Business Spanish: Week 11

by Ann Abbott

It's so hard to believe that we're already in Week 11 of the semester. On our campus, classes last for 14 1/2 weeks, so now that we're in November there truly is not much time left. As always, I both wish for more time (to do more with the students) and for it to come to its timely conclusion (I can feel that we're all in a slump).

Here are my plans for this week.

Lunes: Una vista panorámica del Perú y de Bolivia (Capítulo 9, Éxito comercial)

We´re still on Chapter 9 of Éxito comercial this week, and today we´re focusing on sections focusing on the countries of Peru and Bolivia. This is how I will use our 50 minutes together.

First, I will put students in six pairs (or groups of three) and give them an assignment. 

1. Find, analyze and describe one Peruvian business in the tourism sector.
2. Find, analyze and describe one Peruvian business in the mining sector.
3. Find, analyze and describe one Peruvian business in the petroleum sector.
4. Research and inform yourself about some ideas about tourism and indigenous communities. Use this blog post as a starting point.
5. Research and inform yourself about some ideas about mining and indigenous communities. Use this blog post as a starting point as well as this piece of natural resources and indigenous people´s rights.
6. Research and inform yourself about some ideas about the petroleum sector and indigenous communities. Use this blog post as a starting point and then skim the entire blog Cultural Survival.org to formulate some ideas about global indigenous values, struggles and environmental issues.

Then I will put groups 1 and 4 together, 2 and 5, 3 and 6. The first group will present what they found. The second group will present what they found. Together, they should do a critique of the business, trying to see it from an indigenous person´s perspective.

Finally, I will share a little bit about my friend (and UIUC PhD) Amy Firestone´s work at the US Department of Labor, dealing with unfair labor practices in the US and Latin America. Specifically, we will look at ¨¿Qué son el trabajo infantil y el trabajo forzoso?

Miércoles: Minicaso práctico

This minicaso práctico (pp. 320-21) is a little different than the others. Actually, the follow-up questions are the part that is different. Everyone has to do a good job preparing in order for the analysis to flow.

With the leftover time, I will put students into three teams, and they will begin to outline a message to one of the three alums that they chose to invite to Skype into our class or to interview in some way. 

• All students must read this post: 5 Tips For Writing The Perfect Networking Email.
• One student in the group reads "How to Write a Cold Email that Will Land You a Job." 
• One reads "How To Get Important People to Respond to Your Emails."
• One reads "Do Women Undermine Themselves with Punctuation???!!!:)"

They need to have an outline by the end of class.

Viernes: Taller de asesoría

I think I will have to dedicate this session to teamwork. To collaboration. To critique. To editing. 

And then I want to talk to them about the necessity of creating a series of posts about one event (or class, in our case) because people need to see things several times before they will take action. 

Finally, I want them to work on crafting specific, useful calls to action.

More lesson plans

Week 12
Week 11
Week 10
Week 9

Week 8

Week 7

Week 6

Week 5

Week 4

Week 3

Week 2

Week 1

Spanish for Business syllabus and course calendar