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Spanish 5 (SPAN10007)
Undergraduate level 1Points: 12.5On Campus (Parkville)
Overview
| Availability | Semester 1 - On Campus |
|---|---|
| Fees | Look up fees |
In this subject, students will continue to develop their linguistic and cultural competence in Spanish. They will also advance their skills in textual analysis, with a special focus on the long tradition of testimonial texts (testimonios) in recent Spanish and Latin American history. Through the study of first-person narratives and authentic Spanish and Latin American short films, news and shorter literary texts, students will learn how to create and use authentic Spanish and Latin American cultural materials across a variety of media. This will allow them to produce their own first-person testimonies and critical arguments in the shape of both formal (project presentation, essay writing) and informal contexts (personal blogs, podcasts, videos, etc.). Students will thus gain an appreciation of, and an ability to express their own ideas about the cultural and historical realities that have shaped the Spanish and Latin American modern and contemporary world. They will become confident in the use of vocabulary, sentence and text structures utilised in different contexts (formal and informal) and as presented in different newspaper genres, diaries, short and long narrative texts, and audio-visual expressions of the self and the other. In addition, students will enhance their digital literacy and practice skills as well as a number of skills relevant to a workplace environment, such as problem-solving, teamwork, clear communication, project presentation, information literacy and professionalism.
Part of the assessment of this subject will contribute to the ePortfolio students develop in their Spanish and Latin American Studies subjects. This digital platform offers the opportunity to showcase relevant workplace skills and digital and intercultural competencies in the target language, as well as individual interests and ideas.
Intended learning outcomes
On completion of this subject, students should be able to:
- Interpret academic and everyday communication across a number of contexts, situations and genres in the target language, and more specifically the non-fictional testimony genre
- Understand the use of Spanish in real-life situations and identify the distinct features of fictional and non-fictional genres produced in Spanish and Latin American economic, intellectual, cultural and social contexts, with a particular emphasis on the non-fictional testimony genre
- Recognise the idiosyncratic differences within the Spanish-speaking communities in Spain, Latin-America and beyond
- Apply critical theory to explore specific topics in the target language and draw links between Spanish and Latin American popular and academic language and culture through the testimony genre and other socio-cultural manifestations
- Appreciate and respect diversity, background difference and distinct perspectives of Hispanic cultures by critically evaluating diverse manifestations of the testimony genre such as texts, podcasts, blogs and videos representing Spanish-speaking communities in the world
- Articulate intellectually sophisticated conversations, as a bicultural and bilingual person, with both native and non‐native speakers in the target language about relevant historical, social and cultural topics in Hispanic 'Testimonios' and other socio‐cultural manifestations
- Understand the lingo-cultural acquisition process both in English and Spanish, as autonomous, reflective and self-directed learners with academic-level skills
- Produce a wide range of intellectually sophisticated written and oral communication across a variety of media that demonstrate a sound understanding of genres, organisational patterns, vocabulary and linguistic structures in the target language.
Generic skills
On completion of this subject, students should be able to:
- Initiate research skills
- Enhance critical thinking and analysis
- Develop logical analysis strategies
- Strengthen their ability to speak effectively in public
- Enhance information literacy skills
- Cultivate their understanding of social, political, historical and cultural contexts and their awareness of intercultural differences and openness to the world
- Enhance relevant digital literacy and practice skills
- Enhance relevant workplace skills.
Last updated: 10 November 2025