Presentation

As part of the dual French-Spanish degree program, and in order to prepare for integration into the Spanish university system in the second year and to comply with  the study plan of the UAM (Universidad Autónoma de Madrid), this method seminar has a dual objective. The first is to further develop students' knowledge and understanding of the Hispanic-American world (Spain and Latin America) through various topics related to Spain and Latin America, and through the reading and analysis of 3 books. The second objective is to consolidate and develop linguistic skills (written and oral comprehension, written and oral expression) by using a variety of media (texts, press, audio-visual documents, iconography, etc.) to study language and develop four skills: the ability to identify points of view and speech registers, the ability to communicate and synthesize facts or arguments, the ability to defend a personal point of view in a structured and informed way, the ability to speak at length and to interact.

Recommended Prerequisite(s)

A good command of the basic linguistic components: verb conjugation in all tenses and moods, main syntax and grammatical rules, main linking words used to structure ideas, General everyday vocabulary. Knowledge of the key periods of Spanish and Latin-American history.

Bibliography

• Bescherelle, El arte de conjugar en español, Hatier.
• P. Gerboin, C.Leroy, Précis de grammaire espagnole, Hachette
• M. DORANGE, Civilisation espagnole et hispano-américaine, Hachette S 2013
• Presse latino-américaine : http://fr.kiosko.net/iba/
• Tout type de reportages : http://www.rtve.es/television/informe-semanal/ 

Educational formula

The work is based on texts (press or social science journal articles) or any type of audio/audio-visual documents.... The themes are also presented in the form of presentations/debates: press review, detailed presentation of an issue, role playing, presentation of small-group projects.... During the sessions, the emphasis is on oral communication; personal preparation prior to class is mandatory and must be done in writing; Efforts to address possible deficiencies (knowledge and language) are part of students’ individual work.