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SPAN20230

Academic Year 2024/2025

Spanish ex ab-initio IIa (SPAN20230)

Subject:
Spanish
College:
Arts & Humanities
School:
Languages, Cultures & Linguis
Level:
2 (Intermediate)
Credits:
5
Module Coordinator:
Dr Mary Farrelly
Trimester:
Autumn
Mode of Delivery:
On Campus
Internship Module:
No
How will I be graded?
Letter grades

Curricular information is subject to change.

This is a high-intensity language module aimed at students who have successfully completed the Spanish Ab-initio modules (SPAN10140 and SPAN10150) or have reached the equivalent standard of Spanish (CEFR level A2). As the module is primarily designed to bridge the gap between students taking SPAN20080 and those who started Spanish as beginners in Stage 1, it aims for accelerated development of aural, oral, reading, and written skills. It is a core module for students pursuing Spanish to degree level but is also suitable as an elective for students of other subjects.

This module's main objective is to improve students’ proficiency in a language through a metacognitive approach, supporting students in managing their own learning through the completion of autonomous learning activities and self-assessment. Strong emphasis is placed on linguistic competences: grammatical accuracy, range of vocabulary, orthographic and phonological control - all embedded in authentic cultural and social contexts.

Progression will be fast and requires considerable commitment from the students to both class-work and independent study.
At the end of this module students who have achieved at least a B grade are deemed to have consolidated level B1 of the Common European Framework.

About this Module

Learning Outcomes:

On satisfactory completion of this module, students should be able to:
• Understand native speakers discussing issues regularly encountered in work, school, leisure etc., as well as academic and professional topics (storytelling, current affairs, and cultural production);
• Read straightforward factual texts on subjects related to their field and interests with a satisfactory level of comprehension;
• Produce written and oral texts on familiar routine and non-routine matters related to their interests and professional/academic world with a high level of accuracy in spelling and pronunciation;
• Have a sufficient range of language to describe unpredictable situations, explain the main points in an idea or problem with reasonable precision and express thoughts on abstract or cultural topics such as music and films, with an emphasis on socio-cultural aspects of the Hispanic world.


Indicative Module Content:

This module is divided in five units which integrate audio-visual, grammar, oral, written and socio-cultural elements of the Spanish language. Each one of them deals with a topic and a language aspect in Spanish.

1) The first unit deals with narration of short stories in the past and you will learn how to use and contrast past tenses in Spanish.

2) In the second unit you will learn how to express emotional reactions to and opinions about authentic work, life and leisure situations.

3) In the third unit you will learn how to transmit dialogues, statements and requests of other people in the past, through the use of film and TV series in Spanish.

4) The fourth unit is dedicated to learning about verbs denoting change and verbal periphrasis in Spanish while discussing experiences of living abroad.

This information is indicative and may undergo changes.

Student Effort Hours:
Student Effort Type Hours
Small Group

33
Specified Learning Activities

48
Autonomous Student Learning

29
Total

110

Approaches to Teaching and Learning:
For the academic year 2021/22, this module will be delivered face-to-faced if government health guidelines allow, with students participating in three weekly scheduled classes.

This module aims to cover grammar and language content related to B1 CEFR, while consolidating topics covered in year one. We will :

-use multiple technologies and media to deliver content (Brightspace, YouTube)
-engage in all-class collaborative learning

There will also be opportunities for students to:

-work in teams and experience activities that require partnership and mutual support
-have conversations with interesting people outside their normal circle of friends and culture
-think creatively and originally

Generative AI may be used for certain purposes only under the guidance of your module coordinator and within academic integrity guidelines. This corresponds to amber on the traffic light system: https://www.ucd.ie/artshumanities/study/aifutures/trafficlightsystem/

Requirements, Exclusions and Recommendations
Learning Requirements:

Students must have passed SPAN10140 and SPAN10150, or equivalent (Level A2 of the Common European Framework)


Module Requisites and Incompatibles
Pre-requisite:
SPAN10140 - Intensive ab initio Spanish Ia, SPAN10150 - Intensive ab initio Spanish Ib

Incompatibles:
LANG10230 - Spanish Gen Purp 1, LANG10240 - Spanish Gen Purp 4, LANG10260 - Spanish Gen Purp 2, LANG20030 - Spanish Gen Purp 3, LANG20100 - Spanish Gen Purp 5, LANG20470 - Spanish General Purposes 4, LANG20490 - Spanish General Purposes 6


 

Assessment Strategy
Description Timing Component Scale Must Pass Component % of Final Grade In Module Component Repeat Offered
Quizzes/Short Exercises: Short weekly online quizzes Week 1, Week 2, Week 3, Week 4, Week 5, Week 6, Week 7, Week 8, Week 9, Week 10, Week 11, Week 12, Week 14, Week 15 Graded No
20
 No
Exam (In-person): Two-hour written exam. 80% Short piece of writing (Telling a story) 20% Grammar Exercise End of trimester
Duration:
2 hr(s)
 Graded No
50
 No
Viva Voce: Ten-minute oral exam Week 12 Graded No
10
 No
Exam (In-person): In-class written test based on structure of final exam Week 9 Graded No
20
 No

Carry forward of passed components
Yes
 

Resit In Terminal Exam
Spring No
Please see Student Jargon Buster for more information about remediation types and timing. 

Feedback Strategy/Strategies

• Feedback individually to students, post-assessment
• Online automated feedback

How will my Feedback be Delivered?

Not yet recorded.

Students are advised to purchase one good grammar book to be consulted over the duration of the degree programme. We recommend Batchelor, Ronald E., A Student Grammar of Spanish, Cambridge University Press; or Pilar Muñoz and Mike Thacker, A Spanish Learning Grammar (London; New York: Routledge). For those who are sure they wish to pursue a degree in Spanish Studies, we highly recommend John Butt and Carmen Benjamin A New Reference Grammar of Modern Spanish (London: Hopper, 2004 or later) to be used as a reference text (consider it a grammar encyclopedia) alongside grammar books with exercises. You should also consider purchasing a monolingual Spanish dictionary such as the RAE or Maria Moliner.

Class and specified learning materials will be made available on Brightspace at the appropriate times during the module.

Name Role
Dr Diana Battaglia Lecturer / Co-Lecturer
Mónica Galindo González Lecturer / Co-Lecturer

Timetabling information is displayed only for guidance purposes, relates to the current Academic Year only and is subject to change.
Autumn Small Group Offering 1 Week(s) - 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12 Fri 09:00 - 09:50
Autumn Small Group Offering 1 Week(s) - 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12 Mon 10:00 - 10:50
Autumn Small Group Offering 1 Week(s) - 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12 Wed 10:00 - 10:50
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