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Unit information: Spanish Language in 2024/25

Please note: Programme and unit information may change as the relevant academic field develops. We may also make changes to the structure of programmes and assessments to improve the student experience.

Unit name Spanish Language
Unit code HISP20101
Credit points 20
Level of study I/5
Teaching block(s) Teaching Block 4 (weeks 1-24)
Unit director Ms. Marga Menendez-Lopez
Open unit status Not open
Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units)

Relevant core language unit at level C/4

Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units)

None

Units you may not take alongside this one

None

School/department Department of Hispanic, Portuguese and Latin American Studies
Faculty Faculty of Arts

Unit Information

To revise and deepen knowledge acquired in 1st year of the specified language, to practise and develop students’ oral, aural, reading writing and translation skills; to give students further linguistic skills and cultural background in preparation for residence abroad.

Your learning on this unit

Students will:

1. be able to communicate orally in the target language with a good degree of accuracy and fluency
2. be able to communicate in writing in the target language with a good degree of accuracy and fluency.
3. be able to work at an upper intermediate level with authentic material and retrieve necessary information.
4. have acquired knowledge and awareness of the general social and cultural background of the target language.
5. be able to respond to, understand and interpret written texts at an upper intermediate level and mediate between the target language and English in an effective manner.

Overall, students will attain a level comparable to B2 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages.

How you will learn

Learners will be involved in a variety of synchronous activities, mostly interactive with maximum use of the target language, but with attention devoted also to explaining the fundamentals of the target language’s structures. These activities will be supported and amplified by asynchronous e-learning opportunities and self-directed exercises.

How you will be assessed

Tasks which count towards your unit mark (summative):

Translation - Coursework 1 - (10%) [ILOs 3, 4 and 5]

Translation - Coursework 2 - (10%) [ILOs 3, 4 and 5]

1 x 1000-word written project – (25%) [ILOs 2, 3, 4]

1 x 1.5 hours written exam (in-person) – to include reading/grammar (25%) [ILOs 2, 3, 4, 5]

1 x Oral exam (in-class) – to include presentation/speaking exercise (15%) [ILOs 1, 3, 4 and 5]

1 x Listening exam (online) – to include listening exercise (15%) [ILOs 3, 4]

In order to progress into Year 3, students would need to achieve an overall pass mark (40) and to have attempted all assessment components. Marks of below 40 in any of the four language skills would not prevent a student from progressing, as long as the overall average remained above 40 and the student has attempted all components of assessment. Students who receive an overall mark of below 40 will normally be required to re-sit all failed or missed components.

When assessment does not go to plan

When required by the Board of Examiners, you will normally complete reassessments in the same formats as those outlined above. However, the Board reserves the right to modify the form or number of reassessments required. Details of reassessments are normally confirmed by the School shortly after the notification of your results at the end of the academic year.

Resources

If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.

If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. HISP20101).

How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks, independent learning and assessment activity.

See the University Workload statement relating to this unit for more information.

Assessment
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit. The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. For appropriate assessments, if you have self-certificated your absence, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (for assessments at the end of TB1 and TB2 this is usually in the next re-assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any exceptional circumstances and operates within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.

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