Spanish 120 Fundamentals of Spanish Fall 2008
Professor: Dr. Ashlee S. Balena
E-Mail: balenaa@uncw.edu
Website: http://people.uncw.edu/balenaa
Phone: 962-2175
Office: Bear 123
Office Hours: MWF 11:00 a.m. 12:00 p.m. & 2:00 p.m. 2:45 p.m. or by appt.
Prerequisite: Two years of high school Spanish and appropriate placement exam score.
Course Description: The course objective is to attain basic reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills through intensive listening and speaking practice. The course will follow an accelerated pace since it is intended for students with two units of high school Spanish or an appropriate departmental placement exam score. Learning strategies include daily vocabulary and grammar exercises, conversation, quizzes, discussion of topics related to Spanish and Spanish-American culture and written assignments. The course is conducted in Spanish and demands the active participation of each student on a daily basis.
Course Objectives: The instructional goal of this class is to develop communication skills in Spanish with an emphasis on listening and speaking, but you will develop your reading and writing skills as well. You will practice these four skills by learning about different cultures, making cognitive and social connections during in-class group work, and by completing written assignments.
Required Textbook and Materials:
Grade Distribution:
Tests (3):
35% Oral Test:
5% Homework:
10% Compositions (2):
10%
Current Events: 10% Final Exam:
20%
Vocabulary Quizzes 10%
Grading Scale:
93-100 A 80-82 B- 67-69 D+
90-92 A- 77-79 C+ 63-66 D
87-89 B+ 73-76 C 60-62 D-
83-86 B 70-72 C- 0-59 F
Academic Honor Code: Students in this course are expected to abide by the Academic Honor Code. Please read the Student Handbook and Code of Student Life or more information: http://www.uncw.edu/stuaff/doso/code/index.html
Safety on campus:
UNCW practices a zero-tolerance policy for violence and harassment of any kind. For emergencies contact UNCW CARE at 962-2273, Campus Police at 962-3184, or Wilmington Police at 911. For University or community resources visit http://uncw.edu/wrc/crisis.htm.
Make-up Policy: Homework cannot be made up. It must be submitted on time. Tests, compositions, and the oral test can only be made up with proper documentation (i.e. doctors note), and must be made up within one week of the date in which it was to be done in class. There is no make-up for the final exam.
Common Attendance Policy:
a) All students enrolled in Spanish language courses at UNCW (SPN 101, 102, 120, 201, 202) are allotted three free absences for classes that meet MWF and two free absences for classes that meet TR or MW.
b) For each absence in excess of the limit stated in a) above, five points will be deducted from the final grade.
c) Any student who misses more than eight classes will automatically fail the course.
Students participating in university-sponsored events (athletics, conferences, etc.) will be excused as long as they provide documentation of their absence before the event (i.e. schedule of games presented at the beginning of the semester). There is no way to make up an absence, so please keep track of your absences throughout the semester.
Disability Services: If you have a disability and need reasonable accommodations in this course, you should inform the professor of this fact in writing within the first week of class. If you have not done so already, you must register with the UNCW Office of Disability Services. UNCW Disability Services supplies information about disability law, documentation procedures and accommodations. This information can be found at http://www.uncw.edu/stuaff/disability/.
Useful Services at UNCW:
E-Workbook Registration Instructions:
Blackboard:
Grades, assignments, and handouts from this class will be available online on Blackboard. It is your responsibility to print and bring to class any handouts that you may want to use. As a general rule, no handouts will be distributed in class. To get to the Blackboard site for this course, follow these steps:
Classroom Policies:
Tests: You will have three tests (one for every three chapters). They will have listening, reading, and writing portions, with a focus on grammar and usage.
Homework: All homework is assigned on the Quia website. Please complete the homework by the deadline listed on the Quia website. Be sure to do both the workbook and lab manual portions.
Oral Test: You will have one speaking test. It will be once you have completed all 3 of the written tests. It will consist of a five minute conversation in Spanish with the instructor near the end of the semester. The oral test will be conducted during class time. Your instructor will assign you a date and time to take the oral test.
Compositions: You will write one composition in Spanish that will be divided into a rough draft and final draft. First, you will write the rough draft in class that will be graded and returned to you. Then, you will make corrections and turn in a polished copy at least 1-page typed, triple-spaced, in 12-pt font. You will receive two separate grades for your work. The possible topics are: 1) La familia (a description of your family) and 2) El tiempo libre (what you do in your free time).
Quizzes: You will have several short vocabulary quizzes throughout the semester. Your lowest score will be automatically dropped. There are NO make-ups for quizzes, however you may schedule to take a quiz early if you know you will be absent on the quiz day.
Cultural Events: You are required to attend or participate in two cultural events during the semester. These events can be university-sponsored (such as a concert by a Latino artist or a film in Spanish), but do not have to be. There will be a list of possible events distributed to you via email and/or on Blackboard. After participating in or attending an event, please complete the cultural events response form (in Spanish) and submit it to your instructor by the assigned due date.
Final Exam: The final exam will be cumulative and will have listening, reading, and writing portions. All final exams must be taken during the university-designated time.
Class day and time: Exam date and time:
SPN 120-013 (M-W-F 8 a.m.) Dec. 10, 8:00 a.m. 11:00 a.m.
SPN 120-014 (M-W-F 9 a.m.) Dec. 12, 8:00 a.m. 11:00 a.m.
SPN 120-015 (M-W-F 10 a.m.) Dec. 8, 8:00 a.m. 11:00 a.m.
SPN 120-018 (M-W-F 1 p.m.) Dec. 8, 11:30 a.m. 2:30 p.m.
SPN 120-019 (M-W-F 3 p.m.) Dec. 12, 3:00 p.m. 6:00 p.m.