Advanced Spanish Language

This course is designed for those students who have completed four semesters of college level Spanish and have a solid working knowledge of Spanish. The overall objective of this level is to enable the student to communicate more accurately and in a more sophisticated manner. The focus is on vocabulary and grammar associated with commercial, professional, and academic situations.

Specific grammar objectives include but are not limited to:

CONTENTS

1. Érase una vez?
Grammatical contents: INDICATIVE TENSES. PAST TENSES: Contrast between the perfect/indefinite and indefinite/imperfect.
The pluperfect.
Objectives: Related and describe using the past tense.

2. ¿Cuánto hace que estudias español?
Grammatical contents: TEMPORAL MARKERS: hace, desde?
PREPOSITIONS THAT INDICATE TENSE: a, en, por?
Objectives: Relate actions in time. To speak about the amount of time and dates.

3. Cuando termine la Universidad?
Grammatical contents: FORMULAS TO EXPRESS THE FUTURE: present,
ir a + infinitive, paraphrasing, simple future, cuando + present subjunctive.
Objectives: To speak about the future, to make predictions.

4. Se habla español
Grammatical contents: PERSONAL PRONOUNS: The use and placement of pronouns.
Objectives: To understand the value of pronouns within the text. Textual cohesion and coherence.

5. Yo soy estudiante ¿y tú?
Grammatical contents: USES OF SER AND ESTAR.
Objectives: To describe people physically. To express states of mind and physical states.

6. Por tí
Grammatical contents: THE PREPOSITIONS POR AND PARA.
Objectives: To differentiate between por and para.

7. ¿Qué hora sera?
Grammatical contents: THE USE OF VERBAL TENSES IN THE EXPRESSIONS OF HYPOTHESIS: future and conditional. Other forms for expressing probability: a lo mejor, quizás, es posible que?
Objectives: To make suppositions and distinguish the level of certainty that markers of hypothesis express. Textual cohesion and coherence.

8. ¡Ojalá no llueva!
Grammatical contents: INDEPENDENT PHRASES with the SUBJUNCTIVE. Study: ojalá, quizá, que?
Objectives: To express desires and feelings.

9. Yo creo que?
Grammatical contents: SUBSTANTIVE PHRASES: V1 + que + V2 / V1 + infinitive.
Objective: To express opinions, tastes, feelings. To show agreement and disagreement.

10. Al terminar el curso?
Grammatical contents: PHRASES EXPRESSING TIME. Uses of the infinitive, indicative, and subjunctive in phrases expressing time.
Objectives: To situate events in time.

The objective of this course outline is to orient the students, but it is subject to change according to the professor and students.

EVALUATION

The process of evaluation will be continuous. In addition to considering how active, participatory, and responsible the student?s attitude in class is, the other parameters will also be taken into account:

1. Daily practice exercises in class, homework, participation, and interest for the class: 20% of the final grade.
2. Partial exam halfway through the course (if it is considered necessary): 20% of the final grade.
3. Final exam: 60% of the final grade.