Spanish

Do you like to discuss subjects close to your heart and engage in passionate debates about them? Do you want to extend and increase your knowledge of the grammar and vocabulary of the Spanish language?

If the answer is yes to these questions, then think seriously about studying modern foreign languages in the Sixth Form.

COURSE CONTENT

Unit 1 – La inmigración

● Discuss the positive and negative aspects of immigration ● Learn more about immigration in the Spanish-speaking world ● Discuss what problems illegal migrants might face

Unit 2 – El racismo

● Describe and discuss racist and xenophobic attitudes in the Spanish-speaking world ● Understand and discuss measures to combat racism and their effectiveness ● Look at existing legislation against racism. Discuss possible new legislation

Unit 3 – La convivencia

● Understand and describe the different ways cultures integrate in Hispanic society ● Understand and describe the issues surrounding the integration of different cultures within the sphere of education ● Understand and describe the coexistence of various religions in the Hispanic world

Unit 4 – Jóvenes de hoy, ciudadanos del mañana

● Discuss the importance of politics in young people’s lives. Understand why their attitude to politics is changing ● Discuss the unemployment situation amongst young people nowadays and how it is affecting them ● Describe and discuss the type of society young people in the Hispanic world want to live in

Unit 5 – Monarquías y dictaduras

● Understand the impact of the civil war. Discuss life under Franco’s dictatorship. Describe and discuss the changes from monarchy and republic to dictatorship ● Describe the transition from dictatorship to monarchy ● Discuss dictatorships in Latin America, particularly in Panama, Chile and Argentina

ASSESSMENTS

Paper 1: Written exam which assesses all aspects of life in Hispanic society studied throughout the course (2 hours 30 minutes). Paper 2: Written exam covering translation and one essay question on the book or film, which you have studied (2 hours). Paper 3: Speaking exam (21-23 minutes) which includes one stimulus card and the IRP discussion.

SPANISH

Unit 6 – Movimientos populares

● Consider and discuss the effectiveness of protests and strikes ● Describe and discuss the power of trade unions ● Consider and discuss the 15-M Movement in Spain and the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo in Argentina

Film Study: Volver

Volver is a 2006 Spanish comedy-drama film written and directed by Pedro Almodóvar. Headed by actress Penélope Cruz, Volver is about women, women, and women, which is quite refreshing. Not only are there almost no male characters, but men, with one very significant exception, don’t factor into the film by their absence either. This movie is all about the relationships between mothers, daughters, sisters and female friends and is at times funny, at times heartwarming, and at times tragic. In typical fashion, Almodóvar incorporates affairs, murder, and ghosts without batting an eye or becoming melodramatic. The staging of scenes, the interacting between the actresses, and the cinematography are all brilliant.

Book Study: Chronicles of a Foretold Death:

Chronicle of a Death Foretold is a novella by Gabriel García Márquez, published in 1981. The book was inspired by real-life events which took place during the 1950s, in a small Colombian coastal town called Sucre. It tells, in the form of a pseudo-journalistic reconstruction, the story of the murder of Santiago Nasar by the Vicario twins. The story itself is quite simple but in reality is dominated by the elusiveness of love and filled with cultural customs, clashes, illusions, and ambivalence.

SKILLS DEVELOPED

● To communicate spontaneously in Spanish ● To listen, understand and respond to spoken passages from a range of different contexts and sources ● To read and respond to a variety of texts ● To summarise information from spoken and written sources ● To translate material from Spanish into English (and vice-versa)

SPECIFICATION LINK