España contemporánea

This course is aimed at non-native Spanish speakers wishing to improve their Spanish language proficiency while learning more about Spain and its contemporary history. The course will be useful for students in history, sociology, law, international relations and political science, as well as anyone interested in knowing more about Spain and its culture. The course will also be helpful to foreigners currently living in Spain, as well as those thinking of migrating in. Finally, the couse will also be of interest to native Spanish students of all ages wishing to refresh their knowledge of Spanish contemporary history and discuss it with peers around the world.

Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) is an approach for learning content through an additional language (foreign or second), thus learning both the subject and the language simultaneously. This approach to teaching and learning has never featured as strongly on university curricula as it does now. Besides, the great revolution of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has had a tremendous impact on education and on the development of foreign language communication skills in particular. ICT is an ideal platform for developing interactive strategies and methodologies that promote independent learning, peer interaction, and language use for real communicative purposes. In a world where students are digital natives and where broadband connections and mobile-data enabled smartphones are widespread, there is great potential for combining CLIL with ICT. If we add to this the opportunities that international university partnerships and networks offer for student interaction across borders, we have all the necessary ingredients for a successful course.