OVERVIEW

The course unit, taught in the second semester, aims to provide students with advanced skills in the specialised uses of the Spanish language. The course is intended for third-year students enrolled in the degree programme in Modern Languages and Cultures, Business and Tourism curriculum.

AIMS AND CONTENT

LEARNING OUTCOMES

The course, partly delivered online and with a theoretical-practical approach, leads to the acquisition of linguistic-communication skills in order to develop in the learners the necessary abilities to interact in Spanish Language in working environments, favouring business and maritime tourism contexts.

AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

By the end of the classroom-based classes, held in the classroom and supplemented by individual and group online activities, students will have acquired:

• knowledge of linguistic and pragmatic theories relating to specialised languages;

• the ability to use grammar and vocabulary appropriately in professional and workplace contexts, with particular reference to business and tourism;

• the ability to understand and produce specialised written and oral texts relating to Spanish for tourism and business.

PREREQUISITES

The course lasts 36 hours and is worth 6 ECTS credits. It is intended primarily for third-year students of Modern Languages and Cultures who have passed the Spanish Language I examination. Students are also strongly advised to have passed the Spanish Language II examination, as the course requires an initial level of language competence corresponding to B2 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR).

TEACHING METHODS

Classroom-based teaching will be supplemented by individual consolidation activities, practical exercises, and both individual and group projects, carried out partly in class and partly through the AulaWeb platform. Independent study at home is also required in order to explore both the theoretical content and the practical activities covered in the course in greater depth.

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

The course provides an in-depth study of the specific linguistic features of Spanish used in the fields of tourism and business, with particular emphasis on language use in professional and workplace contexts.

More specifically, the course examines the characteristics of economic language, Business Spanish and Spanish for tourism, with particular attention to specialised terminology, linguistic and discourse structures, and the main textual genres used in different professional contexts.

The course includes the analysis of authentic texts relating to economics, tourism and business, the study of specialised vocabulary and communication strategies typical of professional communication, as well as activities aimed at developing the comprehension and production of specialised texts. Particular attention will be devoted to business communication, professional correspondence and the organisation of discourse in different specialised contexts.

The same syllabus applies to attending and non-attending students alike.

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

Empresa Siglo XXI - El español en el ámbito profesional, Edinumen.
ISBN: 978-84-9848-041-2

AA.VV., Las Lenguas de especialidad en español (Chapters 1, 3, 6 and 9)
ISBN: 978-8829016136

Course handouts and additional bibliographical materials relating to both the theoretical and practical modules will be made available on AulaWeb.

TEACHERS AND EXAM BOARD

Exam Board

SILVINA DELL'ISOLA (President)

ANA LOURDES DE HERIZ RAMON

LESSONS

LESSONS START

The lessons will take place in the 2nd semester of the 2026-2027 academic year.

CLASS SCHEDULE

The schedule for this course can be viewed on the EasyAcademy Portal.

TEACHERS AND EXAM COMMITTEES

Silvina Dell'Isola

Exam Committee

Silvina Dell'Isola (Chair)
Ana Lourdes De Heriz Ramon (Deputy Chair)

Class schedule

SPANISH FOR SPECIAL PURPOSES

EXAMS

EXAM DESCRIPTION

The examination consists of a written test, accounting for 70% of the final grade, and an oral examination, accounting for the remaining 30%.

The written test, with a total duration of two hours, consists of two gap-filling exercises, each containing 20 items, a 40-question multiple-choice test, and the writing of a professional letter. The different tasks are completed in sequence according to the procedures and time limits specified on the examination platform.

The oral examination focuses on the theoretical content relating to specialised languages and, in particular, on the chapters of M. V. Calvi’s Las lenguas de especialidad en español indicated during the course. The examination is designed to assess students’ knowledge of the course content and their ability to present and discuss it in Spanish using appropriate terminology.

ASSESSMENT METHODS

The written test is designed to assess students’ knowledge and appropriate use of linguistic structures and specialised vocabulary, their comprehension of specialised texts, their ability to identify the linguistic and communicative features characteristic of economic, business and tourism contexts, and their ability to produce a professional text appropriate to the context, recipient and communicative purpose.

The assessment of written production will take into account morphosyntactic and lexical accuracy, the appropriate use of terminology and register, textual coherence and cohesion, and compliance with the conventions of the required professional genre.

The oral examination assesses students’ knowledge of the theoretical concepts relating to specialised languages, their ability to analyse and describe the main features of specialised Spanish, and their ability to establish connections between theoretical aspects and the examples examined during the course. The assessment will also take into account clarity and organisation of presentation, appropriate use of terminology, linguistic accuracy, argumentative ability, and communicative effectiveness in Spanish.

FURTHER INFORMATION

To take the exam, students must register through the University portal. It is necessary to have passed the Spanish Language I exam, and it is also recommended to have passed the Spanish Language II exam, as the course requires an initial B2 level according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR).

Students with certifications for Specific Learning Disabilities (SLD), disabilities, or other special educational needs are invited to contact the instructors at the beginning of the course to arrange teaching and exam methods that, while respecting the course objectives, take into account their specific learning needs and provide appropriate compensatory tools.

Prof. Sara Dickinson (sara.dickinson@unige.it) is the departmental contact for issues related to these needs.