Aims

The aims of the course are to:

• To use Spanish in the context of ﾑlanguages for work and lifeﾒ by including specific scientific and engineering tasks which require specific technical input and knowledge.
• To encourage students to adopt the mode of ﾑlearning languages for lifeﾒ by stimulating independent study and research.
• To increase language performance by means of practice and reinforcement of all four linguistic skills (listening, reading, writing and particularly speaking) so as to be able to operate to a satisfactory level in Hispanic countries or regions.
• To extend technological knowledge and understanding of Hispanic industry in its historic and socio-political environment.
• To encourage the handling of authentic materials in Spanish in any particular format.

Content

NB: First introductory session of 2 hours TBA.

Students will be encouraged to research, dissect and find solutions to existing or potential problems/issues using technology and its application to the Hispanic world. This should be done by using all four linguistic skills and a specific knowledge of the correct terminology and structure of Spanish.

All students will have to complete an in-class assessment, submit a report (up to 8 pages) and do a 10 minute oral presentation.

TOPICS Students will choose a topic in agreement with the project leader and/or the PhD student that will support them throughout the project. The following is a list of suggested areas:

• High-speed train technology in Spain
• Airbus Spain
• Telecommunications in the Hispanic World
• Energy and its exploitation in the Hispanic world
• Dams and canals in Spanish America.

FORMAT

• task-based approach - to reflect the realities of current language use.
• skill integration - to operate efficiently in real life.
• language integration - to achieve the greatest degree of realism and authenticity.
• cultural awareness - to operate successfully in a linguistic and social sense.

Weekly: 4 hours contact teaching + 1 hour supervision + 12 hours untimetabled / research.

Group teaching, group work, pair work and individual work will be employed.

The projects will be run from CLIC (Centre for Languages and Inter-Communication) to enable full use of the resources therein.

Assessment will be based on current and technical language (60%) and engineering (40%) content.

ACTIVITIES

• listening: understanding spoken discourse of a technical nature, without prior preparation, and summarising effectively in spoken or written form.
• speaking: initiating technical discussions or responding to them fluently and accurately.
• reading: reading, understanding, interpreting, extracting data from technical sources.
• writing:writing using the appropriate structure, vocabulary and registers. Special emphasis will be placed on report writing.

FURTHER INFORMATION

A Foreign Language Projects information session will be held in Michaelmas in CLIC. See ‘Key Dates [2]’ to find out the exact date.