¡Bienvenidos!

Hola estudiantes:

¡Bienvenidos a la clase de español 1090.01! We are going to have a wonderful time learning Spanish.

Course description

In a world that increasingly requires us to think globally, the study of languages is an integral part of a comprehensive education. This is especially so at Webster University, which is committed to international cultural relevance and global thinking.

Spanish 1090, a first semester course, provides students with a

foundation for learning spoken and written Spanish and offers basic information about culture in the major Spanish -speaking countries. Listening and speaking will be emphasized in class, while writing and reading will be done mostly outside of class. Students will use, practice and/or interpret a variety of forms of discourse, such as letters, poetry, and signs, as well as the phonology, morphology and syntax of the language. In class only Spanish will be used so that students will receive intensive practice with the language, which will be supplemented with daily work outside the class from workbook, conversation and other activities.

Required Textbooks: Ramos & Davis, Portafolio, textbook and Activities Manual, Volume 1, McGraw Hill, 2009

Additional Material: audio CDs and publisher’s website (Spanish.college.hmco.com/students)

Learning Objectives:

~To expose the student to a rich input of spoken Spanish through a variety

of in-class socially appropriate forms of communicative activities and required listening activities;

~To practice the newly acquired vocabulary and grammatical structures in

small group and pair work activities simulating real life and everyday situations;

~To introduce the student to Spanish culture through authentic materials,

such as simple articles, songs, films, videos and taped conversations

between native speakers;

~To develop basic writing skills through daily assignments and short written paragraphs.

Global Citizenship Program Learning Outcomes

Global Understanding: helps students understand cultures foreign to them, or international languages, or forces that draw people of the world together and forces that push them apart.

Intercultural Competence: Students will achieve a set of cognitive, affective and behavioral skills and characteristics that will support effective and appropriate interaction in a variety of cultural contexts. Also, an understanding of the complexity of elements important to members of another culture in relation to history, values, politics, communication styles, economy, or beliefs and practices.

Learning Outcomes:

By the end of the semester, students will be able to:

-demonstrate they can speak and write in isolated words and memorized phrases on certain subjects related to themselves and their environment (for example: family, home, daily routines);

-demonstrate they can identify discrete bits of knowledge from either spoken or written Spanish in contextualized situations that pertain to these familiar topics. Students will also be able to form simple questions.

-articulate how the learning of another language has affected them as individuals belonging to a particular cultural context and how they perceive themselves vis-à-vis the target cultural contexts. Students will be able to identify key cultural differences and similarities between target cultures and the culture of the country of instruction.

Exit competence: Novice mid language level according to the ACTFL proficiency scale.