Group 2: Second Langauge
Mandarin B, SL/HL
Mandarin B aims to cultivate in students a balance between the development of communication skills and intercultural awareness through the study and use of a range of written and spoken material and activities. Core topics in the course include communication and media, social relationships and global issues, and are selected to help students explore and examine Chinese culture in relation to their own; while the course’s optional topics provide opportunities for a richer intercultural understanding of Mandarin.
Throughout the course, students further develop their receptive, productive, and interactive skills. Furthermore, by establishing links between the course topics and the four ways of knowing – reason, emotion, perception, and language, students develop their metalinguistic, sociolinguistic, intercultural and pragmatic skills and competencies.
Spanish B, SL/HL; Ab Initio SL
Spanish courses in the Diploma Programme aim to develop students’ communicative competence in Spanish, as well as an intercultural awareness through an understanding of the importance of learning a widely spoken language in a globalized world. They will also explore Hispanic culture in relation to other cultures and their own, as well as unique cultural aspects of each Spanish-speaking country. Students are thus expected to fortify their communication skill and develop critical and analytical thinking skills. Throughout each course, links to Theory of Knowledge (TOK) are established as students reflect on how they acquire pragmatic competencies and intercultural skills.
Spanish B core topics include social relationships, communication and media, and global issues, while Spanish Ab Initio focuses on individuals and society, leisure and work, and urban and rural environments as core topics.