SPN 202: INTERMEDIATE SPANISH II

SYLLABUS- FALL 2004

Instructor: Profesora A. Balena

Office Hours: M-W-F 11:00 a.m. until 12:00 p.m.

Office: Leutze Hall Room 290

Website: http://people.uncw.edu/balenaa/

Office Phone: 962-7922

E-mail: balenaa@uncw.edu

COURSE DESCRIPTION:  Spanish 202 is the second part of the two-course sequence of intermediate Spanish offered at UNCW.  The course practices, reviews and amplifies the grammar and communication skills acquired in previous Spanish courses.  This section of 202 supplements the grammatical and cultural material presented in the texts by devoting portions of class time to informal oral communication in Spanish.  Spanish 202 will focus on chapters 5-9 of the textbook series Conexiones.  Prerequisites for the course include having passed Spanish 201 at UNCW or having passed into the course via the placement exam.

COURSE OBJECTIVES:  The instructional goal of this class is to continue to develop your communication skills in Spanish.  The emphasis is on listening and speaking, but you will continue to develop your reading and writing skills as well.  You will practice these four skills through learning about different cultures, making cognitive and social connections during in-class group work and through completing written assignments.

REQUIRED TEXTBOOK AND MATERIALS: 

• Conexiones, 2^nd Edition, by Zayas-Bazán, Bacon and García.

• Conexiones Workbook/Lab Manual

• Spanish/English dictionary
• UNCW e-mail account (This is how I will communicate with the class, so be sure to check your mails and the web site daily.)
• Red pen (Always bring it to class!)

TESTING AND GRADES:  Your final grade will be based on the following factors:

Unit Tests (30%):  You will have three unit tests: one for textbook chapters 5 & 6, 7 & 8, and 9.  All tests will contain the following sections: listening comprehension, grammar, reading, culture and writing. 

Final Exam (15%):  The final exam will be comprehensive, so you will be responsible for material found in chapters 5-9.  Students with an A average (93 and above) at the end of the course do not have to take the final exam. 

Quizzes (15%):  The quizzes or pruebas will test your knowledge of vocabulary, verb conjugations, culture and listening comprehension.  There will be a total of roughly 10-15 quizzes.  I will drop your two lowest scores at the end of the semester.  There will be no make-ups for any reason.  Quizzes will be administered during the first 5-10 minutes of class, so be sure to be prepared and on time. 

Homework Assignments (15%):  You are expected to be prepared for every class period.  You are required to check your e-mail and print necessary materials from the online calendar everyday before class.  You must carefully read the assigned pages in the text, and then complete designated exercises in the text and/or Workbook.  For the Workbook, do the exercises in blue or black ink or in pencil, and then check your answers with a red pen (where applicable).  The answers for these exercises will be posted on the web site.  Do your original work first, and then self-correct your answers.  In order to receive credit for your work, you must correct your answers with a red pen.  Even straight A students will have corrections.  All exercises must be neatly written and all pages must be stapled before coming to class when your work is due.  No late work will be accepted. Homework assigned from the text will be taken up periodically for an effort grade, so don’t write in your answers in your textbook.  In addition to homework assignments, there will be in-class assignments usually done in pairs or in groups that may be turned in for a grade.

Oral Component (10%): You will complete two 5-minute oral presentations during the semester.  Specific guidelines as well as a grading rubric will be posted on the online course calendar for this assignment.

Composition (10%):  You will write two short (around 150 words) compositions that will test grammar, vocabulary usage, and overall writing skills.  These compositions must be typed (triple-space) using the vocabulary and grammar as indicated in the guidelines you will find on the online course calendar.  The rough draft will be graded and returned with some corrections. For example, errors will be circled, and the type of error indicated.  You will make corrections, and then turn in the final version.  The first and final versions of your composition will be graded the same way.  Your overall composition grade will be the average of those two grades.

Participation/Attendance (5%):  The participation grade is determined by your willingness to volunteer consistently, to participate meaningfully in group work, and to use Spanish to communicate in the classroom (avoiding English at all costs).  Take every opportunity to speak up, volunteer to read and engage in group or partner activities. That’s how learning will occur, and it’s a component essential to a successful, lively learning environment for everyone.

Students are expected to attend every class meeting.  You are allowed three absences during the semester for whatever reason (there are no “excused” absences).  Each absence over three will result in the lowering of your final average by one point.  In addition, you will receive a grade of 0 for any quizzes you miss, homework due on the days you are absent and any in-class assignments.  Students with 10 or more absences automatically fail this class.  Missing 15 minutes or more of a class counts as an absence.  If you have perfect attendance (absolutely no absences, no more than two tardies and your phone hasn’t rung or vibrated in class), you will receive three extra credit points on your final average. 

TARDY POLICY:  Three late arrivals equal one absence.  Being late means entering the classroom after I have closed the door to begin class.

MAKE-UP POLICY:  Tests can only be made up if the student calls me on the test day to let me know he or she is too ill to come to class, AND provides a doctor’s note, no exceptions.  Missed quizzes or homework grades cannot be made up.  It is not possible to make up the final.

E-MAIL BUDDIES: You are required to find two e-mail buddies for the semester.  These are people you will call on if you have a question about what was covered in class or what the next quiz will be on if you happened to be absent.  You may even want to organize a study group with your buddies for chapter tests or the final exam.  If you are having trouble printing, ask your e-mail buddy to make an extra copy for you.  If you have a personal question, by all means, contact me, but any other issues, communicate with your buddies first.

GRADE SCALE:

CLASSROOM ETIQUETTE: 

·    Turn off all cell phones, beepers and other electronic devices before entering the classroom.  Any noise from one of these devices will result in the owner's being counted absent for that class period. If you are striving for perfect attendance, TURN OFF YOUR PHONE before entering class!

      ·    Be on time.  Three tardies equal one absence.

      ·    Food, beverages and tobacco products are prohibited in all UNCW classrooms. 

•   Have fun.  Don’t be shy and enjoy yourself.

ACADEMIC HONESTY:  Students in this course are expected to abide by the Academic Honor Code.  Please read the Student Handbook and Code of Student Life to see what constitutes cheating and what the consequences are:  http://www.uncw.edu/stuaff/doso/code/index.html

SPECIAL NEEDS: UNCW Disability Services supplies information about disability law, documentation procedures and accommodations.  This information can be found at http://www.uncw.edu/stuaff/SDS/disability.html 

If you have a disability and need reasonable accommodations in this course, you should inform me of this fact in writing within the first week of class or as soon as possible.  If you have not done so already, you must register with the UNCW Office of Disability Services.  Procedures for doing this are available at the web site listed above.

IF YOU NEED EXTRA HELP:  It's very important to me that you know you can count on me to give you my very best each and every class.  Sometimes, though, you may need extra help or explanation.  When this is the case, seek tutoring at The Tutoring and Learning Center.  There, you'll receive free tutoring for this class (and for many others, too) which can make all the difference for a struggling student.  Tutoring can help you get back on track and help you stay on track.  The Tutoring and Learning Center http://www.uncw.edu/stuaff/tlc/ is located on the second floor of Randall Library, and the phone number is 962-3549.  Don't wait until you're floundering in a sea of irregular verb conjugations; contact The Tutoring and Learning Center sooner rather than later!