Part-time courses for adults

Spanish Advanced Stage H

This course will enable you to further expand your oral, aural and written language skills.

In order to develop your ability to produce and understand complex sentence structures and differentiate fine shades of meaning in highly specialised Spanish texts. You will learn and practise sophisticated idomatic expressions enabling you to effectively analyse and present complex topics. Mediation between English and Spanish by means of translating and interpreting across a wide range of media will also be part of the course.

The course will cover a wide range of topics which will be adapted to students’ interest. Authentic materials from various quality Spanish newspapers and magazines, video documentaries and audio tapes relating to current affairs and the media.

A selection of the following topics:

• Regional differences in Spain
• Historical aspects of Spain/Latin America in the 20th century
• Socio-economic aspects
• Working in Spain
• Men and women, roles and opportunities
• Immigration
• Ethical issues
• Social aspects
• Social trends ie. Speed astrology; gambling, lifestyle, differences between UK and Spain
• Health and Science issues; cloning, drugs & legislation
• Holidays and sport
• Technology
• Current political/social/economic topics
• The Euro
• The Royal family
• Spanish and Latin American films with information on the background of films, directors and debate
• Translations from English into Spanish

Grammar

• Past Tenses: pretérito perfecto (simple y compuesto), pretérito imperfecto, pretérito pluscuamperfecto ypretérito indefinido
• Future and Conditional tenses: the expression of probability and reported speech
• Prepositions. Por vs para; De vs desde
• The subjunctive
• Conditional sentences, Commands
• Passive Constructions
• Ser vs Estar
• Passive constructions with ser and estar; Las formas no personales del verbo
• Infinitive, Present and Past Participle
• Las perífrasis - Phrasal verbs; Idioms, expressions and proverbs.

Who is this course for

This course is for you if you have an excellent working command of Spanish and you use it on a regular basis. (7 years of part-time study and/or Advanced Spanish Stage G)

This level will enhance your near-native language skills.

Learning and teaching

The emphasis of the course is on participation and students are encouraged to actively participate in class through various forms of activities designed to stimulate communication.

Coursework and assessment

For us the most important element of assessment is that it should enhance your learning.

Our methods are designed to increase your confidence and we try very hard to devise ways of assessing you that are enjoyable and suitable for adults with busy lives.

To award credits we need to have evidence of the knowledge and skills you have gained or improved.

Some of this has to be in a form that can be shown to external examiners so that we can be absolutely sure that standards are met across all courses and subjects.

The assessment of this course is divided into four parts to assess each of the following skills: speaking, listening,reading and writing. It is designed to enhance what you have learnt during the course.

Additionally to the weekly sessions, we recommend that you spend time between the lessons, revising and practising what has been done in class.

Library and computing facilities

As a student on this course you are entitled to join and use the University’s library and computing facilities. Find out more about using these facilities.

Accessibility

Our aim is access for all. We aim to provide a confidential advice and support service for any student with a long term medical condition, disability or specific learning difficulty. We are able to offer one-to-one advice about disability, pre-enrolment visits, liaison with tutors and co-ordinating lecturers, material in alternative formats, arrangements for accessible courses, assessment arrangements, loan equipment and dyslexia screening.