Module overview
The aim of every language course at the University is to enable you to communicate in your target language at that particular level and in your particular area of interest. We use the word ‘communicate’ in its widest sense, meaning that you will not only be able to talk to people in the language but also to develop your proficiency in listening, reading, and writing. This means that the course aims for you to understand all the things which affect communication in that language, including knowledge of how the language is used, how it works and how to analyse it, and the cultural contexts in which it is spoken.
This particular module is aimed at students having already met the learning outcomes of stage 6.
Aims and Objectives
Learning Outcomes
Subject Specific Intellectual and Research Skills
Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:
- organise and present ideas within the framework of a structured and reasoned argument
- use language creatively and precisely for a range of purposes and audiences
- communicate, present, interact in a flexible, creative and effective way
- use and present material in the target language and one's own language in written and oral forms in a clear and effective manner
- use successfully intercultural competence
Transferable and Generic Skills
Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:
- take accurate and effective notes and summarise material
- research effectively and handle appropriately bibliographic information
- write and think under pressure and meet deadlines
- work autonomously, manifested in self-direction, self-discipline and time management
- become self-reliant, use your own initiative, show your adaptability and flexibility
Knowledge and Understanding
Having successfully completed this module, you will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:
- ways to reflect critically and to make judgements in the light of evidence and argument
- layers of meaning within texts and other cultural products, in other words read between the lines
- mediation between both languages both orally and in writing
- how to extract and synthesise key information from written and spoken sources
- analytical and evaluative thinking and further develop problem-solving skills
- ways to be proficient in a foreign language and to learn a language
- ways to convincingly translate in both directions
Syllabus
This Stage is built to consolidate and integrate activities and tasks whose purpose is to help you move towards the highest level of language proficiency.
Course books, reference material and topic-based material will be used as appropriate. Much of the material will be derived from authentic print and audio-visual media. Independent learning material will be available in the relevant self-access area, the Library and on Blackboard.
Learning and Teaching
Teaching and learning methods
The combination of direct teaching, opportunities for participation, and support for resource-based independent study are specifically designed to ensure that you can achieve communicative competence as outlined in the learning outcomes above.
Classes
Although part of any class session is likely to involve direct teaching, the emphasis is on student participation and you will be expected to take part actively in discussion and in tasks like small group and pair work, role play, and individual or group presentations. As much of the class as possible will be taught in the target language. We will work together on a variety of texts, listenings, we will work towards improving our ranges of expression, translation skills (in both text and prose), mediation skills (oral and written), high-level comprehension, oral skills...
Independent learning
You will be expected to spend time studying outside the class, and we provide guidance, facilities and materials to help you develop your expertise as an independent language learner. As you progress through the Stages you will learn to understand, monitor and improve your own learning style; you will also acquire some expertise as a researcher and develop the kind of key skills which are valued by employers. You are encouraged to use the facilities in the self-access area at Avenue Campus and at other sites in the University, including the Southampton Oceanography Centre, the Hartley Library and Winchester School of Art. These include on-line and computer-based resources, current newspapers and magazines, and self-access materials. For this Stage, you will be asked to consolidate your class work, to read, watch or listen to material in the target language, to prepare exercises and activities for the class, to write assignments, undertake projects and continue to develop your repertoire of effective language learning strategies.
Type | Hours |
---|---|
Tutorial | 72 |
Preparation for scheduled sessions | 50 |
Follow-up work | 50 |
Completion of assessment task | 28 |
Revision | 50 |
Wider reading or practice | 50 |
Total study time | 300 |
Resources & Reading list
General Resources
monolingual dictionary such as Diccionario de uso del español María Moliner. Editorial Gredos S.A.. ISBN 978-84-249-2886-5
bilingual dictionary such as The Oxford Spanish Dictionary (latest edition). ISBN: 019 8604750
Textbooks
John Butt & Carmen Benjamin (2000). A New Reference Grammar of Modern Spanish. London: Arnold.
Manuel Seco. Diccionario de dudas y dificultades de la lengua española. Madrid: Larousse.
Manual de estilo de El País. Madrid: El País.
Agencia EFE. Manual del Español Urgente. Madrid: Ediciones Cátedra.
Christopher J. Pountain & Teresa de Carlos (2000). Practising Spanish Grammar, a workbook. London: Arnold.
Assessment
Assessment strategy
At the beginning of the module, you will receive information about your assessment. This will include:
- what tasks you will be expected to carry out.
- clear criteria against which your work will be assessed.
- what the provisional date and deadline of each assessment task is.
Note that it is your responsibility to ensure that you have read and understood this documentation, to plan your work schedule in advance, and to keep to the deadlines. If you are in any doubt, talk to the module coordinator in good time.
Assessment will cover what you have studied in class and what you are expected to have acquired as an independent learner. The design of the tasks and the criteria by which they are assessed ensure that you will be able to demonstrate all aspects of your learning: language skills, strategies and knowledge related to language learning, and key skills. Both formative and summative tasks will give you feedback on your progress, that is, feedback which will help you learn. The assessment at the end of the module will test what you have achieved and also what you are able to do in real life conditions of language use where you need to think on your feet and use your own linguistic resources.
Summative
This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.
Method | Percentage contribution |
---|---|
Oral Assessment | 10% |
Exam | 20% |
Coursework | 10% |
Listening | 10% |
Coursework | 10% |
Coursework | 10% |
Exam | 20% |
Coursework | 10% |
Referral
This is how we’ll assess you if you don’t meet the criteria to pass this module.
Method | Percentage contribution |
---|---|
Resubmit assessments | 100% |
Repeat
An internal repeat is where you take all of your modules again, including any you passed. An external repeat is where you only re-take the modules you failed.
Method | Percentage contribution |
---|---|
Coursework | 40% |
Exam | 60% |
Repeat Information
Repeat type: Internal & External