Catalan as a Foreign Language 1
Code: 108320Credits: 6
| Degree programme | Type | Course |
|---|---|---|
| Translation and Interpreting | FB | 1 |
Contact lecturer
- Name :
- Vanesa Palomo Berjaga
- Email :
- vanesa.palomo@uab.cat
Group languages
You can consult this information at the end of the document.
Prerequisites
At the time of starting the course, students are not expected to have any knowledge of the Catalan language.
Objectives
The aim of this course is to provide students with a basic linguistic competence in Catalan that enables them to communicate effectively in the language, use it as a medium of instruction throughout their undergraduate studies, and prepare them for translation.
Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to:
- Understand written texts of various genres and with a certain degree of complexity on general topics within familiar domains. (CEFR-FTI B2.2)
- Produce written texts on personal topics and general topics within familiar domains. (CEFR-FTI B1.1)
- Understand clear spoken texts on personal topics and general topics within familiar domains. (CEFR-FTI B1.1)
- Produce spoken texts on personal topics and general topics within familiar domains. (CEFR-FTI B1.1)
Learning outcomes
- KM05 (Identify the lexical, morphosyntactic, phonological and rhetorical characteristics of Catalan.) Identify the lexical, morphosyntactic, phonological and rhetorical characteristics of Catalan.
- KM08 (Determine the cultural components that determine the characteristics of texts in Catalan, both at the micro and macrotextual levels.) Determine the cultural components that determine the characteristics of texts in Catalan, both at the micro and macrotextual levels.
- SM08 (Apply linguistic knowledge to understand written or oral texts in Catalan.) Apply linguistic knowledge to understand written or oral texts in Catalan.
- SM11 (Analyse the communicative value of the cultural references present in written or oral texts in Catalan.) Analyse the communicative value of the cultural references present in written or oral texts in Catalan.
Contents
This course provides the fundamental linguistic knowledge (vocabulary, morphosyntax, phonetics, and spelling) required to communicate effectively in Catalan in a wide range of communicative situations, with particular emphasis on those encountered in academic contexts. The course covers:
- the linguistic structures required to carry out communicative functions such as obtaining and providing information, describing, narrating, explaining, arguing, and similar tasks
- the comprehension of spoken and written texts of various genres and with a certain degree of complexity on general topics within familiar domains (narrative, descriptive, expository, and argumentative texts)
- the production of spoken and written texts on topics within familiar domains
- contrastive aspects of Catalan in relation to other languages, with particular emphasis on Spanish
- culturally grounded linguistic aspects, including vocabulary, phraseology, and textual conventions
- the use of language technologies that support language learning and promote accurate and effective use of Catalan
Learning activities and methodology
| Title | Hours | ECTS | Learning outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oral and written communication | 10 | 0.4 | KM08, SM08 |
| Catalan Culture | 10 | 0.4 | KM08, SM11 |
| Readings | 20 | 0.8 | KM08, SM08, SM11 |
| Grammar and vocabulary exercises with key | 20 | 0.8 | KM05, KM08 |
| Listening exercises | 20 | 0.8 | KM05, KM08, SM08, SM11 |
| Grammar and vocabulary exercises in class | 15 | 0.6 | KM05 |
The programme of learning activities is divided into three main types of work, each designed to achieve different learning outcomes.
Guided activities are carried out entirely in the classroom. They focus on four main areas: grammar and vocabulary, written expression, oral communication (both listening comprehension and speaking), and key aspects of Catalan culture. Accordingly, each face-to-face session includes explanations and practical exercises addressing these four areas.
Supervised activities focus on the reading of articles and short stories, accompanied by exercises on content and vocabulary. At the end of the semester, students will take an assessed test based on the assigned readings.
Independent study activities are designed to enable students to further develop their knowledge of selected grammatical and lexical topics independently. They include watching short videos (such as brief news reports, YouTube explanations, and similar materials) to improve listening comprehension skills in Catalan.
Assessment
Continuous assessment activities
| Title | Weight | Hours | ECTS | Learning outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oral presentation | 15% | 8 | 0.32 | KM05, KM08, SM08 |
| Exercise about the Catalan Culture | 10% | 6 | 0.24 | KM08, SM11 |
| Reading and listening comprehension test | 20% | 12 | 0.48 | KM08, SM08, SM11 |
| Grammar and vocabulary exam | 40% | 21 | 0.84 | KM05, KM08, SM08 |
| Writing | 15% | 8 | 0.32 | KM08, SM08 |
Continuous Assessment
Assessment is continuous throughout the subject. Students must provide evidence of their progress by completing various tasks and tests. Task and test deadlines will be indicated in the course schedule on the first day of class. The information on assessment activities and their weighting is a guide. The subject lecturer will provide full information when teaching begins.
Review
When publishing final grades prior to recording them on students' transcripts, the lecturer will provide written notification of a date and time for reviewing assessment activities. Students must arrange reviews in agreement with the lecturer.
Missed/failed assessment activities
Students may retake assessment activities they have failed or compensate for any they have missed, provided that those they have actually performed account for a minimum of 66.6% (two thirds) of the final grade for the subject and that they have a weighted average mark of at least 3.5. In case of retaking, the maximum grade will be 5 (Pass).
The lecturer will inform students in writing of the retake procedure involved when publishing final grades prior to recording them on transcripts. The lecturer may set one assignment per failed or missed assessment activity or a single assignment to cover a number of such activities. Under no circumstances may an assessment activity worth 100% of the final mark be retaken or compensated for.
Classification as "not assessable"
In the event that the assessment activities a student has performed account for 25% or less of the final grade for the subject, their work will be classified as "not assessable" on their transcript.
Misconduct in assessment activities
Students who engage in misconduct (plagiarism, copying, personation, etc.) in an assessment activity will receive a mark of “0” for the activity in question. In the case of misconduct in more than one assessment activity, the student involved will be given a final grade of “0” for the subject. Assessment activities in which irregularities have occurred (e.g. plagiarism, copying, impersonation) are excluded from retake.
Use of artificial intelligence
In this course, the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies is not permitted at any stage of the assessment activities. Any work that includes AI-generated content will be considered a breach of academic integrity and will be graded a 0, regardless of any disciplinary proceedings that may be initiated.
Single assessment
This subject may be assessed under the single assessment system in accordance with the terms established in the academic regulations of the UAB and the assessment criteria of the Faculty of Translation and Interpreting.
Students must make an online request within the period established by the faculty and send a copy to the lecturer responsible for the subject, for the record.
Single assessment will be carried out in person on one day during week 16 or 17 of the semester. The Academic Management Office will publish the exact date and time on the faculty website.
On the day of the single assessment, teaching staff will ask the student for identification, which should be presented as a valid identification document with a recent photograph (student card, DNI/NIE or passport).
Single assessment activities
Single assessment will include: a writing (30%), an oral presentation (30%) and an grammar, vocabulary and reading comprehension exam (40%).
Grade revision and retake procedures for the subject are the same as those for continual assessment. See the section above in this Study Guide.
Bibliography
Recommended works:
- Castellanos i Vila, Josep Anton (1998). Quadern. Normativa basica de la llengua catalana, amb exercicis autocorrectius. Bellaterra: Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona / Institut de Ciències de l'Educació.
- Comelles, Salvador; Garcia i Balasch, Teresa; Vilà i Comajoan, Carme (2019, edició adaptada a la nova normativa). El català escrit. Ortografia. Morfologia. Funcions. Manual d'autoaprenentatge. Barcelona: Barcanova.
- Institut d'Estudis Catalans (2019). Gramàtica bàsica i ús de la llengua catalana.
- Nogué, Neus (2018). La nova normativa a la butxaca. L'ortografia catalana i la gramàtica de la llengua catalana. Barcelona: Publicacions de l'Abadia de Montserrat.
Other sources:
- Conjugador català (Enciclopèdia Catalana):
- https://www.enciclopedia.cat/search/obrad/CG
- DCVB (Diccionari català-valencià-balear): http://dcvb.iecat.net
- Diccionari de sinònims (IEC, Albert Jané): https://sinonims.iec.cat
- Diccionari.cat (Gran diccionari de la llengua catalana, Enciclopèdia Catalana): http://www.diccionari.cat Diccionaris.cat: https://www.diccionaris.cat
- DIDAC (Diccionari de català): http://www.dicdidac.cat/
- ésAdir: http://esadir.cat
- Optimot. https://aplicacions.llengua.gencat.cat/llc/AppJava/index.html
- Recursos en línia (Institut d'Estudis Catalans): https://www.iec.cat/llengua/recursos.asp
- Termcat: http://www.termcat.cat
Software
No specific software is used in this course.
Course groups and languages
The information provided is provisional until November 30. After this date, you will be able to consult the language of each group through this link. To access the information, you will need to enter the course CODE
| Type of teaching | Group | Language | Semester | Shift |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (PAUL) Classroom practices | 1 | Catalan | first semester | morning-mixed |
| (PAUL) Classroom practices | 2 | Catalan | first semester | morning-mixed |