UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AT WILMINGTON

 

 SPN 120: Fundamentals of Spanish

spring 2008

Instructor: Miguel  a. Jimenez

BEAR HALL 123

                                  Office hours: m--w-f 12 TO 12:50 and by appointment

Contact:  jimenezm@uncw.edu

 

REQUIRED MATERIALS FOR SPA 120

  1. Mosaicos by Prentice Hall. 4th edition.
  2. Mosaicos Online Activities Manual

COURSE DESCRIPTION

Our instructional goal is to develop your ability to communicate in Spanish. Learning how to communicate in Spanish (or any other foreign language) can be useful and fun. You can learn how to do it if you devote the necessary time and attention. This course is taught almost entirely in Spanish. By the end of the semester you should be at the novice level in the basic skills of reading, writing, speaking, and listening in Spanish. You should be able to carry on simple conversations with a “sympathetic” Spanish speaker/listener on a limited number of topics centering on yourself, your family and friends. Your Spanish will include some errors since that is the nature of language learning. We expect you to dedicate time, attention, and to make progress during the semester. This course is for students with two years of High School Spanish. In this course Chapter 3 to 9 will be covered, beginning with a review of the first 2 chapters of basic Spanish.

 

COURSE OBJECTIVES

  1. Establish basic vocabulary and grammatical skills needed for simple communication in Spanish
  2. Develop basic listening, reading and writing skills in Spanish
  3. Develop good pronunciation in Spanish
  4. Acquire a basic understanding and appreciate the different Hispanic cultures

PARTICIPATION.

REGULAR ATTENDANCE AND ACTIVE PARTICIPATION ARE NECESSARY IN ORDER TO ACHIVE THE GOAL OF THIS COURSE. You should prepare the lesson on the syllabus BEFORE the class meeting. Most vocabulary and grammar study will be completed outside of class in order to use class time more efficiently for communicative practice. The classroom is the place for practice and putting what you learned at home into action. Please don’t fall behind! If you know you are going to miss class, get the assignment for the next class period from a classmate and study ahead. Remember that a great percentage of your grade will be determined on the basis of your listening comprehension and speaking ability in class. To make sure that you do great in class, attend class regularly, participate everyday, prepare your classes, go to the language lab and complete your homework.

 

 

ATTENDANCE

In this class you will be allowed 3 ABSENCES during the term for whatever reason (doctor’s appointment, family emergencies, job interviews, athletic events, etc.). Each absence over 3 will result in the lowering of your final grade by 5 points [the common policy for our entire Spanish section]. ANY STUDENT MISSING 10 OR MORE CLASSES IN THE MWF CLASS OR 7 IN THE MW CLASS FOR WHATEVER REASONS AUTOMATICALLY FAILS THE COURSE.

 

 

GRADING SCALE (DEPARTMENT OF FOREIGN LANGUAGE AND LITERATURES)

 

A = 93 and above     C = 73-76 
A- = 90-92                  C-= 70-72
B+ = 87-89                 D+ = 67-69    
B = 83-86                    D = 63-66      
B-= 80-82                    D- = 60-62     
C+ = 77-79                 F = 59 and below  

 

 

WORKBOOK/HOMEWORK/IN-CLASS ASSIGNEMTS/QUIZZES 30%

All assignments are due by the time the class starts on the day due. If you can’t make it to class for whatever reasons, make sure you leave it in my box or send it to a classmate that you can trust. All assignments and homework are due by the time the class starts on the day due.. Online workbook and lab manual assignements will have a due date in the online workbook. All students will have to register with their workbook code at http://books.quia.com . Our SPN 120 course code is MMER794. Here are the printable instructions to do it.

 

Students should expect one unannounced quiz per week at the beginning of classes. The quizzes will include all material that has been covered previously, that means that all quizzes are cumulative. The lowest quiz grade will be dropped at the end of the semester.

 

TESTS 40%

Students will take four tests: one for the basic spanish review and one every two chapters. The chapter exams will have both oral and written parts.. There are NO make-ups for tests, quizzes, homework or in-class assignments. Test can be taken prior to the test date. Please contact the instructor with sufficient notice if you can't make it to a test in order to reschedule.

 

PARTICIPATION AND PREPARATION 10%

As explained above, participation is essential to this course and consists of completion of assignments, attendance, use of Spanish in class, participation in-group activities, preparation for class and effort. Students should only focus on Spanish while in class. In order to make sure that the students are prepared for class, the instructor will randomly pick up preparation work for this class several times throughout the semester. Click on the participation link to see how the grade is determined.

 

ORAL PROFICIENCY INTERVIEW (FINAL EXAM) 20 %

The final exam will be oral and students will take it in pairs. It is designed to test how well you can use what you have learned. Everything we will do in class will prepare you for this, there fore participation is crucial to preparation.

 

 

CALENDARIO

 

Students must study the day’s textbook material and complete the corresponding exercises BEFORE coming to class. Please check our SPN 120 WebCT for an updated schedule. The calendar will be updated weekly. Make sure you check the calendar before coming to class.

 

OTHER IMPORTANT INFORMATION

 

-Information about Dissability Services and possible accommodations can be found here.

-Free tutoring for our SPN 120 class is offered at the University Learning Services.

-Saftety on Campus: UNCW practices a zero-tolerance policy for violence and harassment of any kind. For emergencies contact UNCW CARE at 9622273, Campus Police at 9623184, or Wilmington Police at 911. For University or community resources visit http://uncw.edu/wrc/crisis.htm

-Spanish Program Website : http://www.uncw.edu/fll/slp/

  

ACADEMIC HONESTY

 

Students in this course are expected to abide by the Academic Honor Code. Please read this section in the Student Handbook and Code of Student Life to see what constitutes cheating and what the consequences are. Please cut and paste the following Statement of Responsibility and bring it to class the first week of classes.

 

STUDENT STATEMENT OF RESPONSIBILITY

 

Students should read, sign and turn this page in to the instructor no later than 17/1/2008.

(Please, cut and paste this part in a Word document and print it)

 

I have read and I understand all policies stated in this syllabus. I understand that these policies apply to me and I agree to abide by them. I also understand that it is my responsibility to be aware of these policies, and I will accept any consequences that result if I do not follow them.

 

 

 

_______________________________                      __________________

Student’s signature                                                  Date