Overview of Course

Conducted entirely in Spanish, this conversation course has three principal aims: improve students’ fluency and comprehension in the target language (Spanish), foster student-led discussion of current “cultural” topics (strong cultural focus) related to history, politics, globalization, economics, art, traditions, food, fashion, and current social issues (practices/perspectives) around the world. This course should also significantly reduce students’ second language accent. Materials for the class will be selected from different sources: films, documentaries, news, music, interviews, etc.

In-class discussions and oral presentations will provide students with the opportunity to practice intermediate/low advanced-level conversational Spanish. The subject matter covered in the course will relate to Spanish/Hispanic cultures, current events, and will pay special attention to our ports of call. There will also be a limited focus on writing skills in Spanish through the development of a voyage-long journal. To maximize the integration of the Semester at Sea experience into this Spanish conversation course, we will have a task-oriented class every time the class meets after the ship has left a port of call. On such occasions, the entire class period will be dedicated to students’ experience in the last destination. Students will be asked to document their on-land experiences with a series of photos and video clips, which they will then contextualize verbally in class to fellow students. Each student will share experiences from four ports. By the end of the semester, students will demonstrate oral communication skills at the intermediate mid to intermediate high level on the ACTFL proficiency scale.