Admission requirements
Not applicable
Description
This course is an introduction to the modern scientific study of Spanish structure (syntax), and establishes the basis for future application of linguistic principles (syntax/semantics). The content included is an overview of basic linguistic properties with a focus on its application to Spanish. The goal of this course is to provide students with a level of knowledge that enables them to make connections between the structure of Spanish and relevant issues in contemporary linguistics. Thus, course readings and activities will include a theoretical part and a more applied part which will link the structure of Spanish with discussions of research in sociolinguistics, the linguistic effect of language contact, language change, and classroom acquisition of Portuguese as well as natural language acquisition of Spanish in order to apply the theoretical constructs studied.
This course trains students to analyze those points of the Spanish language that non-native speakers find hard to use and native speakers find hard to explain.
Course objectives
Acquisition of skills and techniques for learning how particular languages work and behave, with a particular focus on the syntactic structure of Spanish.
An understanding of how meaning is transmitted through language, with a specific focus on the semantics of Spanish.
Awareness of the diversities and similarities of language systems.
Skills
Problem solving (recognizing and analyzing problems, solution-oriented thinking)
Analytical thinking (analytical skills, abstraction, proof)
Project management (planning, delineation, result orientation)
Responsibility (ownership, self-discipline, responsible attitude towards own project, acknowledging errors)
Commitment (dedication, motivation, proactive attitude, own initiative)
Self-regulation (independence, insight into one's own goals, motives and capacities)
Oral communication (presenting, speaking skills, listening)
Written communication (writing skills, reporting, structuring, summarizing)
Working together (teamwork, support, loyalty, fulfilling agreements, attendance)
Flexibility (dealing with changes, eagerness to learn, adaptability)
Critical thinking (asking questions, checking assumptions)
Creative thinking (resourcefulness, curiosity, out of the box thinking)
Integrity (honesty, morality, ethical conduct, personal values)
Intercultural skills (communication with different cultures)
Timetable
Mode of instruction
Lecture
Assessment method
Assessment
40% Theoretical Part - Written Exam
40% Applied Part - Group Research Project
20% Presentations
The final grade for the course is established by determining the weighted average.
Weighing
40% Theoretical Part - Written Exam
40% Applied Part - Group Research Project
20% Presentations
The final grade for the course is established by determining the weighted average.
Resit
Individual paper for all parts
Exam review
How and when an exam review will take place will be disclosed together with the publication of the exam results at the latest. If a student requests a review within 30 days after publication of the exam results, an exam review will have to be organized.
Reading list
Hualde, J.I., Olarrea, A., Escobar, A.M. & Travis, C. E. (2010) Introducción a la Lingüística Hispánica. Cambridge University Press.
Recommended:
Camacho, J. (2017) Introducción a la sintaxis del español. Cambridge University Press.
Registration
Enrolment through My Studymap is mandatory.
General information about uSis is available on this website
Contact
For substantive questions, contact the lecturer listed in the right information bar.
For questions about enrolment, admission, etc, contact the Education Administration Office: Reuvensplaats
Remarks
The choice of textbooks used may be changed in case of difficulty in finding/purchasing the above-mentioned texts. Please contact the instructor before purchasing any materials. Minimum 80% attendance required. Students who do not meet this requirement will not take the exams. Students are expected to come to class prepared and ready to participate in class discussion. All readings assigned for the week must be done prior to class. Every student is expected to contribute to class discussion through oral questions and comments every class. In order to
facilitate class discussion, students will write a response to the weekly readings.
A detailed class syllabus will be provided on the first day of class.