Draft of Syllabus for SPA 495:  Topics in Business Spanish

 

Please note that this syllabus is subject to change.

You will be receive a reading list via email this summer and an updated syllabus with weekly readings and assignment deadlines upon arrival in Cuernavaca.  Thank you!  J

 

Instructor: Irma Salazar (diraesp@yahoo.com), Masters of Business Administration (M.B.A.), Licenicatura in Educational Sciences, and Certificate in teaching Spanish as a second from the Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Morelos (UAEM).  Irma currently serves as the director of the Spanish department at the Universal Center for Language and Social Communication (www.universal-spanish.com).

 

Course Location:  Cuernavaca, Mexico


Prerequisite:  Completion of Spanish 311 (Conversation & Composition I) or its equivalent.

 

Course Description

The primary purpose of this course is to enable intermediate and advanced Spanish language students develop proficiency in the vocabulary, grammar, and cultural competencies necessary to successfully conduct business in Spanish-speaking countries.  The course structure will follow the structure provided by the book Negocios sin fronteras: Intermediate Spanish for Business, which will serve as the primary written text. You will develop an understanding of business and culture in Mexico, as well as in several other Spanish-speaking countries.  While learning about similarities and differences in conducting business in Spanish-speaking countries, you will develop the following five language skills:  listening, speaking, reading, writing, and cultural sensitivity. 

 

Throughout the course, you will explore a wide variety of business topics such as advertising, business culture, environmental issues, ethics, human resource management and personnel issues, information technology, law, tourism, and travel. Particular emphasis will be placed on topics related to doing business in Mexico, such as exchange rates; tariffs and trade barriers, the impact of NAFTA on small, medium, and large businesses; and Mexican idiosyncrasies in marketing.

 

Since the course will be taught in Mexico, we have rich opportunities to enhance learning from text books and films by talking with Mexican businesspeople and visiting local businesses.  You will also be encouraged to read Mexican newspaper articles and analyze them with regards to themes discussed in this course. Many of the assignments will be practical in nature and will include writing business letters, employment offers, and curriculum vitae in Spanish.  Through these experiential, real-world activities, you will develop knowledge of business Spanish that surpasses what you would learn just through the traditional classroom or internet-based learning.

 

*This course counts toward the major or minor in Spanish at Augsburg College.

 

Required Texts and Other Recommended Materials (to order 6 weeks in advance!)

  1. Text:  Negocios sin fronteras: Intermediate Spanish for Business by Karoline Manny, Julie Abella, María, J. Fraser-Molina. Prentice Hall College Division, 2002. 

  2. Workbook: Negocios sin fronteras: Intermediate Spanish for Business Workbook by Julie Abella, Karoline Manny, and María, J. Fraser-Molina.  Prentice Hall College Division, 2002. 

  3. Dictionary:  Spanish Business Dictionary:  Multicultural Business Spanish, 2nd revised edition by Morry Sofer.  Schreiber Publishing, Inc., 2005.

You should order these books through your local bookstore or over the Internet. Be sure to place your orders six weeks in advance.