Welcome to the Hispanic world!
The minor programme in Spanish is an excellent complement to students or professionals of fields such as Translation, Education, Business and Economic, Culture-related industries, International Politics, International and Diplomatic Relations, Hotel and Tourism Management and Communication.
Spanish at CUHK opens the gate to one of the largest cultures in the world. The Spanish speaking peoples. Spanish is the first language in 21 countries in America, Europe, Africa and has an important presence in many other countries around the world.
Students are required to complete a minimum of 18 units of courses as follows:
| Units | ||
| (1) | Required courses [a]: | |
| (a) SPAN2000 Spanish II [b] | 3 | |
| (b) SPAN2001 Spanish III and SPAN3000 Spanish IV, or SPAN3050 Spanish III & IV | 6 | |
| (c) SPAN3001 Spanish V [c] | 3 | |
| (2) | Elective courses: | |
| Any SPAN courses other than SPAN1000, 1001, 2050 and those listed above | 6 | |
Total: | 18 |
Explanatory Notes:
| [a] | Students who have prior knowledge of Spanish before admission may be exempted from taking SPAN2000, 2001, 2050, 3000, 3001 and 3050. They should seek the advice of the Department to take substitute courses in accordance with their academic qualifications. |
| [b] | Students who have taken the summer intensive course SPAN2050 will be recognized as having fulfilled this requirement. |
| [c] | Students who have taken the summer intensive course SPAN3051 will be recognized as having fulfilled this requirement and 3 units of elective courses of Requirement (2). |
| Code | Course Title | Unit |
|---|---|---|
| SPAN1000 | Spanish I | 3 |
| SPAN1001 | First Step in Spanish | 1 |
| SPAN1101 | Spanish Civilization and its Languages I | 3 |
| SPAN1102 | Spanish Civilization and its Languages II | 3 |
| SPAN2000 | Spanish II | 3 |
| SPAN2001 | Spanish III | 3 |
| SPAN2020 | Sounds of Spanish | 3 |
| SPAN2050 | Spanish I & II | 6 |
| SPAN2200 | Hispanic Cinema | 3 |
| SPAN3000 | Spanish IV | 3 |
| SPAN3001 | Spanish V | 3 |
| SPAN3002 | Spanish VI | 3 |
| SPAN3020 | Spanish through Film | 3 |
| SPAN3021 | Spanish Conversation | 3 |
| SPAN3041 | Business Spanish I | 3 |
| SPAN3050 | Spanish III & IV | 6 |
| SPAN3051 | Spanish V & VI | 6 |
| SPAN3100 | Special Topics in Spanish | 3 |
| SPAN4001 | Spanish VII | 3 |
| SPAN4002 | Spanish VIII | 3 |
SPAN1000 Spanish I (Course Outline)
As the first in a series of six language courses, this course invites students without prior knowledge of Spanish to explore the basic features of the Spanish language. Supported by audiovisual aids, students will receive intensive practice in spoken and written Spanish through interactive class work, homework and online exercises. They will become familiar with the basic concepts of Spanish grammar and learn how to interact in some simple everyday situations.
This course is designed for students without any knowledge of Spanish. If you have learned Spanish before, please contact the course level coordinator for placement in the appropriate level.
SPAN1001 First Step in Spanish (Course Outline)
[This course is offered via asynchronous online mode. Students should register the course via KEEP, a CUHK eLearning platform where the course materials are uploaded.]
This online self-directed learning course invites students without prior knowledge of Spanish to explore the basic features of the Spanish language and briefly introduces them to the Hispanic world through a virtual journey. Supported by audio visual aids, students will receive training in spoken and written Spanish through interactive tasks and online exercises. They will learn some basic daily expressions in Spanish, which cover some Hispanic cultural topics. This course serves as a taster for students who may consider taking Spanish courses in the future.
Students intending to take any of the one-unit language courses to be offered via online mode must read the following information:
One-unit Online Language Courses – Information for Students
SPAN1101 Spanish Civilization And Its Languages I (Course Outline)
This course will deal with, among others, the following topics: 1) Spain way towards a parliamentary democracy; 2) the socio-political issue of its official language (Castilian) and other national languages (Catalan, Galician, Basque); 3) the role of Spanish as a native or first foreign language in Latin America, Mexico and other parts of the world; and 4) Spain as a member of the European Union. The course includes films. It will be conducted in English.
No prerequisites.
SPAN1102 Spanish Civilization And Its Language II (Course Outline)
This course is designed to introduce a general view of Latin American culture. This course will cover cultural aspects of the everyday life of Latin Americans and will examine them through history, politics, art, languages, religion, festivities, etc. This course aims to develop and widen student’s knowledge and understanding about the different Latin American countries and its civilization. This course will be taught through explanations, articles and media resources and students will be engaged to participate in in-class discussions. No prior knowledge is required.
No prerequisites.
SPAN2000 Spanish II (Course Outline)
Building on the knowledge acquired in SPAN1000, this course aims to further develop students’ ability to communicate in Spanish in various everyday situations. It also seeks to give students a taste of Spanish culture and invites them to explore cultural differences. Through intensive practice students will develop more confidence in interacting in Spanish while further expanding and solidifying their understanding of the basic grammar and pronunciation patterns.
Prerequisite: SPAN1000
SPAN2001 Spanish III (Course Outline)
This course aims to further enhance students’ communication skills in the four language domains listening, speaking, reading and writing. Students are expected to communicate confidently in a wider range of social interactions including more formal situations and simple professional contexts as well as reporting past events and sharing experience. At the end of this course, students will have completed a proficiency level comparable to level A1 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR).
Prerequisite: SPAN2000 or 2050
SPAN2020 Sounds of Spanish
This course is an introduction to the phonetic system of the Spanish language, with an emphasis on the similarities and differences of pronunciation of Spanish and other languages. Illustrations and examples will be taken from modern spoken Spanish. Students learning Spanish are encouraged to take this course.
Prerequisite: SPAN1000, 2000, 2001, 2050, 3000, 3001, 3002, 3050, 3051, 4001 or 4002
SPAN2050 Spanish I & II (Course Outline)
This intensive course provides an introduction to Spanish for absolute beginners through a communicative task‐based approach. It is aimed at developing students’ communicative competence in the four basic language skills: listening, speaking, reading and writing. It also intends to provide insights into the diversity among the Hispanic cultures and cultural differences. At the end of the course, students should be able to use basic phrases in Spanish to deal with simple everyday situations.
This course is designed for students with no previous knowledge of Spanish. If you have learned Spanish before, please contact the relevant level coordinators for taking a placement test.
SPAN2200 Hispanic Cinema
This course explores the history and aesthetic qualities, as well as cultural and social aspects of cinema in the Spanish speaking world. It is designed to provide students with a basic knowledge of the cinematographic scene in the Hispanic world, with special attention to the films made in Spanish Speaking countries. It should also enable students to ‘read’ those films as both reflections on and critiques of Hispanic society and culture, and as part of a global world. This course is designed for students who are interested in exploring the growing international popularity of Hispanic. All films are with English subtitles. No knowledge of Spanish is required. Screening of movies will take place outside the class.
No prerequisites.
SPAN3000 Spanish IV (Course Outline)
This course aims at increasing students’ communicative fluency in oral and written Spanish. Using a variety of classroom activities and multimedia, students will build up their competence in the four language domains listening, speaking, reading and writing. Through intensive practice they will be able to communicate in a wide range of social situations with the appropriate awareness of the pragmatic rules involved. Students receive guidance in the process of composing longer texts displaying a range of registers and styles relating to past, present and future events.
Prerequisite: SPAN 2001
SPAN3001 Spanish V (Course Outline)
This course focuses on the further development of communication skills in Spanish with emphasis on the expression of personal views and the training of argumentative strategies. The course will also engage students in critical reflections on various aspects of life in Spanish-speaking countries and their own social environment. Students will be guided to analyze various types of data to support their views. They will learn how to express their wishes and aspirations using the appropriate registers.
Prerequisite: SPAN3000 or 3050
SPAN3002 Spanish VI (Course Outline)
This course builds on the knowledge acquired through previous Spanish language courses. It aims at leading students to a proficiency level comparable to the threshold from A2 to B1 of the Common European Framework for Languages (CEFR), becoming “independent users” of Spanish. To achieve this goal, students will be encouraged to learn through project-based approach either independently or collaboratively with their peers. At the end of this course students will have mastered the most important grammar features of Spanish and be able to communicate effectively in a wide range of everyday situations, and a number of professional contexts. They will be able to use their oral and written language skills to relate to, reflect on and analyze past and current issues involving the Spanish-speaking societies.
Prerequisite: SPAN3001
SPAN3020 Spanish Through Film (Course Outline)
This course integrates language and content learning. It is based on a set of topics that will be introduced through the analysis of selected films. The course will approach these topics from both cultural and linguistic perspectives. This course aims to consolidate and extend students’ existing language skills, providing them with a solid understanding of Spanish culture. Special emphasis is placed on conversational fluency, grammatical accuracy and vocabulary acquisition. The course will be structured around 6 films which will provide the basis for various activities and debates that will help students develop their listening, speaking, writing, reading and interacting skills, as well as their ability to describe analyse, and reflect upon other cultural manifestations.
Prerequisite: SPAN3000, 3001, 3002, 3050, 3051, 4001 or 4002
SPAN3021 Spanish Conversation (Course Outline)
This course aims to enhance students’ oral communication skills in Spanish. Through selected student-oriented stimuli and topics related to social issues and contemporary affairs, students will practice the expression and exchange of personal views and ideas. Classroom activities may include in-class activities such as dialogue, role-play, narration, speech, group discussion, debate and multimedia activities. Emphasis will be placed on oral practice and an interactive learning environment with a view to helping students build confidence and develop fluency in using the language, to speak spontaneously in social interaction and acquire conversational techniques commonly used in a Spanish-speaking environment.
Prerequisite: SPAN3000, 3001, 3002, 3050, 3051, 4001 or 4002
SPAN3041 Business Spanish I
This course is designed to introduce to students the genuine communicative situations in the setting of the Spanish-speaking business world. It aims at developing the basic language proficiency (speaking, listening, reading and writing) that enables one to confidently handle typical business transactions in Spanish. Students will be engaged in active practice. Roleplays will be used to simulate a wide range of business situations. Specific features of Spanish business discourse will be put into practice. The course will also encourage learners to become more aware of the cultural factors in the business practices of Spanish-speaking countries, and the importance of improving the cross-cultural communication skills.
Prerequisite: SPAN2001, 3000, 3001 or 3050
SPAN3050 Spanish III & IV (Course Outline)
This is a summer intensive Spanish language course, covering the full syllabus of SPAN2001 and 3000.
Prerequisite: SPAN2000 or 2050
SPAN3051 Spanish V & VI (Course Outline)
This is a summer intensive Spanish language course, covering the full syllabus of SPAN3001 and 3002.
Prerequisite: SPAN3000 or 3050
SPAN3100 Special Topics in Spanish (Course Outline A) (Course Outline B)
This course aims at furthering students’ understanding of selected area(s) of Spanish language, literature or culture. Topics will vary from year to year. Offerings with different subtitles can be taken up for credit, up to a maximum of two times.
SPAN4001 Spanish VII
This course builds on the knowledge acquired through previous Spanish language courses. It aims at further developing students’ ability to communicate in Spanish in various everyday situations. It also gives students a taste of Spanish culture and encourages them to explore cultural differences. Through intensive practice, students will be able to develop more confidence in interacting in Spanish while further expanding and enhancing their understanding of the grammar and pronunciation patterns.
Prerequisite: SPAN3002 or 3051.
SPAN4002 Spanish VIII
This course focuses on the further development of speaking, reading, listening and writing skills in Spanish with emphasis on conveying life experiences. It will also engage students in critical reflections on various aspects of life in Spanish-speaking countries and their own social environment. Students will be guided to analyse various types of texts.
Prerequisite: SPAN4001.
Online dictionary
https://www.linguee.com
https://www.spanishdict.com
Videos
https://www.youtube.com/user/DIFUSIONELE
https://www.youtube.com/user/sgelele
https://www.videoele.com
http://www.bbc.co.uk/languages/spanish/mividaloca/
Listening
https://lyricstraining.com/es
Podcasts
https://www.profedeele.es/categoria/actividad/podcast/
Apps
https://es.duolingo.com
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/sounds-of-speech/id780656219?mt=8
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=edu.uiowa.uirf.soundsofspeech&hl=en_US
CUHK-Spanish Website
https://ling.cuhk.edu.hk/ml_span.php
