This course is designed for the beginner student with no previous experience in the Spanish language. For this reason the classes are taught in Spanish and English. The students are encouraged to express themselves using all their linguistic resources in both languages. The self-evident and primary goal of this class is to provide the basic skills to understand and communicate in Spanish, but also to reflect on the processes implied in the making of speakers. In this course, what we call language will be explored as a social practice that not only produces culture but is culture. A critical and holistic perspective in each and every topic touched in class will be the main thread in the development of the linguistic competences needed to explore our own experiences, opinions, lines of thought, stories and identities.

COURSE OBJECTIVES

1. The main objective of this course is to reinforce the self-confidence and growth in the students for developing a language intuition that would expand their ability to create with the Spanish language and take risks in communicative situations.
2. The second main objective is for the students to gain a greater and individual insight in the varied perspectives offered by the study of the Latin American, Iberian and Latino world (literature, cinema, media) in their historical, social and political contexts.
3. To become familiar with the general structure of the Spanish language and put it in practice in communicative situations (reading, writing, listening and/or speaking).
4. Being able to comprehend and respond to basic conversational patterns, proficiency and knowledge of basic grammatical structures and terminologies, basic proficiency in reading and writing the language.