Module: Spanish Language Skills 3

Latest Module Specifications

Current Academic Year 2025 - 2026

Module Title	Spanish Language Skills 3
Module Code	SPA1033 (ITS: SP376)
Faculty	Humanities & Social Sciences	School	SALIS
NFQ level	8	Credit Rating	10

Description

This module, delivered in the target language, aims to develop all Spanish language skills at a higher intermediate level. Students will work on reception, production, interaction and mediation, developing their language and cultural awareness and applying language appropriately in formal and informal situations. Students will acquire a thorough understanding of contemporary Spanish-speaking countries and strengthen their cultural and societal awareness through research, discussion and critical analysis based on a range of authentic multimodal resources. Students will develop their oral, written and reading skills and their range of linguistic expression, accuracy and style to the required level, and will become fully autonomous language learners.

Learning Outcomes

1. Understand and extract information and opinions from a range of spoken and written material from a variety of sources including broadcast media, reports, documentaries, films, radio and academic articles.
2. Present ideas, arguments and information in a coherent and clear manner in Spanish using complex structures, appropriate vocabulary, register and tone.
3. Demonstrate how to adapt communication styles in order to effectively interact with people from different cultures.
4. Produce written pieces in a clear, well-structured manner, showing a high level of grammatical control, complex syntax, and cohesive devices.
5. Communicate effectively in oral formats, adapting to audience profile as required demonstrating the ability to use topic-specific vocabulary in Spanish.
6. Acquire knowledge and develop critical thinking on topics related to contemporary socio-cultural issues.
7. Develop resourcefulness: find new, creative and different ways of transmitting a message when a debate and a discussion take place.
8. Demonstrate the effective use of digital technology for communication.

*Type*	*Hours*	*Description*
Workload	Full time hours per semester
Tutorial	44	Contact hours, peer activities and/or consultation hours with the lecturer.
Fieldwork	44	Work on material in preparation for or as a follow-up of the class.
Independent Study	62	Completion of in-class work.
Assignment Completion	50	Preparation for the annotated bibliography, mediation task and oral exam.
Group work	50	Preparation with peers of classroom work, including presentation and activities.
Total Workload: 250

Section Breakdown
CRN	11562	Part of Term	Semester 1 & 2
Coursework	100%	Examination Weight	0%
Grade Scale	40PASS	Pass Both Elements	N
Resit Category	RC1	Best Mark	N
Module Co-ordinator	Lucía Pintado Gutiérrez	Module Teacher	Hannah Leonard

Type	Description	% of total	Assessment Date
Assessment Breakdown
In Class Test	In-class tests. This series of tests are based on grammar, vocabulary, sociolinguistic and pragmatic aspects. You will demonstrate your competences on your language skills and your improvement on the use of Spanish.	30%	n/a
Group assignment	Mediation task. In this assignment students will engage in a series of mediation tasks which include multimodal material. The nature of the tasks focus on reflective, research, analytic, and linguistic skills. Students will be assessed on the final two tasks. The module coordinator reserves the right to hold an oral examination to verify any piece of continuous assessment submitted.	20%	n/a
Essay	You will need to engage in a written analysis in Spanish based on a text in translation. The text will be related with contemporary Spain and historical memory. The purpose of this exercise is to demonstrate your critical analysis skills based on the knowledge acquired inside and outside the classroom.	20%	n/a
Oral Examination	Oral examination where the student will have to work on a sustained dialogue and interact with the teacher(s) and/or their peers.	30%	n/a

Reassessment Requirement Type
Resit arrangements are explained by the following categories; RC1: A resit is available for both^* components of the module. RC2: No resit is available for a 100% coursework module. RC3: No resit is available for the coursework component where there is a coursework and summative examination element. ^* ‘Both’ is used in the context of the module having a coursework/summative examination split; where the module is 100% coursework, there will also be a resit of the assessment

Pre-requisite	None
Co-requisite	None
Compatibles	None
Incompatibles	None

All module information is indicative and subject to change. For further information,students are advised to refer to the University's Marks and Standards and Programme Specific Regulations at: http://www.dcu.ie/registry/examinations/index.shtml

Indicative Content and Learning Activities

Content
This is a task-based module conducted through Spanish and is delivered annually. All tasks lay emphasis on fluency, linguistic accuracy, pragmatic competence and critical analysis. Students will engage with linguistic, social, political and cultural issues in contemporary Spain and will analyse them within a global context. The tasks will be based on the presentation, discussion, research and critical analysis of a range of relevant authentic material: namely reports, literature, journalistic texts, media, and films. The class activities will provide students the necessary practice to improve their linguistic competences and transferable skills such as teamwork, communication skills and reflection on the learning process, guided by teacher and peer feedback.

Methodology
This module will follow an interactive approach to instruction, including traditional and flipped methoologies during some of the sessions. It is essential that students complete the assigned work before class in order to be able to participate in class discussions. If students follow closely the various assignments, homemeork and classwork, they should experience a clear progression across the year, including in grammar elements (which are integrated, not isolated). Assessment timing is predictable and spaced and there is a strong focus on real-world skills (such as mediation, discourse, accessibility).

Work format
Coursework involves individual and pair/group work to complete oral and written tasks. Students will need to communicate with classmates during class as well as outside our timetabled sessions in order to complete group tasks and assignments.

Beyond the classroom
Students are expected to take responsibility for their own language learning by looking for language learning opportunities and engaging in language practice outside of class.

Indicative Reading List

Books:
None

Articles:
None

Other Resources

None