Advanced Spanish Global Health: A Latin American Perspective Program Spring 2018 Semester - Early Start - Buenos Aires

This course is designed for students who have mastered the grammatical structure of the language and are ready to expand and enlarge their language skills thus achieving a high degree in mastery in the four basic skills (reading, listening, speaking and writing). A particular emphasis will be put on oral and written production: various kinds of text and genres (reports, movies, historical and literary texts, plots, expositions and data analyses) will be analysed and practiced, with a particular attention to the textual type that they represent (narrative, descriptive, argumentative). Various types of texts will be read and analysed during class time. You will be asked to write plot summaries or reports, short essays and reaction papers on movies.

The course combines several integrated approaches aimed at developing your skills. Most in-class time, driven by the structure of the textbook, is devoted to speaking and practicing Spanish through a combination of group-based and individual activities, focusing on grammatical structures, language functions and vocabulary. Lessons also focus on a wide range of contemporary cultural themes through the use varied materials such as newspaper articles, advertising material and short film clips. Onsite activities such as visits to different areas of Barcelona city will give you a unique chance to rapidly implement your linguistic development in real-life. In addition, you will be encouraged to read a great variety of real-life materials such as newspaper articles, advertising material and literary texts to foster your comprehension of written sources and to enrich your vocabulary.

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 Spanish society, and thus learning Spanish gives you a privileged opportunity to develop sensitivity towards cultural differences and to understand the ways in which culture and language interlock. In this sense you will be encouraged to exploit the value of these lessons not just as a useful aid to your progress in other courses at the GlobalCampus, but as a set of tools for unlocking a wide range of intercultural discoveries whilst living and studying abroad.

Class size never exceeds 15 students so that you have sufficient opportunities to practice your spoken Spanish and receive personal attention from your instructor.