UNIVERSITY OF ANTIOQUIA INTERNATIONAL CENTRE FOR LANGUAGES AND CULTURES SPANISH FOR FOREIGNERS ACADEMIC PROGRAM

1. PRESENTATION This learning program in Spanish as a Foreign Language focuses on an integrated concept of learning foreign languages. We start with the epistemological view that learning a foreign language goes hand in hand with the objective of learning necessarily meaningful content. In the case of participating students, they are expected to learn the Spanish language involving the acquisition of knowledge, skills and strategies that strengthen communicative performance in that language. The integration of language skills, the meaningful use of language, and the proposed activities aim at articulating the basic concepts and strengthening communication skills of participating students. This program consists of twelve modules which progressively advance in the development of the units, enabling students to achieve the proposed communication skills and strategies. Each of these modules will be accompanied by learning activities in and out of the classroom, which will be guided by the facilitator with an emphasis on those that relate to student interests and the significant issues addressed in class. The rest of the time students will be exposed to the Spanish language in real situations like going shopping, since they will remain in the city in full contact with Spanish speakers. The proposed modules are:
Module 1: Beginners Module 2: Basic 1 Modul 3: Basic 2

Module 4: Basic 3

Module 5: Intermediate 1 Module 6: Intermediate 2 Module 7: Intermediate 3 Module 8: Intermediate 4 Module 9: Oral Skills Module 10: Integrated Skills Module 11: Academic Writing in Spanish Module 12: Readings on Hispanic languages and Cultures

Each module will be developed in 40 class hours. The number of hours per week will be decided in conjunction with students from the groups, under the condition that a minimum of four hours per week be issued. Modules 9 through 12 can be varied in order since they all belong in the Enhancement level. 2. GENERAL OBJECTIVE The International Center for Languages and Cultures at the University of Antioquia aims to provide students learning Spanish as a foreign language tools necessary to acquire communication skills that enable them to become independent and effective users of the language. The skills acquired by students will enable them to be language users locally in terms of the varieties of Colombian Spanish, but those same skills will allow them to be users of the Spanish language in international contexts.

3. SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES As a student following the program, you can:

Get to know the various aspects of the culture(s) of Antioquia and Colombia that will enable good practice of the Spanish language in various social and cultural contexts, establishing a bilateral relationship between the linguistic variety of Colombia and other international ones. Gain the phonetic elements and basic linguistic structures of the Spanish language that will allow the student to understand the meaning of oral materials and express them in everyday communication. Produce cohesive and consistent oral and written material, according to their communication needs. Identify different language registers that allow them to interact in multiple contexts.

Understand the general and specific meaning in oral and written texts in Spanish.

4. THEMATIC COMMUNICATIVE GUIDELINES OF THE PROGRAM

Intercultural competencies Oral and written comprehension competencies Oral interaction and production competencies Writing Skills

5. METHODOLOGY The Spanish course for foreigners is intended to prepare students to cope effectively in various communicative situations using the Spanish language as a medium. For this reason, the work methodology takes a communicative approach in which the topics aim to make students` social immersion process as positive as possible. The development of topics is based on both theory and practice, so that the basic skills of speaking, reading, writing, listening and communicating are strengthened in a comprehensive manner that enables the student to communicate successfully. Since intercultural competence plays a key role in the teaching and learning of a foreign language, this competency is incorporated in each course activity. The awareness and analysis of different social contexts throughout the language learning process builds a dynamic course and firmly establishes the relationship between language and culture. It is necessary and consistent with this approach that the student takes responsibility for his or her learning in the study, rhythm and continuity of the process. 6. MATERIALS The materials for this course will be adapted to the different levels and interests of the students. Their use will focus on the development of comprehension, speaking and writing skills. In addition to traditional materials such as videos, recordings, slides, etc., used to present language in context and offer a chance to show extra-linguistic elements (intonation, gestures, posture, and facial expression), authentic materials such as newspaper articles, magazines, radio recordings and

television will be used. The course will also incorporate materials from the students daily activities: invoices, tickets, receipts, bills, answering machine recordings, etc. In addition, ICT resources such as DVDs, CD, simulators, electronic dictionaries and countless alternatives offered by the Internet will be used. For modules 1-8, ula Internacional, curso de espaol, 1, 2, 3, and 4, an international textbook series, will be used as a guide for self-study. It will also support some classroom activities that deepen understanding of structures, offer readings on specific topics and / or contrast language variations, given that Iberian Spanish is the variation predominantly used in the text. 8. EVALUATION:

There is a variety of evaluation activities that will be used throughout the course, all of them aiming to check students progress in terms of their acquisition of communicative competences in Spanish. Excellent progress will be granted 5.0 as a grade, 1.0 will be granted for poor progress both for specific evaluation activities as well as for the final general grade per module. 60% of the final grade is dedicated to continuous to follow during the course, whereas 20% is dedicated to a final written test and 20% to a final oral task.

9. PLACEMENT: Students who possess some level of communicative competence in the language can take a placement test upon arrival in order to start the program in the appropriate module. 10. Costs 2013: Each module of this program is carried out in 40 hours of direct instruction. Therefore, the cost per module per person is obtained by multiplying 40 hours by the price group according to the number of students, as described in the following table:

Price per hour 2013 One student $ $ Two students Per person 40.000 25.000

$ Three or more students

14000

Per person