Beginning Spanish Language and Culture
This course is conceived as a brush-up course for those who have previously taken some Spanish, but who need to review the basics in preparation for taking intermediate level classes. Starting with communicative situations that are of immediate use to students who are living in Cuba, they will practice communicative functions including expressions for introducing oneself, asking and giving directions and information about getting around the city. Then students will practice describing and comparing people and places, expressing likes, dislikes, and opinions. The verbs tenses that are reviewed and practiced in cultural contexts are present indicative, present perfect, preterite, imperative and future tenses. Listening, reading, speaking and writing exercises give students practice with the four skills and build confidence in the learner. In addition, there will be seminars covering such topics as Cuban identity, music, art, and dance.
Language of Instruction: Spanish
Language Level Required: Beginner
Recommended US semester credits: 6
Contact Hours: 75
Intermediate Spanish Language and Culture
This intermediate course begins with a quick overview of essential grammatical constructions learned in first-year courses. Structures are reviewed through written exercises and communicative activities that require students to use basic grammatical constructions to accurately describe people, places, and activities in the present tense and express likes, dislikes, and opinions. There will also be a review of preterite and imperfect verb forms, future tense, and commands. The course then proceeds with a strong emphasis on past tense narration, the multiple uses of the subjunctive mood, with work on reported speech, connectors, hypothesis, and conjecture. All of the above is presented in cultural contexts and includes vocabulary expansion exercises and ample communicative activities. The principal objective of this intermediate course is to help students become comfortable and accurate in expressing the following communicative functions: describing, comparing, expressing likes and dislikes, narrating in the past, reacting and recommending, hypothesizing and narrating in the future. Writing activities integrate and recycle the above communicative functions in short essays and opinion pieces with the Cuban experience as the backdrop for creative expression. In addition, there will be seminars covering such topics as Cuban identity, music, art, and dance.
Language of Instruction: Spanish
Language Level Required: Intermediate
Recommended US semester credits: 6
Contact Hours: 75
Advanced Spanish Language and Culture
This course offers an in-depth review and the study of the more problematic aspects of Spanish grammar for English speakers. After an overview of the subjunctive and past tense narration rules, the course proceeds with intense work in consolidating the multiple uses of the subjunctive in nominal, adjectival and adverbial clauses and practice in perfecting skills in past tense narration. Other grammatical points include a sequence of tenses, passive voice, conditional, prepositions and future perfect. All of the above is presented in cultural contexts and includes vocabulary expansion exercises and ample communicative activities. In addition, there will be seminars covering such topics as Cuban Identity, Popular Religious Practices, The Central Role of Music in Cuban Life, Environmental Issues.
Language of Instruction: Spanish
Language Level Required: Advanced
Recommended US semester credits: 6
Contact Hours: 75
