SPÅ 2931 Business communication in Spanish - Written

APPLIES TO ACADEMIC YEAR 2013/2014

SPÅ 2931 Business communication in Spanish - Written


Responsible for the course
Bente Messel

Department
Department of Communication - Culture and Languages

Term
According to study plan

ECTS Credits
7,5

Language of instruction
Norwegian

Introduction
SPÅ 2931 is an introduction to written Spanish business communication, focussing on commercial language and cultural aspects to which Norwegians in particular must pay attention.

Learning outcome
Acquired knowledge
Students shall

  • acquire a vision of the main traits of history and society in Spanish-speaking countries
  • get acquainted with culture and patterns of reaction in the Spanish-speaking world, in particular as regards business and working life
  • learn basic business terminology and appropriate register for written business communication
  • develop intercultural terminology in order to contrast cultural differences between Norway and the Spanish speaking countries

Acquired skills
The course will improve students’ knowledge of Spanish to enable them to
  • understand simple business-related texts and articles about cultural issues in Spanish
  • produce such texts in Spanish, for instance notes, abstracts, letters, e-mails and short essays

Developed reflection
The course will help students
  • develop an increased awareness of cultural differences and their impact on business
  • acquire an understanding of the importance of relevant terminology and appropriate register in written business communication

Prerequisites
Two years of Spanish from Upper Secondary School, the Foundation course in Spanish offered by BI, or similar background. Students who do not meet these formal requirements, may qualify by passing an internal test in the first week of their first academic year at BI. In order to participate in SPÅ 2931, students should have a good basic vocabulary and be familiar with verbal expressions of past, present and future. Those who are unsure of their basic knowledge of Spanish, are recommended to take the internal test anyway. If their knowledge is found to be poor, this may be remedied by participating in (all or parts of) the preparatory course in Spanish during their first year at BI.

Compulsory reading
Books:
Corpas, Jaime, Lola Martínez, María Lluïsa Sabater. 2007. Socios 2 : Curso de español orientado al mundo del trabajo : Cuaderno de ejercicios. Nueva ed. Difusion. 198 sider - 12 kapitler
Corpas, Jaime, Lola Martínez. 2007. Socios 1 : Curso de español orientado al mundo del trabajo : Cuaderno de ejercicios. Nueva ed. Difusion. 198 sider - 12 kapitler
Gonzáles, Marisa ...[et al.]. 2007. Socios 1 : Curso básico de español orientado al mundo del trabajo : libro del alumno. Nueva ed. Difusión. 180 sider - 12 kapitler
Martínez, Lola, Maria Lluïsa Sabater. 2008. Socios 2 : Curso de español orientado al mundo del trabajo : Libro del alumno. Nueva ed. Difusion. 199 sider - 12 kapitler
Ribas Casasayas, Alberto. 2008. Descubrir : España y Latinoamérica. Nueva ed. Cideb Editrice. 159 sider - 4 kapitler

Collection of articles:
Messel, Bente. 2010. Artículos sobre temas interculturales. Første utgave. Handelshøyskolen BI. 90 sider

Recommended reading
Books:
Bull, Benedicte. 2010. Latinamerikanske utfordringer. Høyskoleforlaget. 203 sider
Castro Viudez, Francisca, Pilar Díaz Ballesteros. 2004. Aprende gramática y vocabulario (1). Sociedad General Española de Librería. 135 sider
Castro Viudez, Francisca, Pilar Díaz Ballesteros. 2005. Aprende gramática y vocabulario (2). Sociedad General Española de Librería. 198 sider
Castro Viudez, Francisca, Pilar Díaz Ballesteros. 2006. Aprende gramática y vocabulario (3). Sociedad General Española de Librería. 230 sider
Castro Viudez, Francisca, Pilar Díaz Ballesteros. 2007. Aprende gramática y vocabulario (4). Sociedad General Española de Librería. 223 sider
En oversikt over bøyningen av spanske verb
En spansk-norsk/norsk-spansk ordbok
En spansk-spansk ordbok, helst en "Diccionario de uso", som har eksempler på hvordan ordene brukes
Salkjelsvik, Kari Soriano og Petr Pitloun. 2007. Gyldendals spanske lommegrammatikk. 2. utg. Gyldendal undervisning. 219 sider
Salkjelsvik, Kari S. og Petr Pitloun. 2007. Gyldendals øvelser i spansk grammatikk. Gyldendal undervisning. 64 sider

Other:
The Cuthbertson Verb Wheels. Spanish Verbs. Siste utgave


Course outline
Background:
- an introduction to history and society in Spanish speaking countries

Understanding cultures:
- perspectives on identity, culture and society in Norway and the Spanish speaking world

Specific language:
- basic terminology for business and the comparison of cultures
- appropriate register; formal language in written business communication

Computer-based tools
Internet and It`s learning

Learning process and workload
The course comprises 36 hours of classroom teaching, focusing partly on presentations of the syllabus (lectures), but mainly on working individually or in groups in order to understand and produce text and terminology. Weekly assignments with will be given during the term. At the beginning of the course there will be a plan detailing the programme of each week, so as to enable the students to organize their work and be thoroughly prepared for the teaching sessions.

Activity
Use of hours
Classroom learning
36
Reading of literature
79
Written assignments
60
Participation in group work
20
Written examination
5
Total recommended use of hours
200


    Examination
    Students will sit for a five-hour individual written examination by the end of the course. The exam consists of two parts, both of which must given a passing grade in order for the student to pass the written examination.
    Part 1: Writing a commercial text in Spanish, based on given information, and/or translation of a commercial text to or from Spanish.
    Part 2: Short essay(s) in Spanish on one or more topics from the syllabus of background and culture.

    Examination code(s)
    SPÅ 29311 - Written business communication - Spanish I accounts for 100% of the final grade in the course SPÅ 2931, 7.5 ECTS.

    Examination support materials
    Maximum two dictionaries - one Spanish-Spanish dictionary and one bilingual dictionary (between Spanish and another language) are allowed..

    Re-sit examination
    A re-sit examination is offered every term.

    Additional information

    Semester

    Oversettelser