Spanish
Learning Objectives
Plaza Mayor in Madrid, Spain
The following are the established learning objectives for the introductory sequence of Spanish language and culture courses offered by the department. To see the course goals and learning objectives for our advanced courses, please consult the Major’s Handbook.
Spanish 101-102: Beginning Spanish
By the end of the two-semester sequence, students should be able to understand, speak, read, and write Spanish at a level comparable to that of a speaker within the range of mid-novice to low-intermediate as defined by the ACFTL Guidelines (American Council for the Teaching of Foreign Languages).
Success in achieving this goal is measured by a student’s ability to:
- understand everyday classroom conversation without difficulty on topics dealing with personal reality and specific social situations;
- speak about a limited number of interactive, task-oriented, and social situations;
- read and understand texts dealing with personal/social needs and containing simple factual information;
- meet practical writing needs using short/connected phrases;
- express preferences, daily routines, opinions, feelings, everyday events, and other topics primarily grounded in personal experience.
Spanish 201-202: Intermediate Spanish for Grammar, Conversation, and Composition
By the end of the two-semester sequence, students should be able to understand, speak, read, and write Spanish at a level comparable to that of a speaker within the range of high-intermediate to advanced as defined by the ACFTL Guidelines (American Council for the Teaching of Foreign Languages).
Success in achieving this goal is measured by a student’s ability to:
- understand main ideas and most details of connected discourse on a variety of topics beyond the immediacy of the situation;
- converse in a clearly participatory fashion by initiating, sustaining, and bringing to closure a variety of communicative tasks;
- read longer prose if presented with a clear underlying structure and an idea about content;
- write predominantly descriptive and narrative texts of a few paragraphs in length on familiar topics demonstrating the ability to integrate grammar, vocabulary, style, content, and organization;
- demonstrate an acute awareness of the cultural meaning of language.
Spanish 223: Readings in Spanish Peninsular Cultures
By the end of the one-semester sequence, students should be able to understand, speak, read, and write Spanish at a level comparable to that of a speaker within the advanced-plus to superior range as defined by the ACFTL Guidelines (American Council for the Teaching of Foreign Languages).
Success in achieving this goal is measured by a student’s ability to:
- analytically read literary texts of moderate complexity and contextualize them adequately;
- articulate original ideas orally and support assertions using textual evidence;
- articulate original ideas in writing and support assertions using textual evidence;
- meet the appropriate mechanical, organizational, and stylistic requirements for writing within the discipline;
- demonstrate an informed knowledge of Spanish culture and history and be able to verbalize what culture means and what our assumptions of culture are.
Spanish 224: Readings in Latin American Cultures
By the end of the one-semester sequence, students should be able to understand, speak, read, and write Spanish at a level comparable to that of a speaker within the advanced-plus to superior range as defined by the ACFTL Guidelines (American Council for the Teaching of Foreign Languages).
Success in achieving this goal is measured by a student’s ability to:
- read literary and non-literary texts of moderate complexity and contextualize them adequately;
- understand selected currents in art and music and contextualize them adequately;
- apply information provided by films to their understanding of cultural currents or moments;
- articulate original ideas orally and support assertions using textual evidence;
- articulate original ideas in writing and support assertions using textual evidence;
- meet the appropriate mechanical, organizational, and stylistic requirements for writing within the discipline;
- demonstrate an informed understanding of significant currents or moments in the evolution of Latin American culture;
- articulate what culture means and what our assumptions of culture are.