UCL CENTRE FOR LANGUAGES
& INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION
Course Units 2015-2016
Spanish Business and Current Affairs
Prerequisite for entry
Successful completion of Spanish Syllabus D at the UCL CLIE, a high ‘A’ level grade or if you have a very good grasp of the
language and are able to conduct a conversation without difficulty.
Course duration
20 x 2-hour classes.
Self-Study
80 hours in total.
Course codes
LCSP6005, LCSPG005, LCSPM005, LCSP6045, LCSPG045, LCSPM045 (together with Spanish syllabus D), LCSP6056,
LCSPG056, LCSPM056 (together with Spanish Current Affairs and Culture).
Aims and Objectives
The course is designed for advanced level students. It teaches specialised vocabulary to enable participants to use their
language skills in a professional environment, such as meetings and conferences, as well as covering related topics such
as current affairs and the latest trends in Spanish and Latin American society. The course will enhance knowledge of
Hispanic life, society and business culture using complex and linguistically accurate structures (different types of discourse,
register). Cultural awareness will be further developed and raised within a European/global context. Language learning
skills, including autonomous learning and how to approach authentic material, will be further enhanced. Various
transferable skills will also be covered.
Functions
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expressing opinions, critical topic-related comments;
debating, commenting, negotiating;
suggesting, accepting, refusing;
describing companies, institutions, plans;
defining concepts;
composing written pieces of information for different purposes;
conducting presentations on complex business topics.
Course Content
Main topics/themes that can be covered
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the company;
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commerce and industry;
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marketing and advertising.
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Spain: economy, politics, etc.;
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Spanish America: economy, politics, etc.;
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Hispanic society;
the European Union, Mercosur, NAFTA, TLA, etc.;
Current affairs in Spain and Hispanic America
Skills
Reading
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newspapers (economics and politics): reading for gist, scanning for specific information;
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in-depth analysis of socio-economic topics in major newspapers/magazines.
Writing
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Business letters and reports;
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Note-taking from presentations;
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Writing up presentations.
Listening
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radio, television, audio- and video-tapes;
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presentations.
Speaking
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formal and informal discussions, debates, round table;
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presentations.
Linguistic Structures
Grammar and Vocabulary
•
emphasis on vocabulary;
•
revision of the most advanced and challenging grammatical items, e.g.
subordination;
•
use of the subjunctive:
- with idiomatic expressions like: ¡qué alegría que...!, ¡qué extraño que...!;
- in idiomatic expressions like: pase lo que pase
- in clauses with: por + adjective/adverb + que...;
- in concessive clauses: aunque..., aun cuando...;
- in causal clauses after a negative: no porque...sino porque...;
- in modal clauses: como..., como si...
- to express opinion: estar en contra / a favor de que..., ser partidario de que...;
- after expressions like: lo bueno..., lo malo..., lo aburrido...
Discourse Strategies
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analysing/comparing various sources (different text types);
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preparing oral contributions for different audiences;
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cohesion.
Main Aspects of These Strategies
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structuring (logical structures);
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linking devices (lexical, grammatical);
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stylistic levels, formal registers and their usage;
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format.
Learning Resources
Business and Current Affairs
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Nueva gramática de la lengua española, manual (Espasa Libros) – optional – ISBN: 9788467032819
The Oxford Spanish Dictionary, New Second Edition (Oxford University Press) – ISBN: 9780199543403
Business Spanish Dictionary - English-Spanish and Spanish-English (Peter Collins Publishing) –
ISBN: 9781901659238
Materials for the course will be drawn from:
Authentic written material from various sources such as El País, ABC, Cambio 16, etc.
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Authentic audio and audio-visual material (radio and television).
Syllabus D+ Business and Current Affairs
Compulsory
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ELE Actual B2, Libro del alumno, Virgilio Borobio (SM) – ISBN: 9788467549010
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Nueva gramática de la lengua española, manual (Espasa Libros) – optional – ISBN: 9788467032819
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The Oxford Spanish Dictionary, New Second Edition (Oxford University Press) – ISBN: 9780199543403

Business Spanish Dictionary - English-Spanish and Spanish-English (Peter Collins Publishing) –
ISBN: 9781901659238
Recommended
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ELE Actual B2, Libro de ejercicios , Virgilio Borobio (SM) optional – ISBN: 9788467549027
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The Oxford Spanish Dictionary, New Second Edition (Oxford University Press) – ISBN: 9780199543403
Business, Current Affairs and Culture
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Dominio, Curso de perfeccionamiento, Dolores Galvez (Edelsa) – ISBN: 9783060300464
In addition there is a wide range of language learning materials available for self-study in the Self-Access Centre.