SP 317: Listening Comprehension through Film

Listening Comprehension through Film is an intermediate conversation course designed for students who want to improve their listening comprehension abilities in Spanish. With this goal in mind, the course will also provide exposure to other language skills (conversation, reading, writing, vocabulary acquisition, cultural knowledge) which are integral to developing proficiency. Specific grammatical topics will be reviewed based on the texts and on issues that arise in class. Students will listen to aural texts of various types, such as news broadcasts, podcasts, films, and more, enhancing their ability to understand spoken Spanish. Individual and group presentations provide students with practice in making formal presentations in Spanish, a skill that is necessary for many professional settings. Classroom, forums, and small group discussions will provide practice in a more informal style of speech. Students will have conversation sessions with the Spanish Cultural Assistants in person, and they will interact with students at partnering situations in Spanish or Latin American through Zoom, WhatsApp, or through other means. These activities are designed to improve the students’ listening comprehension skills and practical knowledge about culture and language both in formal and informal settings.