I want to get into Intermediate level stream for Spanish after roughly 170 hours ... (1 Viewer)

[study12345]

of prior language study. Would this be possible? Also I don't have any official certificates so would it be allowed?
How does it work/
THanks!

 

[4025808]

Re: I want to get into Intermediate level stream for Spanish after roughly 170 hours

All you would have to do is to do the questionnaire. From there you just answer basic questions, i.e. how long have you been learning spanish, how many words can you write (working knowledge), do you speak spanish at home, etc.

Not sure if you will need official certificates or anything.

 

[Kittikhun]

Re: I want to get into Intermediate level stream for Spanish after roughly 170 hours

Yeah, as 'numbers' (sorry, I didn't want to type your whole username out; too many numbers, brah, and I'm lazy) said, just a questionnaire. You may need to do a speaking session with the course coordinator though, to gauge your speaking ability, if your previous study wasn't the HSC.

Certificates? If one of the subs you studied for the HSC was Spanish, you should be fine.

With 170 hours of previous Spanish study though, I think you'll start off with Advanced Spanish A instead of Intermediate Spanish A, if Spanish works the same as French. For Introductory, it's A1 level; Intermediate, it's A2 level; Advanced, first sem is B1 and second is B2 (For French, they teach Advanced at B1, and Professional at B2, probs due to the number of French staff--there's quite a few--and to get more money from us, I suspect). I don't know if you know about this A1, A2, B1, and so on business, so here's wikipedia, if you don't--

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_European_Framework_of_Reference_for_Languages

By the way, here's the link to the questionnaire.

https://hal.arts.unsw.edu.au/students/courses/language-placements/

 

[study12345]

Re: I want to get into Intermediate level stream for Spanish after roughly 170 hours

Thanks, you've both been very helpful!
Btw I didn't study Spanish for the HSC but did an intensive course in Spain (lots of classes over a short period of time, would this matter?)
And are languages good at UNSW? I'm reallyexcited to start

Yeah, as 'numbers' (sorry, I didn't want to type your whole username out; too many numbers, brah, and I'm lazy) said, just a questionnaire. You may need to do a speaking session with the course coordinator though, to gauge your speaking ability, if your previous study wasn't the HSC.

Certificates? If one of the subs you studied for the HSC was Spanish, you should be fine.

With 170 hours of previous Spanish study though, I think you'll start off with Advanced Spanish A instead of Intermediate Spanish A, if Spanish works the same as French. For Introductory, it's A1 level; Intermediate, it's A2 level; Advanced, first sem is B1 and second is B2 (For French, they teach Advanced at B1, and Professional at B2, probs due to the number of French staff--there's quite a few--and to get more money from us, I suspect). I don't know if you know about this A1, A2, B1, and so on business, so here's wikipedia, if you don't--

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_European_Framework_of_Reference_for_Languages

By the way, here's the link to the questionnaire.

https://hal.arts.unsw.edu.au/students/courses/language-placements/

 

[study12345]

Re: I want to get into Intermediate level stream for Spanish after roughly 170 hours

Also, it says to do it ASAP (the placement test) because classes fill up, but I am still studying and I want to take the test when I am at my best possible D: What would you do??

 

[Kittikhun]

Re: I want to get into Intermediate level stream for Spanish after roughly 170 hours

In the questionnaire, you'll be asked how long you have stayed in Spain or another Hispanic country and what studies you undertook there, so your 170 hours of Spanish should be enough, I presume, for Advanced instead of Intermediate Spanish; I would bet good money on this.

I don't study Spanish but French, so I wouldn't really know if the study of Spanish is good. I'll give you my experience of French though. I would say that the instruction and study of French at UNSW is very good. In the higher up levels of language study (Intermediate and up) you are forced to speak the language in class; there is to be absolutely no English spoken during the lecture or tutorial from anyone (however, one of the French lecturers likes to speak English here and there when socialising with the class, but he's a bit of a weirdo, so, yeah). According to a friend who is studying intro French 90% of instruction is also given in French and inferences have to be made to get the meaning of what the lecturer or tutor just said. So, yeah, it's good. The content gets a bit boring though when you get to the upper level though in Professional.

The questionnaire opens on December 9, so exams should be finishing then and summer school just starting. Anyway, they do reserve some spots for HSC graduates coming in next year, and they accept their offers in January, I believe, so, you've got plenty of time. It's just a questionnaire. There will be no hard questions, and if it proves necessary for you to have a speaking session with one of the course instructors to gauge your ability in this area, you schedule this rendezvous to suit you when you are available.

By the way, to major in Spanish, you need to do nine courses, and if you do start at Intermediate or Advanced, there is a quite of lack of Hispanic contextual (taught in English) and professional (taught in Spanish) courses to do. You wouldn't want to do a whole course on some Hispanic artist's life to fill up your units if you don't like visual arts or all that abstract stuff.

 

[study12345]

Re: I want to get into Intermediate level stream for Spanish after roughly 170 hours

oh no! Im worried now if I get into advanced theres only two courses in language D:
Is the other stuff a waste of time? I want to be 100% fluent. Whats professional studies and how is it different to contextual?
Do you recommend I do a minor in Spanish instead if this is the case? And then do a major perhaps even in French?
Or is that a WAM killer?
Thanks

In the questionnaire, you'll be asked how long you have stayed in Spain or another Hispanic country and what studies you undertook there, so your 170 hours of Spanish should be enough, I presume, for Advanced instead of Intermediate Spanish; I would bet good money on this.

I don't study Spanish but French, so I wouldn't really know if the study of Spanish is good. I'll give you my experience of French though. I would say that the instruction and study of French at UNSW is very good. In the higher up levels of language study (Intermediate and up) you are forced to speak the language in class; there is to be absolutely no English spoken during the lecture or tutorial from anyone (however, one of the French lecturers likes to speak English here and there when socialising with the class, but he's a bit of a weirdo, so, yeah). According to a friend who is studying intro French 90% of instruction is also given in French and inferences have to be made to get the meaning of what the lecturer or tutor just said. So, yeah, it's good. The content gets a bit boring though when you get to the upper level though in Professional.

The questionnaire opens on December 9, so exams should be finishing then and summer school just starting. Anyway, they do reserve some spots for HSC graduates coming in next year, and they accept their offers in January, I believe, so, you've got plenty of time. It's just a questionnaire. There will be no hard questions, and if it proves necessary for you to have a speaking session with one of the course instructors to gauge your ability in this area, you schedule this rendezvous to suit you when you are available.

By the way, to major in Spanish, you need to do nine courses, and if you do start at Intermediate or Advanced, there is a quite of lack of Hispanic contextual (taught in English) and professional (taught in Spanish) courses to do. You wouldn't want to do a whole course on some Hispanic artist's life to fill up your units if you don't like visual arts or all that abstract stuff.

 

[Kittikhun]

Re: I want to get into Intermediate level stream for Spanish after roughly 170 hours

oh no! Im worried now if I get into advanced theres only two courses in language D:
Is the other stuff a waste of time? I want to be 100% fluent. Whats professional studies and how is it different to contextual?
Do you recommend I do a minor in Spanish instead if this is the case? And then do a major perhaps even in French?
Or is that a WAM killer?
Thanks

Yeah, but oh well.

Dunno, I've never done them. But for the French ones, for the content of the courses kinda but it has its benefits--I got a lot out of it for speaking (for French Popular Culture you had to do a 20 minute presentation...by yourself...in French).

Professional Studies are extra courses taught in Spanish instead of in English. Contextual studies are extra courses taught in English. Those are the primary differences, and you're going to have to do both if you want to major in Spanish. However, having a look in the handbook, I don't think Professional Hispanic courses are being offered. Dunno.

http://www.handbook.unsw.edu.au/undergraduate/plans/2014/SPANE13403.html

You may be able to do Professional courses at another uni though such as USYD if they offer Professional courses in Spanish, but with travel and all, I don't know if it's worth especially if you're studying something other than Arts or if you are doing a double degree or if you have a part-time or casual job (bus to Central, train to Redfern, walk to USYD, probs 35 minutes from UNSW to get to there minimum, I reckon).

Depends on what you want to do with your degree. If you want to be a Spanish teacher or translator (in which you would have to a do a Masters in Translation at the uni after getting your Bachelor in Advanced Hispanic Studies), do a major. If you just want to be fluent in Spanish because it's cool to do so, a minor would be preferable or just simply going on exchange in some Spanish speaking country for six months, but that's JUST my opinion. However, do know that studying a language at uni won't make you fluent. In my Pro French B class of 25-30 students, I would say only 5 people were really fluent (one was actually from New Caledonia so French was her first language, and another was a mature age student--30 years old--who has French parents and has been to and lived in France for quite some time). The rest of us were OK in speaking, not fluent but OK, but we were all strong in writing and listening.

Major in French from intro? If so, the problem with this is that you'll only be able to do two French courses in your first year before you start doing Contextual Studies, and you would need to have have done Advanced French B before commencing your Professional studies if you want to graduate with Advanced French Studies instead of just French Studies. Time.

Is it a WAM killer? I don't know. Maybe you have a knack for learning languages so you it might be a booster, or maybe you don't, so it'll be a WAM killer. But since you have a knowledge of Spanish grammar and vocab, it should be easier for you than an anglophone with no background in Romance family language study.

Another option for you to study Spanish is at the Institute of Languages UNSW next to the uni. You can study Spanish there for cheaper at whatever level suits you, but the problem with this is that if there aren't any students, the course won't run, unlike at uni where there will always be a course for language. I don't know if you get certificates for it though. I might learn German there during the break instead of doing Intro German next year--much cheaper and suitable.

http://languages.unsw.edu.au/courses/other-languages/spanish