SPANISH 351
Spring 2006 **Diccionario diario de la clase**
TR
Course
Syllabus
Prof. Erin McCabe
Instructor, Spanish Department
Office: Thompson 215b
Telephone: 703-993-1229
Office hours: TR 1030-1130am,
and by
appointment
Email: emccabe@gmu.edu
Website: http://mason.gmu.edu/~emccabe (You will find many useful links
here)
Prerequisite: SPAN202, 209 or appropriate placement score, or permission of instructor.
1. Development of oral expression on topics of current interest and everyday situations, including written assignments.
2. Native speakers of Spanish, including students who speak Spanish at home, are not eligible to take this course.
· SPAN 351 is a post-intermediate level course for non-Spanish speaking students. The main goal is the development of vocabulary and strengthening of conversational skills through class discussions and oral and written reports on various topics.
· As we will make use of technology to support oral and written activities, you are expected to have a GMU e-mail account, and WWW basic-user skills. I am authorized by GMU to only send emails to your GMU account, so please make sure to have that activated (you may also have your GMU email forwarded to another account).
Required:
* García-Serrano, M. Victoria, C. de la Torre and A.
Grant Cash, ¡A Que sí! 3rd
edition
Highly Recommended:
* García-Serrano, M. Victoria, C. de la Torre and A. Grant Cash,
¡A Que sí! Cuaderno de Trabajo 3rd
edition
* Noble, Complete Handbook of Spanish
Verbs
* A good dictionary, such as The Oxford
Spanish Dictionary
Participation and Attendance: This is a conversation class, and you must be present to participate. Class participation is therefore crucial. You must be able to participate in the discussion and contribute your ideas at all times. No make-up work will be accepted for lost class time; this includes presentations.
In order for you to actively participate in class, you need to read in advance the material assigned for each class and do the activities assigned by the instructor, as outlined in the course schedule. Assignments will be collected every day. All written assignments must be typed, double spaced and include a word count; otherwise, they will not be accepted.
You are expected to attend all classes and to be on time. It is extremely disruptive when you are late, both to your classmates and to your instructor. A roll will be signed at the beginning of each class meeting; if you are late, it is your responsibility to ensure you have signed it. Please turn off your cell phones before coming to class! Otherwise, you will have to serenade all of us. Please see Participation explanation at the end of this syllabus for further clarification.
Preparation of Assignments and Homework: Throughout the semester, you will be doing a variety of assignments for homework. All writing assignments should be typed, double-spaced and include a word count. It is essential that you prepare the assignments as outlined in the course syllabus. If you have to miss a class, you may turn in the written assignment upon your return and write “Ausente” at the top. You may not turn in consecutively missed homeworks for any reason, unless discussed with me beforehand. If not due to an absence, late homework will not be graded. Additionally, if you are absent, please call a classmate to find out if there have been changes or announcements in class.
Diccionario
de la clase (enlace aquí):
Each class
will be full of new vocabulary and we will post a running list on my
website. Each student will be responsible for keeping track of
the list
on a specific day and sending it to me along with the definitions in
Spanish. The list is due to me by
Reportaje de tu país: On the first day of the semester, each student will be assigned one Spanish speaking country. Students will have to report to the rest of the class on the status of their research on their country and on which they will become specialists during this course. This report could include be regarding: general news, government and politics, economics, sports, the country's infrastructure, or culture. The report will be given orally, but a written paragraph (double-spaced, please) will be turned in every time a reportaje is due. This will be graded. If you are absent one day, refer to Preparation section above.
You may find various links at the following: Quiosco has revistas from all over the Spanish speaking world or listen to the radio, read a comic in Spanish or even watch a Spanish program and the GMU Spanish page on the web has also several newspapers from each Spanish speaking country and also radio and TV stations.
Class Projects and Presentations: During the course of the semester, you will be presenting individual and group presentations to the class (some announced and some impromptu). No notes are allowed during the presentations. Projects missed cannot be made up.
Quizzes and Final Exam Day: There are three (3) quizzes but no final exam. The quizzes will consist of vocabulary from the book and our “Diccionario de la clase” as well as topics covered in class. We are still scheduled to meet for the final on Tuesday, May 16 if we do not finish all the material and final presentations. That will be determined on the last class day. Quizzes missed cannot be made up.
Final Oral Presentation:
You will present a
Persuasion
speech to the class for your Final Oral Presentation. It is an open
topic and
of your choosing, and the topic must be given to me the week beforehand
(see
syllabus). The presentation
should be
at least 8 minutes, and it can be on culture, politics, GMU, etc.
You will not be able to read any notes
for your presentation. You can (and should) use
props,
pictures, etc. during your presentation to make it interesting.
For the presentation, you must also distribute a handout to your classmates and me. This should include: the title of your presentation, a short outline, and pertinent vocabulary (todo en español, por supuesto). Also, on the day of your presentation, you must turn in a typed version (double-spaced, word count, etc.) of your presentation, which will serve as your final exam, since we do not have one in this class. I will need to keep the copy for 6 months. Remember that spoken and written Spanish are different, so please pay attention to the differences when doing this final assignment.
Other students: While a student is presenting their final presentation, you need to think like a reporter and write questions that you can ask at the end of the presentation. Q&A should last at least 3-4 mins. If your questions are asked by another student, check them off on your sheet. You will turn this sheet in at the end of the class.
Extra Activities: During the semester, there will be several events that I will announce. Attendance is not mandatory, as some may be on days and times when you have other classes, but I encourage you to attend them. No extra credit.
Disability Services: If you are a student with a disability and you need academic accommodations, please see me and contact the Disability Resource Center (DRC) at 993-2474. All academic accommodations must be arranged through the DRC.
GRADING POLICY:
The final grade will be determined on the basis of the following:
Class
participation and
attendance
30%
Preparation of assignments and written homework
20%
Quizzes (3)
15%
Oral class projects, individual and group
presentations
20%
Final Oral
Presentation 15%
Total: 100%
Students are responsible for familiarizing themselves with, and respecting, the George Mason University Honor Code. Please be careful to appropriately cite sources and please be aware that “proofreading” from an outside source is a violation of academic honesty. If you have a tutor for this class, please let me know so we can discuss how to best help you. If you have any questions on what types of information and ideas must be referenced, or about the Honor Code, you should direct these to me.
The A student: Attends class on time, has prepared all the homework, pays attention to the instructor and fellow students, asks questions and speaks in Spanish all the time, actively participates and volunteers, stays on task in group and class work, learns from mistakes.
The B student: Attends class on time, has prepared the homework, speaks Spanish but also uses some English, participates and volunteers most of the time, stays on task in group and class work, makes a few mistakes that have been discussed in class.
The C student: Misses class, has not prepared all the homework, does not make an effort to speak in class or in Spanish, sometimes participates in group and class work, does not learn from mistakes.
The D student: Misses a lot of classes or comes in late, does not prepare homework, does not make an effort to speak in class or in Spanish, is disruptive during class, and does not stay on task during group or class work.
Please note, active participation is integral to this class; showing up for class does not constitute an A participation grade. Since this is a conversation class, you must use your Spanish. We’ll help you! :)