SPA 2201

Intermediate Spanish I

Spring 2004

 

 

 

Prof. William Keeth

E-mail: wkeeth@mnsfld.edu

 

Tel: 570-662-4605 or 570-662-4581

Office: Belknap 110-C

Office Hours

 

Course Description:

 

Intermediate Spanish I (SPA-2201) continues the communicative based study of Spanish begun in SPA 1101 and SPA 1102. Like these prerequisite courses, it stresses the development of the four language skills (speaking, listening, reading, and writing) within a cultural context. In this course, students can expect to both review and buildupon the grammar concepts learned previously; however, more emphasis will be given to fluency and accuracy in spoken Spanish and to cultural awareness. The materials used in class will reflect a variety of cultural situations and geographic realities. As a result, one should anticipate evaluation (in either oral or written format) that reflectsthis focus. Pronunciation, vocabulary, geographical and cultural information, grammatical structures, readings, listening material, and language production will all form part of class evaluation.

 

Required Material:

 

Texts:

Kupperschmid et al.  Un paso mαs: An Intermediate Spanish Course.  New York: Mc Graw-Hill, 1990.

Kupperschmid et al.  Un paso mαs: Cuaderno/Manual de laboratorio.  New York: Mc Graw-Hill, 1990.

 

Other:

A package of Index Cards and a Spiral Notebook

http://faculty.mnsfld.edu/wkeeth

http://www.mhhe.com/socscience/worldlanguages/spanish/home_spanish.mhtml

http://www.mnsfld.edu/languagelab

 

Suggested Material:

Texts:

The University of Chicago Spanish Dictionary. Chicago: The U of Chicago P, 1987.

Farell, Edith R. Side by Side Spanish & English Grammar. Chicago: Passport Books, 1995.

Keenan, Joseph J. Breaking Out of Beginner’s Spanish. Austin: U of Texas P, 1994.

Noble, Judith. Complete Handbook of Spanish Verbs. Illinois: Passport Books, 1992.

Spinelli, Emily. English Grammar for Students of Spanish. Michigan: The Olivia and Hill Press, 1994.

 

Course Goals:

 

• Increase pronunciation skills and recognition of vocabulary.

• Ask and answer questions.

• Extend basic survival Spanish skills and vocabulary, so as to discuss or write about interests, experiences, opinions, and perceptions in Spanish.

• Lengthen utterances and group ideas into paragraphs and narratives.

• Narrate and understand narration in the present, past, and future tenses.

• Begin to support opinions, hypothesize, and discuss abstract topics.

• Speak Spanish as much as possible under controlled circumstances (casual talks, classroom discussions, dialogues, questions, and literary debate.)

• Broaden one’s geographical and cultural competencies.

• Develop basic reading (journalistic and texts) and writing skills (short paragraphs) in Spanish.

 

System of Evaluation:

 

Standards of Measurement

Criteria and Weight

 

Class Attendance: …………………..5%

Class Journal: ………………………5%

Homework:………………………….5%

Oral Competency:…………………...5%

Compositions: ……………………..10%

Quizzes (3): ………………………..20%

Midterm: …………………………..20%

Oral Presentation: …………………..5%

Final Listening Exam: ………………5%

Final Exam: ………………………..20%

 

 

 

 

Important Dates

February 6th, Quiz 1

February 27th, Midterm

March 3rd, Composition 1

March 29th, Quiz 2

April 16th, Composition 2

April 19th, Quiz 3

April 26th-28th, Oral Presentation

April 30th, Listening Final

May 5th, Final Exam

 

 

Class Attendance:

 

All students are expected to attend every class. Missing a class does not release a student from any class obligations. Students should keep in touch with classmates and be sure to contact their professor in advance of any absence. Any absence will result in a 15% reduction in the student’s Class Attendance grade. The professor is NOT obligated to assist students in making-up work missed due to an official field trip, due to an official university function, or due to an illness. Students, however, MAY request permission to miss a class and arrange to make-up missed work prior to their absence. This type of arrangement can wave the 15% attendance reduction, but MUST be completed at least 24 hours prior to an absence or illness. Students MAY be required to provide documents supporting their request. Electronic submission of written work is an effective way of handing in required written work by a specified deadline, especially when a student expects to be absent.

 

Journal and Pen Pal:

 

Via the Internet, students are able to directly access information from Spanish speaking countries, listen to the radio or watch TV in Spanish, and even communicate with native-speakers. For this reason, students in this class will need to find a Spanish speaking Pen Pal over the internet or will need to correspond weekly with a classmate via e-mail. This correspondence should reflect common day experiences and topics. Each week a printed copy of this correspondence and any notes taken during class or at home will need added to the Class Journal. The Journals will be collected and graded on a random basis throughout the semester. The purpose of the Pen Pal correspondence and the Journal is to allow students to expand upon and review their class material—one of the most essential parts of a foreign language class.

 

Homework:

 

Exercises in the Workbook/Laboratory Manual should be completed and self-corrected in a timely manner in the Lab and/or at home. Please make corrections with a different color pen. These exercises may be checked/graded in class daily or handed in upon request. No late lessons will be accepted. The purpose of these activities is to drill and practice essential areas of study.

 

Oral Competency:

 

Oral competency will be tested throughout the semester by giving students informal oral activities, questions, and/or pop quizzes during class. Oral competency will be measured by how well a student answers simple questions, performs oral activities, or responds to oral quizzes in class. If a student can communicate an idea, it will be assumed that a "good-faith effort" has been made. On the other hand, refusing to answer, answering in English, or answering in a strange or inappropriate manner will prevent a student from earning a high grade. It will be assumed that a student will be able to converse without using his/her notes. If they are used, this will tend to lower the oral grade.

 

Compositions:

 

During this course, students will prepare two typed compositions (Times New Roman 12, double spaced). The first one will be a one-page letter to a friend and the second one will be a two-page or longer exposition related to a Hispanic cultural practice. The second composition should have a purpose and/or introduction, body, conclusion. The instructor will provide further information regarding each composition’s preparation.

 

Quizzes:

 

Quizzes allow the instructor to test student internalization of the grammatical aspects, listening, reading, and writing skills, as well as, the cultural, literary, and geographical information presented in class.  Please note: quizzes cannot be made up.

 

Midterm and Final Exam:

 

These tests are comprehensive written examinations. They usually consist of two sections: a listening-comprehension section and a written section. Like exams, they cannot be made up.

 

Oral Presentation: In a three to five minute oral presentation, students will expand upon the theme of their second written composition. For instance, they may describe and field questions related to a historical event, site, or cultural and/or artistic tradition that characterizes the country they have chosen. More detailed information will be provided in class.

 

Study Method:

 

Students should try to spend more time study the most difficult topics first and should always study in short periods (an hour that includes a 5 to 10 minute break). Creating and sticking to a study schedule is very important. Weekends can represent valuable moments for studying more difficult areas. If, for some reason, a student begins to feel that the demands placed upon his/her time, energy, and intellect are unremitting; s/he is expected to seek both the professor’s help and outside tutoring.

 

Conduct:

 

Academic honesty, the submission of original work, and student interaction is expected in this class. Any form of cheating may result in failure of the course. Additional information concerning academic honesty can be found in the Password.

 

The Syllabus:

 

This syllabus serves as a contractual agreement. Presence in this class means that you agree to the items stipulated in the syllabus and are aware of any modifications made throughout the semester. One should periodically check the course web site for any updates to the syllabus and/or class calendar.

 

Class records and Grades:

 

Oversee your grade by monitoring your progress and maintaining contact with your instructor. Any student material or record that has been returned to the student becomes the student's responsibility to maintain as a permanent record for the course. Students are responsible for picking up any materials that are made available to them or are returned in class. If a student loses these records and the professor does not have a copy of the material available, the student will receive a failing grade for the particular activity.

 

Other: If a student has a disability requiring any accommodations, s/he needs to contact the professor at the beginning of the semester. 100 or 200 level courses may not be taken pass/fail to fulfill any GE requirements. Contact the Office of the Provost or Study Abroad Advisor for information about studying abroad.