Program Overview

Introduction to the Spanish Culture Course

The Spanish culture course, "Oral Spanish in everyday situations," is designed to provide students with a practical understanding of the everyday, social, economic, and cultural reality of Barcelona. This 90-hour course aims to enable students to become familiar with life in Barcelona, focusing on relevant communication functions and prototypical language exponents.

Course Description

The course covers various topics, including:

• Go shopping / Go shopping: Making purchases, describing and assessing products, and asking for and giving information about prices.
• Spanish and Latin-American cuisine. Eating tapas: Asking for and giving information about dishes, ordering food, and discussing Spanish and Latin-American cuisine.
• Popular festivals and holidays: Asking for and giving information about public festivals and holidays, and discussing their importance.
• Neighbourhoods of Barcelona: Locating streets, local shops, and shopping centers, asking for and giving directions, and asking for help.
• The public transport system (I): Getting around on metro, bus, bicycle, train, taxi, etc., and expressing actions being carried out.
• Go out at night. Go out for a drink. Go to dance: Proposing and recommending drinks, asking about ingredients, and ordering food.
• A weekend in Barcelona: Proposing and recommending activities, describing places and establishments, and asking for and giving information about places close to the city.
• Colloquial expressions (I): Creating communication situations with expressions.
• Unpicking clichés. What Barcelona ISN'T: Talking about clichés attributed to Barcelona, comparing opinions, and discussing the bad use of clichés.
• Barcelona: cosmopolitan, multicultural city: Responding to the definition of multiculturalism, giving other definitions, and talking about the recycling system and its operation.
• Savour food: Asking about ingredients and condiments, revising specific vocabulary, and establishing a customer/waiter conversation.
• Clothes and prices: Comparing prices of clothes in Spain and other countries, talking about the difference between "rebajas," "descuentos," and "ofertas," and bargaining.
• The public transport system (II): Talking about the differences between "ticket," "billete," and "tarjeta," and comparing the public transport system in Spain with that of other countries.
• The healthcare system: Talking about the difference between pharmacies and parapharmacies, asking for medicines, and discussing the healthcare system.
• Tourism outside the city: Locating towns, asking and saying what you can do in each one, and talking about typical products found in each town.
• Leisure: sports, shows, trips, and leisure activities: Talking about different types of leisure activities, comparing opinions, and discussing leisure activities.
• Colloquial expressions (II): Creating communication situations with expressions.

Assessment System

The assessment system consists of:

• Attendance and participation in class: 20%
• Two mid-semester exams in the first semester and two mid-semester exams in the second semester: 80% Students will receive a grade for each semester, and the final grade for the course will be the average of both marks.

Programme

The course programme includes a range of topics and activities designed to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of Spanish culture and language.

Bibliography

The course bibliography includes:

• BARBA, C., (2004), Rutas desde Barcelona en un solo día, Barcelona, Óptima.
• BONAFONT, R.- BERENGUERAS, J.R., (2004), ¿Conoces Barcelona?, Asociación Lectura Fácil, Mediterrània, Barcelona.
• PAÍS, El (obra colectiva), (2002), De tapas por Barcelona, Madrid, Aguilar.
• PUIG, M., (2003), Donde nunca te han llevado cuando anochece en Barcelona, Barcelona, Óptima.
• PUIG, M., (2005), De compras por las tiendas más originales de Barcelona, Barcelona, Óptima.
• QF (Guía), (2005), Comer, beber y divertirse, Barcelona, Guías QF? La Vanguardia.

Technical Specifications

• Language: Spanish
• Type: Culture
• Duration: 90 hours
• Credits: 12 ECTS credits
• Format: Face-to-face

Information of Interest

• Courses in Spanish culture
• Diploma in Hispanic Studies
• Certificate in Hispanic Studies
• Cancellation and course changes
• Cancellation of enrolment

Right to Information Pertaining to the Processing of Personal Data

The data controller is the General Secretary's Office of the University of Barcelona. The purpose of the data processing is to manage the request for information. You can access your data and exercise your rights to rectification, to erasure, to object, to restriction of processing, and request portability of your data under certain circumstances. For more information, consult the detailed information on the processing of personal data.