3000

In order to satisfy the language requirement of the program, students of Languages and Sociocultural Studies shall take an exam around the sixth semester of their studies. Passing this exam is a requirement to take the advanced seminars in the program´s different foreign languages.

In the name of its structure and shortness, short stories provide a field of action that is very appropriate to discuss and study a language, if compared to any other literary style of fiction. Therefore, they may be particularly appropriate for studying English as a second language at an advanced level. So through the study of masterpieces of short stories written in English, this course not only provides participants with the opportunity to develop their own style as writers, by carefully analyzing the English used by renowned short story authors around the world. Short Story Masterpieces: Guidelines for Reading and Writing about Fiction also aims to help participants gain confidence in their interpretation skills, in addition to bringing them face to face with the challenge of thinking in a critical, autonomous manner about what they are reading, and developing analytical and argumentative skills that will enable them to present and defend their ideas in the most appropriate manner when speaking and writing in the English language.

Applied linguistics has been, since a long time ago, a well known field of research from which results have contributed to the solution of problems and the development of theoretical and practical approaches of teaching languages. The intersection between linguistic disciplines such as psychology, sociology and education, among others, belong to the theoretical field. The other face of applied linguistics is, in fact, that of praxis, as it is called by Culioli, which is the translation of notions, approaches and models of intersection linguistics (psycholinguistics, sociolinguistic, ethno linguistic) to the teaching of the languages. The goal of this course is the study of this fundamental field in the teaching of the languages.

When teaching a foreign language (L2), it is important to go over existing methodologies and integrate them in new pedagogical approaches. As far as this course is concerned, the purpose of a method or strategy to teach L2 is to connect the theories or the results of research on how it is learned to the way said language should be taught. The program of Methods and Strategies will examine the most significant methodologies in teaching/learning foreign languages, determining their epistemological bases, their main characteristics and basic premises as regards the principles of teaching/learning L2.

This course will accompany students on their first experiences as professors in the area of foreign languages. During the semester, students will be responsible for a course (at institutions or university-related programs), and they will have a tutor who will visit and evaluate their teaching from several theoretic and academic standpoints agreed upon in advance. The internship may only be carried out at Institutions that have an agreement with the University: Alianza Francesa, Colombo Americano and Universidad Nacional.

This course will accompany students in the internship they choose in order to strengthen their experiences as professors in the area of foreign languages or other areas of research. In some cases, students may carry out their internship at institutions that do not yet have an educational agreement with the Universidad de los Andes.

In the traditional system of teacher training, work is done on a theoretic level, with the study of general and specific subjects to prepare future professors for their teaching functions. Micro-teaching offers future teachers the possibility to acquire a repertoire of strategies and methodologies to which they can recur when actually teaching. In this seminar, students will have the chance to observe themselves and reflect on their practice, in addition to receiving feedback from their classmates and professors. Similarly, this seminar is the first step toward direct teaching enabling students to establish relationships between theory and practice.

The course Textual Processes puts forward the promise of strict, analytical thought as regards cultural products. Students will read and analyze a series of written and visual texts that will be the basis for them to write academic essays. The essays will elaborate on an interpretative or analytical argument. The course focuses on the textual process, that is to say, on writing, analyzing and interpreting, and on the technical and abstract tools and strategies that are implicit and explicit in these actions. On one hand, we will think about the products in their contexts and their consequences on a cultural market, and on the other, we will reflect on the act of writing itself on the topic of these texts.

This course is designed for advanced students in the program of Socio-cultural Studies. Through reading, examples and applied exercises, participants will study in this seminar-workshop in which the fundamental steps to complete an original project will be reviewed and carried out, including the following areas: Design (explanation of the topic, question and methodology), Research (familiarity, collection, use and application of different resources, methods and bibliography), Analysis (assessment and organization of the material), Writing (outlines, drafts and final version) This is an intensive course with special emphasis on research, handling bibliographies and writing academic texts. By the end of the course, students will produce and hand in their final project/essay as a requirement to complete their studies.

In order to meet the requirement regarding the command of a foreign language, all undergraduate students of the University must enroll Code LENG 3999, in order to leave written evidence of satisfaction in their academic record once they have proven their proficiency in a foreign language as per the different programs offered by the University.