy hesitations
  6. Engage in a discussion providing a structured argument to support and defend an opinion
    1. Explain complex matter in detail, on concrete and abstract topics
    2. Provide structured arguments that separate main ideas from supporting arguments
  7. Elicit information for a variety of purposes, with the appropriate pitch, stress, and tone
    1. Pronunciation that does not interfere with comprehension by native speakers not used to non-native speakers
  8. Employ detailed vocabulary, specific to the topic at hand, and choose from alternative vocabulary when asked to perform complex tasks, such as hypothesizing and arguing. Vocabulary related to:
    1. Social expectations, relationships, conflicts
    2. Cultural and ethical values
    3. Politics, history, current events
    4. Music, literature, art, film
  9. Employ with accuracy low-frequency structures (ranging from idioms and colloquial expressions to formal formulaic language)
    1. Idioms, colloquial and formal expressions
    2. Vocabulary building skills, such as recognizing prefixes, suffixes, guessing strategies 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
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 around grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation

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/

El País (newspaper in Spain and Latin America): https://elpais.com/

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

  1. Follow weekly blogs, news, and opinion pages from written and oral media in the Spanish-speaking world
  2. Write reaction pieces to the news and summaries of events
  3. Listen to native speakers talk about an event in their life and write or record themselves doing the same task
  4. Write original compositions in which they analyze the ideas, art, and literature presented in class
  5. Prepare the grammar and vocabulary needed to lead a discussion on topics of their choice

Discipline(s)

Foreign Languages