Spanish for Daily Communication

As part of UHD’s commitment to community-building the Spanish Area proudly announces continuing education non-credit courses to aid professionals, community leaders, and the general public in fostering their Spanish oral proficiency. These courses are designed for individuals with previous knowledge of Spanish (advance basic to intermediate) seeking to improve oral skills needed to meet work demand or personal goals. The courses present a progression of language practices used in daily communication, engaging students in conversations that stem from diverse sources, from music to journalism, in order to build and strengthen daily oral communication in Spanish. UHD faculty with ample experience in teaching a diverse student community will guide you in developing and improving your oral Spanish skills in a fun, welcoming and relaxed atmosphere. In order to give students exposure to real life scenarios and multiple avenues for learning, courses are thought by two UHD instructors. If you would like additional details, please contact Dr. Albert DeJesus-Rivera, dejesusa@uhd.edu. 

Prerequisites: 18 years and older; High School diploma or equivalent. Students must have some prior Spanish knowledge in accord with advance beginner level or higher. The course is not designed for the first time learner. Students are required to take a test in order to assure proper placement in the course. Please contact Dr. DeJesus-Rivera for instructions to take the test (dejesusa@uhd.edu). The test is free, online, and should take about 20 minutes.

Disclaimers: Class is subject to cancellation if minimum enrollment (7 students) is not met. Registration will close a week before the first scheduled day of class. Please note these are not certifications or certificate program courses, these are non-credit courses for personal or professional development.

However, UHD is a certified SIELE (International Spanish Language Evaluation Service) Center, and anyone seeking further accreditation can opt to test and receive a Certificate of Proficiency from the internationally recognized Cervantes Institute. The course is in no way a preparation for the SIELE test.

Spanish for Daily Communication Level I

This 16-hour course (8 weeks, 2 hr. / twice a week) is designed to improve oral communication by exposing students to elements such as:

• Pronunciation (including reading theater and prose as practice)
• Everyday communication
• Vocabulary (geography, parts of the body, digital jargon, adjectives, false cognates)
• Proper use of tenses
• The language of music (Spanglish and cultural variations)
• The language in movies (Spanish Cinema)
• The language used in news items
• The language used in journalistic articles
• Final oral presentation

Price: $350.00

Dates: February 2/27 - 4/16, 2020 (Thursday - 7-9:00 PM)

Location: at the University of Houston-Downtown (One Main Street). Students will receive an email with classroom and parking information a week before the first day of class.

Materials: A “manual” with readings, and grammatical elements covered in class will be provided to all students (PDF). Students must have access to internet in order to prepare for assignments that require them to listen to music or watch a movie.

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Instructors:
Abert DeJesus-Rivera grew up in Puerto Rico where he obtained a B.S. in Chemistry from the University of Puerto Rico. After moving to San Antonio for graduate school and a career in biomedical research, Albert was reacquainted with his passion for writing and returned to school to get a Masters and Ph.D. in Spanish Literature from the University of Houston. He is a creative writer and specialist in Latin-American short story, US Hispanic Literature and composition. Currently he is the Language Lab Coordinator, SIELE Coordinator, and teaches US Hispanic Lit., and Composition at the University of Houston–Downtown.

Cristina Torres was born in Zacatecas, México. She attended college at Universidad UCA, in Aguascalientes, México. She moved to the United States in 2003 to pursue a career in law, and graduated with a B.S. in Criminal Justice from UHD. Her passion for teaching led her to change careers. She completed a dual M.A. in Spanish (Linguistics & Literature) at the University of Houston, and Universidad de Salamanca. Currently she is pursuing a PhD in Spanish Linguistics. Cristina is a communicator, having studied, competed, and practiced public speaking, oratory, and debate. She currently teaches at the University of Houston and UHD Beginner and Intermediate Spanish. Her current areas of interest are Second Language Acquisition, and the influence of sociolinguistics variables in speech.