Introduction to Spanish (Part II)

Spanish 1102

Summer 2003

 

 

 

Prof. William Keeth

E-mail: wkeeth@mnsfld.edu

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

Office:  Belknap 110-C

Hours:  MTWTh (12:00-1PM) or by appointment.

 

"The person who learns two languages is worth two people."

Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra

 

 

Required material:

 

Texts:                           Knore, et. al.  Puntos de partida.  6th Ed.  Boston: McGraw-Hill, 2001.

 

Other Resources:           Puntos de partida CD-Rom, E-Lab Manual, E-Workbook.

http://www.mnsfld.edu/~wkeeth

http://coursework.mnsfld.edu/puntos/startpc.htm

                                   http://www.mnsfld.edu/languagelab/

http://www.mhhe.com/socscience/spanish/puntos/student_index.mhtml

Other:

                                   Flash Cards

 

Suggested Material:

 

Texts:

Castillo, Carlos, et. al.  The University of Chicago Spanish Dictionary.  Chicago: U of Chicago P, 2002.

Lacasa, Jaime.  The Complete Handbook of Spanish Verbs.  Lincolnwood, Ill.: Passport Books, 1984.

Spinelli, Emily.  English Grammar for Students of Spanish.  Ann Arbor, Mich. : Olivia and Hill Press, 1998.

Butt, John.  Spanish Grammar.  New York : Oxford University Press, 1996.

 

Overview of course: 

 

In this course we will continue to develop fundamental speaking, listening, reading, and writing skills--our point of departure being those skills acquired in Spanish 1101. These skills will be practiced daily in both class and group activities.  Emphasis will be given to everyday communication situations and the format for evaluation will reflect this concentration.  Students can expect to encounter a variety of activities that focus on cultural awareness.  Homework and laboratory work are required daily.

 

Specific Course Goals:

Textbook Timetable:

● Recognize and use basic vocabulary, idiomatic expressions, and grammar.

 

Cycle Diagram

● Build written or verbal messages in Spanish that reflect class activities and the fundamental skills of communication that are introduced in class (speaking, writing, listening, and reading).

● Use guessing/prediction strategies and grammatical forms in language production.

● Recognize culturally relevant information and demeanor.

● Return conversation in casual talks, classroom discussions, dialogues, group work and questions.

 

 

System of Evaluation:

Standards of Measurement

 Criteria and Weight*

 

Class Participation……….….20%

E-Lab………………..………10%

E-Workbook…………….…...10%

Midterm…………………..….25%

Final Exam……….…....…….35%

 

Total:                                   100%

*Specific due dates will be listed on the Class Calendar (See class web page) and/or assigned periodically in class.

 

Important Dates:

Midterm – June 10th, 2003

Final Exam –  June 19th, 2003

 

Midterm and Final Exam:

Students MUST take the Midterm and Final Exam on the day scheduled for examination. If a student is absent, then s/he will receive a zero (unless the student has made a prior arrangement with the professor’s approval). The Midterm and Final Listening Exam will be comprehensive and accumulative in content. The idea of “dropping of low score” does NOT exist in this course.

 

Homework and Lab Activities:

It is the student’s responsibility to complete and turn in the score record for each CD-ROM workbook and lab exercise that is assigned in class.  These records will be collected by email and graded throughout the summer session (see “Use and Submission of Electronic Homework and Lab Exercises”).  Work needs to be turned in by 10 pm daily or it will not be counted. 

 

Class Participation: 

Each student can expect his/her class participation to be evaluated in accordance with the general guideline for “Class Participation” and in accordance with the system of “Scoring Class Participation”.

All students are expected to attend every class. Any complete absence will result in a 15% reduction in the student’s Participation grade; any partial absence (over 15 minutes) will result in a maximum score of 2.5 for the day.

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. 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.

 

Suggested Method of Study: 

1) Class Journal and Daily Review—Apart from completing homework assignments and attending class, students should keep a class journal (notes, diagrams, etc. related to Spanish, made both in and out of class).  This journal should be reviewed (at length) following each class and briefly looked at prior to each class session. This activity allows one to pay closer attention to the material, raise questions in class sessions, and keep continually “fresh”—one of the most essential parts of learning a foreign language.

2) Establishing Priorities—Students should try to study the most difficult Spanish topics first and dedicate more time studying these areas later, especially prior to exams.

3) Avoiding Burnout—Students should always study in multiple, staggered, short blocks of time.  Each block should be no more than an hour and should include 5 to 10 minute breaks.  Integrating numerous small blocks of study time into the weekly schedule is empowering.

4) Consistency—Creating and sticking to a study schedule is very important. For many students, weekends represent more valuable moments of study.  Reserve these moments for studying ahead and resolving any problematic areas of study.

5) Positively Influencing One's HorizonEach student needs to periodically assess this course’s requirements, his/her degree of success and failure, his/her expectations, and the direction of energies applied to this course.  This helps to opportunely adjust study strategies or seek outside help, either with the professor or a tutor.

 

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.