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Full Year

Catalan Language 1 (ELCH08021)

Subject

European Languages and Cultures - Hispanic Studies

College

CAHSS

Credits

20

Normal Year Taken

1

Delivery Session Year

2023/2024

Pre-requisites

Course Summary

Catalan Language 1 is a one-year course intended for those with little or no previous knowledge of Catalan. The course aims to equip students with a basic grounding in written and spoken Catalan. Students will learn the basics of grammar, pronunciation and vocabulary, and will be exposed to basic oral and written texts in the target language. The course is mostly based on language, but also covers some aspects of culture and linguistic variation within the Catalan-speaking areas. By the end of this course, the aim is to reach approximately level A1+ on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. Students who pass the course will be eligible to continue studying Catalan in Catalan Language 2.

Course Description

Catalan Language 1 is taught through the medium of Catalan and follows a flipped classroom approach, which means that prior to each contact session, students will need to engage with different materials and complete e-learning activities. The materials are mostly authentic Catalan sources such as videos on places of interest in Catalonia, infographics on historical figures, paintings of Catalan artists, newspaper articles and clips from TV, which allow students to practise reading and listening comprehension as well as to engage with different aspects of Catalan culture and society. The e-learning activities aim to develop students intercomprehension skills, which encourage students to reflect and to draw from the knowledge of languages they already know, including their own. These activities also help with the practice of grammar and the learning of vocabulary. During the two contact hours each week, students check their understanding of grammatical structures and focus on the production of both spoken and written language. To that aim, students work in pairs and in groups. For assessment, students will need to work both individually and in groups, as they will write a collaborative text and will deliver a group oral presentation. Throughout the course, students will reflect on their language learning and their progress via a Portfolio. In this way, they develop their metalanguage and metacognition whilst they improve their Catalan.

Assessment Information

Written Exam 0%, Coursework 100%, Practical Exam 0%

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