OVERVIEW

The Spanish language course aims to provide students with written and oral proficiency corresponding to level B1 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages, in order to respond to demand in the tourism sector. The lessons aim to develop the four skills of oral and written comprehension and production, with particular attention to oral skills. In particular, the linguistic exercises of the first semester will focus on the acquisition of morphosyntactic and communicative skills in Spanish, with particular attention to tourist contexts of use. The theoretical module of the second semester instead involves the analysis of theoretical aspects characteristic of the tourism sector in Spain and Latin America.

AIMS AND CONTENT

LEARNING OUTCOMES

By the end of the course, students will have acquired a written and oral command of the Spanish language at level B1 of the Common European Framework for Languages, which will enable them to respond to demand in the tourism sector, including the ability to manipulate and elaborate texts specific to tourism communication. The four skills of oral and written comprehension and production will be developed in parallel. The analysis of authentic documentation relating to the tourism sector will form the basis of the teaching material.

AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

The course has as its main objectives:

• Provide basic written and oral command of the Spanish language to respond to demand in the tourism sector.
• Bring students to a B1 level of proficiency in the Spanish language of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. During the language exercises (60 hours), the four skills of oral and written comprehension and production will be developed in parallel, with particular attention to oral skills. During the theoretical module (54 hours), the most characteristic aspects of the tourism sector in Spain and Latin America will be explored and analysed.

In particular, the student:

• You will master the basic and specific linguistic structures of Spanish-language tourism.
• You will master the basic morphosyntactic structures of the Spanish language.
• You will be able to dialogue on general and specialized topics with good formal correctness.
• You will be able to develop and present a tourist proposal.
• You will be able to recognize the specificities of different textual typologies in the tourism sector.
• You will use specific tourism terminology in Spanish and will be able to adapt communication strategies to the various text types.

PREREQUISITES

To be able to follow the lessons you must have level A2 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages.

In the week from 25 to 29 September 2023, a self-assessment test will be available in order to verify that the incoming linguistic skills for the Spanish language correspond to the A2 level of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. More information is available in the specific area of Aulaweb.

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TEACHING METHODS

Frontal lessons, with a seminar character, which involve the active participation of the students.

Attendance, not mandatory, is strongly recommended.

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

Language exercises (60 hours, 1st semester):

• Functions: Introduce yourself and make yourself known. Talk about travel habits and preferences. Talk about past experiences. Make a presentation. Talk about trips already taken. Make evaluations in the past. Order the activities in time. Describe climate and geography. Describe departments and positions in a hotel. Talk about quality and skill. Give advice and suggestions. Expressing wishes. Talk about free time. Express prohibitions and grant permissions. Make reservations. Lead a group inside a museum. Describe and recommend dishes and wines. Compare. Make recommendations. Describing paintings. Narrating events or anecdotes from the past and reacting. Make and answer telephone calls. Write anecdotes in a blog. Plan a trip. Talking about itineraries. Greet in writing. Make predictions for the future. Express conditions. Complain and apologize. Propose solutions. Evaluate, declare and opine. Show agreement or disagreement. Express possibility and confidence. Advise and suggest. Pass on information about others. Talk about functions and activities of a communications agency. Express feelings. Talk about professional experiences and personal qualities. Evaluate marketing campaigns. Express purpose and intention. Talking on the phone. Express hypotheses and suppositions. Make appointments. Express grievances and complaints. Refer to texts. Prepare presentations. Give opinions and discuss.
• Grammar: Review of the present indicative. The prepositions “por” and “para”. “Todavía no” and “ya”. Contrast of usage between pretérito indefinido and pretérito perfecto. Contrast of usage between pretérito imperfecto and pretérito indefinido. “Soler” + infinitive. Time markers. The frequency. Conditional. Affirmative imperative. Atonic pronouns. “Tener que” + infinitive. “Deber” + infinitive. The impersonal “if”. The kindness. Uses of “para”. Negative imperative. Intensifiers with “-mind”. Compare adjectives and nouns. Combined pronouns. Present subjunctive. Use of past tenses: pretérito indefinido, imperfecto and pluscuamperfecto. Quantifiers and percentages. Discursive connectors. Simple future. Conditional subordinates with “yes”. Propositions to describe itineraries. Verbal periphrases. “Estar” + adjective. The indefinite pronouns “ningún”, “ninguno” and “ninguna”. Subjunctive in subordinate nouns. Desires and possibilities in the subjunctive. Express impersonality. Recommendations in the subjunctive. The indirect style. Expression of feelings + subjunctive or infinitive. Temporal expressions: “hace”, “desde”, “llevar”… Relative subordinates. Possessive pronoun. Final subordinates with “para que” + subjunctive. Temporal subordinates with “cuando” + subjunctive. Hypotheses about the future. Connectors and discourse markers. Some uses of the subjunctive. Place the direct object before the verb.
• Lexicon: Professional career and studies. Tourist attractions. Travel activities and objects. The climate. Geographical accidents. Express emphasis. Departments, services and positions of a hotel. Quality and skills. Events. Free time and entertainment. The restaurant and the table. Describe wines and dishes. Tourism and religion. Physical problems and treatments. Hotels and hotels. Places of interest. Types of tourism. Travel unexpected events. Types of hotels. Furniture and objects in a room. Problems and challenges of a hotel. Staff and exhibitors at the fair. Objectives at the fair. Keys to success. Advertising. Look for employment. Job requirements. Services in the city. Meeting and event tourism. Consequences of tourism. The future of the tourism industry. Ecology and environment. Presentation material.
• Culture: Greeting in a professional context. Variants of Spanish. Courtesy and the imperative. Spaniards' free time. Social uses in the professional field. Religious tourism. Work email. Intercultural differences in communication. MICE and technological development. The country brand concept. The culture of complaints in Spain. Understanding the Spanish.

Theoretical module (54 hours, 2nd semester):

• Tourism: Origin and definition. Spanish internal tourism and external tourism. Tourist habits of residents in Spain. Spanish hospitality tourism. Tourist habits of the international visitor. The economic benefits of tourism. Ethics and tourism: the responsible tourist. The best tourists.
• Travel agencies: Services and offers. Combined trips. Online travel agencies. Online booking. Tourist portals: the "cyber agencies".
• Air transport: Types. Aviation professionals. Low cost airlines.
• Rail, road and maritime transport: Types. Public rail transport. Tourist trains. Vehicle rental. The cruises.
• Tourist accommodation: Classification. Hotels and categories. Luxury hotel. Hotel services. Hotel chains. Non-hotel accommodation. Spanish state housing (the "paradores").
• Catering: Types. Traditional, thematic and modern catering. Catering and other restaurant concepts. Catering and quality. Catering professionals.
• Cultural leisure tourism: Types of tourism. A mini tourist continent. Cultural tourism as a development factor. Profile of the cultural tourist. Tourist free time. Natural tourism. Rural tourism.
• Tourist events: Congresses, fairs and trips with incentives. Tourist activities. The conventions. The OPCs: congressional agencies.
• Travel and health insurance: Accidents on public transport and combined trips. Problems with accommodation facilities. Complaints. Payment methods and security. Tourism and security. Health and hygiene.
• Tourism marketing: Tourism promotion. Tourism marketing plans. The tourist product. Advertising.

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

The schedule does not vary for non-frequent students.

DSA students are required to make compensatory and/or dispensational prior arrangements with their teachers.

Linguistic texts (60 ore, I semester):

• Xicota, N. and Sanz, C.: Tourism 2 (B1). Spanish course for professionals. Sgel Publishing House.
• Garcia , M. , Guerrero , A. , Olive , C. , Villegas , A. and Riccio , C. : En route . Grammar and vocabulary of Spanish. Edinumen Publishing House.
• Material published on AulaWeb.

Theoretical module (54 ore, II semester):

• Gray, A., de John, C.R., Grandson, E., de Prada, M. and Marcé, P.: Tourism topics. Edinumen Publishing House. 2008 edition.
• Material published on AulaWeb.

TEACHERS AND EXAM BOARD

Exam Board

MATTEO ANFUSO (President)

RAMONA PELLEGRINO

LESSONS

LESSONS START

Annual course.

I semester: language exercises (60 hours): starting Thursday 5 October 2023. Hours: Thursday 11-13 and 16-18 room L; Friday 11-13 room L.

II semester: theoretical module (54 hours).

EXAMS

EXAM DESCRIPTION

Language exercises: computerized written test. Duration: 2 hours.

Theoretical module: oral interview. Duration: 10-15 minutes.

Both parts will take place on the same day. The final grade is given by the average of the two parts (50% lecturer + 50% theoretical module).

ASSESSMENT METHODS

Language exercises: reading comprehension, language skills and processing of ideas: reading a text and answering several questions.

Theoretical module: presentation of a project and oral interview: choose a tourist destination and prepare a tourist report taking into account all the theoretical elements analyzed during the course.

Exam schedule