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 meet demand in the tourism sector. Lessons aim to develop the four skills of oral and written comprehension and production, with an 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 tourism contexts of use. In contrast, the theoretical module of the second semester will involve 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, the student will have acquired a written and oral command of the Spanish language that is at the B1 level of the Common European Framework for Languages, which will enable him or her 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. Analysis of authentic documentation related to the tourism sector will form the basis of the teaching material.

AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

The main objectives of the course are:

Provide basic written and oral proficiency in the Spanish language to meet demand in the tourism industry.

To bring students to a B1 level of Spanish language proficiency in 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 an 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 analyzed.

Specifically, the student will:

Will master the basic and tourism-specific linguistic structures of the Spanish language.

Will master the basic morphosyntactic structures of the Spanish language.

Will be able to converse on general and specialty topics with good formal correctness.

Will know how to elaborate and present a tourism proposal.

Will be able to recognize the specifics of different text types in the tourism field.

Will use tourism-specific terminology in Spanish and be able to adapt communicative strategies to various text types.

PREREQUISITES

In order to attend classes, it is mandatory to be in possession of level A2 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages.
The week before classes begin, an obligatory level test  will be available (in the appropriate area of AulaWeb) in order to verify that 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 2025.
In order to be eligible for the final exam, it is mandatory to pass the A2 level test; Students who do not pass the level test will have the opportunity to access self-study material, made available by the teacher directly in the area of AulaWeb 2025, and clear the educational debt by May 2026.

TEACHING METHODS

Frontal lectures, with seminar character, involving the active participation of learners.

Attendance, not mandatory, is strongly recommended. Attending students (>70% ) will have the opportunity to take a "simplified" exam.

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

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

Language exercises (60 hours, I semester):

Functions: Introduce oneself and make oneself known. Talk about travel habits and preferences. Talk about past experiences. Making an introduction. Talk about trips already taken. Make evaluations in the past. Order activities temporally. Describe climate and geography. Describe departments and charges of a hotel. Talk about qualities and skills. Give advice and suggestions. Express wishes. Talk about leisure time. Express prohibitions and grant permits. Making reservations. Lead a group inside a museum. Describing and recommending dishes and wines. Compare. Making recommendations. Describing paintings. Narrating past events or anecdotes and reacting to them. Making and answering phone calls. Writing anecdotes in a blog. Planning a trip. Talk about itineraries. Say hello in writing. Make predictions for the future. Expressing conditions. Complaining and apologizing. Propose solutions. Evaluate, state and opine. Show agreement or disagreement. Express possibilities and confidence. Advise and suggest. Convey information of others. Talk about functions and activities of a communication agency. Express feelings. Talk about professional experiences and personal gifts. Evaluate marketing campaigns. Express purpose and intention. Talking on the telephone. Expressing hypotheses and assumptions. Making appointments. Express complaints and grievances. Refer to texts. Prepare presentations. Giving opinions and discussing.

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. Temporal markers. Frequency. Conditional. Imperative affirmative. Atonic pronouns. "Tener que" + infinitive. "Deber" + infinitive. The impersonal "se." Politeness. Uses of "para." Imperative negative. Intensifiers with "-mente." Compare adjectives and nouns. Combined pronouns. Present conjunctive. Use of past tenses: pretérito indefinido, imperfecto and pluscuamperfecto. Quantifiers and percentages. Discursive connectors. Future simple. Conditional subordinates with "yes." Propositions to describe itineraries. Verbal periphrases. "Estar" + adjective. The indefinite pronouns "ningún", "ninguno" and "ninguna". Subjunctive in noun subordinations. Wishes and possibilities in the subjunctive. Expressing impersonality. Recommendations in the subjunctive. The indirect style. Expression of feelings + subjunctive or infinitive. Temporal expressions: "hace", "desde", "llevar"... Relative subordinates. Possessive pronouns. Final subordinates with "para que" + subjunctive. Temporal subordinates with "cuando" + subjunctive. Future tense hypotheticals. Discursive connectors and markers. Some uses of the subjunctive. Anteposing the direct complement to the verb.

Lexicon: Professional careers and studies. Tourist attractions. Travel activities and paraphernalia. Climate. Geographical incidents. Expressing emphasis. Departments, services and charges of a hotel. Quality and skills. Events. Leisure and entertainment. The restaurant and the table. Describing wines and dishes. Tourism and religion. Physical problems and treatments. Hotels and hotels. Places of interest. Types of tourism. Travel contingencies. Types of hotels. Furniture and items in a room. Problems and challenges of a hotel. Staff and exhibitors at the fair. Goals at the trade show. Keys to success. Advertising. Seeking employment. Job requirements. City services. Meeting and event tourism. Consequences of tourism. The future of the tourism industry. Ecology and the environment. Materials for presentations.

Culture: Greeting in professional settings. Variants of Spanish. Politeness and the imperative. The leisure time of Spaniards. Social uses in the prefessional sphere. Religious tourism. Business emails. Cross-cultural differences in communication. MICE and technological development. The brand country concept. The culture of complaints in Spain. Understanding the Spanish.

Theory module (54 hours, 2nd semester):

Tourism: Origin and definition. Internal tourism and Spanish external tourism. Tourism habits of residents in Spain. Spanish receptive tourism. Tourism habits of the international visitor. Economic benefits of tourism. Ethics and tourism: the responsible tourist. The best tourists.

Travel agents: Services and offerings. Combined travel. Online travel agencies. Online booking. Travel portals: the "cyberagencies".

Air travel: Types. Aviation professionals. Low-cost airlines.

Rail, road and sea transportation: Types. Public rail transportation. Tourist trains. Vehicle rentals. Cruises.

Tourist accommodations: Classification. Hotels and categories. Luxury hotels. Hotel services. Hotel chains. Extra-hotel accommodations. Spanish state accommodations (the "paradores").

Catering: Types. Traditional, thematic and modern catering. Catering and other catering concepts. Catering and quality. Catering professionals.

Cultural idleness tourism: Types of tourism. A mini continent of tourism. Cultural tourism as a factor of development. Profile of the cultural tourist. Leisure tourism. Nature tourism. Rural tourism.

Tourist events: Conferences, fairs and travel with incentives. Tourist activities. Conventions. The OPCs: convention agencies.

Travel and health insurance: Accidents on public transportation and in combined travel. Problems with accommodations. Complaints. Payment methods and security. Tourism and security. Health and hygiene.

Tourism marketing: Tourism promotion. Tourism marketing plans. The tourism product. Advertising.

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

The program does not vary for nonattending students.

All students are asked to come to class with a complete bibliography from the first day.

Language exercises (60 hours, I semester):

Xicota, N. y Sanz, C.: Turismo 2 (B1). Curso de español para profesionales. Editorial Sgel.

García, M., Guerrero, A., Oliva, C., Villegas, A. y Riccio, C.: En ruta. Gramática y vocabulario de español. Editorial Edinumen.

Material publicado en AulaWeb.

Theoretical module (54 hours, II semester):

Gray, A., de Juan, C.R., Nieto, E., de Prada, M. y Marcé, P.: Temas de turismo. Editorial Edinumen. Edición 2008.

Material publicado en AulaWeb.

LESSONS

LESSONS START

The course is annual and divided as follows:

I semester - language exercises (60 hours): beginning October 2025, as per teaching calendar.

Semester II - theory module (54 hours): beginning February 2026, as per teaching calendar.

Class schedule

The timetable for this course is available here: Portale EasyAcademy

EXAMS

EXAM DESCRIPTION

Language exercises: computerized written test. Duration: 2 hours. Attending students (>70% ) will be eligible for a "simplified" exam paper.

Theory module: oral interview. Duration: 10-15 minutes. Attending students (>70%) will benefit from a "simplified" examination paper.

Both parts will be held on the same day. There are 5 written appeals (language exercises) and 7 oral appeals (theory module). 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 should contact, at the beginning of classes, both the lecturer and the Department's disability liaison, Prof. Serena Scotto (scotto@economia.unige.it), to agree on teaching and examination methods that, while respecting the objectives of the teaching, take into account individual learning modes and allow the use of any compensatory tools.

ASSESSMENT METHODS

Language exercises: reading comprehension and elaboration of ideas (read a text and answer 5 open-ended rephrasing questions); sectoral language skills (complete two hole texts, terminology and grammar); written production (elaborate a tourism text of about 150 words). Attending students (>70%) will be exempt from written production.
 Theoretical module: presentation of a project (choose a Hispanic tourist destination and prepare a tourist report taking into account all the theoretical elements analyzed during the course) and, for nonattending students only, oral interview on the theoretical issues covered in the book's themarium and additional materials published in AulaWeb.

FURTHER INFORMATION

Ask the professor for other information not included in the teaching schedule.