Notes regarding credits...

NOTE: The University of Deusto recommends taking this course along with Elementary Spanish II and III.

Note: A placement exam will be required when you arrive on site.

Beginning

There is no language prerequisite for courses at this language level. However, students must take a placement exam to determine the course level into which they will be able to enroll.

SPANISH I (100-150): Elementary Spanish I

DESCRIPTION AND AIMS
The course is aimed at students with some very basic knowledge of Spanish at the elementary level or no prior knowledge of Spanish. The main goal of the course is to provide students with the appropriate atmosphere for them to acquire and develop basic communicative skills. This will be achieved through practice involving the four language skills: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. The speaking skill will be emphasized by means of weekly sessions devoted to oral Spanish, where students will participate in activities such as roleplays, interviews, etc. All functional and grammar contents will be approached from a communicative perspective which will assume and value active participation of the students in the class at all times.

SYLLABUS
Functional and grammar contents:

- Introductions and greetings
- Expressing intentions, interests, preferences and need
- Describing places
- Expressing existence and location
- Identifying objects
- Asking for products, prices, etc.
- Describing appearance and character
- Expressing habits and frequency
- Getting and giving information about food
- Getting and giving directions
- Talking about past experiences
- Gender
- The three verbal conjugations: -ar, -er, -ir
- The verbs ser, tener and llamarse
- Present Indicative
- Some uses of the prepositions a, con, de and para
- Definite and indefinite article: el/la/los/las - un/una/unos/unas
- Subject pronouns
- Some uses of hay.
- The verb estar
- Interrogative pronouns (qué, cuál, cuántos, cuántas, dónde, cómo) and demonstrative
adjectives (este, esta, estos, estas, esto)
- Tener que + infinitive
- The verb ir
- The verb gustar
- Possessive adjectives
- Reflexive verbs
- Impersonal se
- The verbs poner and traer
- Quantifiers: algún, ningún, mucho…
- Superlative adjectives
- The Present Perfect
- Saber + Infinitive
- Expressions of frequency

METHODOLOGY
All grammar and functional contents will be integrated into activities within the framework of units with different topics: meeting other people, traveling, describing friends, restaurants, talking about a suburb…

Assignments will include brief compositions and daily homework. There will be a final exam and at least one midterm test.

Classes will be implemented with weekly visits to the multimedia laboratory, where students will have the chance to improve their pronunciation by means of the state-of-the-art software available to them.

ASSESSMENT
The final grade will be calculated according to the following grade breakdown:

Participation & attendance: 15%
Homework: 15%
Compositions: 15%
Tests: 20 %
Oral section: 15 %
Final exam: 20%

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Textbook and workbook:
Corpas, J., García, E., Garmendia, A. & Soriano, C. Aula Internacional 1: Libro del Alumno. Barcelona, Difusión, 2005.

Other sources of material to be used in class:

-Arbonés, C., V. González, E. López y M. Llobera. Así me gusta 1: Libro del alumno y cuaderno de actividades. Cambridge. CUP. 2003.
-Arnal, C. y A. Ruiz de Garibay. Escribe en español. Madrid, SGEL. 2001.
-Bretz, M. L., T. Dvorak y C. Kirschner. Pasajes: Lengua. McGraw-Hill. 1997.
-Castro, F. Uso de la gramática española. Nivel elemental. Madrid, Edelsa, 2000.
-Cerrolaza, M., O. Cerrolaza y B. Llovet. Planet@ 1: Libro del alumno y Libro de referencia gramatical. Madrid, Edelsa. 1998.
-Domínguez, P., P. Bazo y J. Herrera. Actividades comunicativas: Libro del alumno. Madrid, Edelsa. 1995.
-Fernández, J., R. Fente y J. Siles. Curso intensivo de español-ejercicios prácticos: niveles elemental e intermedio. Madrid, SGEL. 1999.
-Knorre, M., T. Dorwick, A. Pérez-Gironés, W. Glass y H. Villarreal. Puntos de Partida. McGraw-Hill. 1997.
-Martínez, L. y M. L. Sabater. Socios 1: Libro del alumno. Barcelona, Difusión. 2000.
-Miquel, L. y N. Sans. Rápido: Libro del alumno y cuaderno de ejercicios. Barcelona, Difusión: 1998.
-Palomino, M. A.. Dual: pretextos para hablar. Madrid, Edelsa. 1998.
-Pinilla, R. y R. Acquaroni. ¡Bien dicho! Madrid, SGEL. 2000.
-Rodríguez Rodríguez, M., Escucha y aprende. Ejercicios de comprensión auditiva. Madrid,
SGEL, 2003.

 Notes:
- Before the beginning of instruction, students will need to take a placement test in order to determine their Spanish level.
- Since class attendance is essential for the acquisition of the four skills, student attendance will be checked daily. Absences might affect the students’ final grade.
- The grading system, as well as the assessment standards, will be the same as those used in the U.S.A.