OVERVIEW

The Spanish language course aims to provide students with written and oral fluency corresponding to level B1 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages in order to meet demand in the tourism sector. The lessons aim to develop the four skills of oral and written comprehension and production, with particular emphasis on oral skills. In particular, the language exercises in the first semester will focus on the acquisition of morphosyntactic and communicative skills in Spanish, with particular attention to the contexts of tourism use. The theoretical module of the second semester, on the other hand, 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 main objectives of the course are

• To provide basic written and oral command of the Spanish language to meet the demand in the tourism sector.
• To bring students to a level of proficiency in Spanish at B1 level 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 emphasis on 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 will:

• They will master the basic and specific linguistic structures of tourism in Spanish.
• They will master the basic morphosyntactic structures of the Spanish language.
• They will be able to converse on general and specialised topics with good formal correctness.
• They will be able to elaborate and present a tourist proposal.
• They will be able to recognise the specificities of different types of texts in the tourist field.
• They will be able to use tourism-specific terminology in Spanish and be able to adapt their communicative strategies to the different text types.

PREREQUISITES

In order to attend the lessons, it is mandatory to be in possession of level A2 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages.
In the week of 23 to 27 September 2024 a compulsory level test will be available in order to verify that the incoming language skills for Spanish correspond to level A2 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. More information is available in the appropriate area of AulaWeb 2024.

TEACHING METHODS

Lectures, with seminar character, involving the active participation of learners.

Attendance, which is not compulsory, is highly recommended. Attending students (> 85%) will have the opportunity to take a ‘simplified’ examination.

Students who have valid certification of physical or learning disabilities  and who wish to discuss possible accommodations or other circumstances regarding lectures, coursework and exams, should speak both with the instructor and with Professor Serena Scotto (scotto@economia.unige.it), the Department’s disability liaison.

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 syllabus does not vary for non-attending students.

All students are requested to come to class with a complete bibliography on the first day.

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)

LAURA SANFELICI

LESSONS

LESSONS START

The course is annual and divided as follows:

• Semester I - language exercises (60 hours): beginning October 2024, as per teaching calendar.
• Semester II - theory module (54 hours): beginning February 2025, as per teaching calendar.

Class schedule

The timetable for this course is available here: Portale EasyAcademy

EXAMS

EXAM DESCRIPTION

Language exercises: computerised written test. Duration: 2 hours. Attending students (> 85%) may take a ‘simplified’ examination.

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

Both parts will take place on the same day. There are 5 written (language practice) and 7 oral (theory module) examinations. The final grade is given by the average of the two parts (50% lecture + 50% theory module).

Students with certification of disability, DSA or special educational needs must contact both the lecturer and the Department's disability contact person, Prof. Serena Scotto (scotto@economia.unige.it), at the beginning of lessons to agree on teaching and examination methods that, while respecting the teaching objectives, take account of individual learning methods and allow for the use of any compensatory tools.

ASSESSMENT METHODS

Language exercises: reading comprehension and elaboration of ideas (read a text and answer 5 open-ended reformulation questions); sectorial language skills (complete two texts with holes, terminology and grammar); written production (elaborate a tourist text of approximately 150 words).

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

Exam schedule