SPAN302: Reading and Writing Skills Development                         Dept. of Modern and Classical Languages

Fall 2007 M-W 7:20 p.m. - 10:00pm

Thompson 227                                                                                  George Mason University
Professor: Eileen Requena                                                                   Office: Thompson 234 C
                                                                                                         Office hours: Wednesdays after class

Email: erequena@gmu.edu                                                                 

Web: mason.gmu.edu/~erequena/302.htm

 

Course description

SPAN 302 is designed for students who have completed SPAN 202 or 209 or, achieved an appropriate placement test score (or, can demonstrate an equivalent level of proficiency) and plan to continue studying the language. This six-credit course introduces reading and writing strategies to begin studying Spanish at an advanced level.

 

Objectives

1.       To develop reading skills in Spanish so that students can understand different kinds of texts and interact with other readers about their content, structure, and style.

2.       To develop written skills in Spanish so that students can produce different kinds of texts.

3.       To enhance the process of writing by means of both a peer review process and a draft/feedback/revision process.

4.       To incorporate the reading and writing abilities learned throughout the course into class discussions, daily conversations and creative endeavors.

5.       To learn how to use different types of reference materials, especially printed dictionaries.

 

Materials

1.       Colombi, Pelliterri & Rodríguez. Palabra abierta. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2007.

2.       The Oxford Spanish Dictionary. Spanish-English/English-Spanish. Oxford: Oxford University Press (Optional - Please do not purchase any other dictionary). Online diccionaries are helpful, i.e. wordreference.com 

3.       Selection of readings prepared for the course and distributed in class.

4.       E-mail account and experience in using the Web.  If you are not familiar with the Web, STAR offers classes.

5.       Diskette or USB Memory Stick to store your work.  Print card to print your class assignments.

 

Assessment

The progress made by students in this class will be evaluated according to the following criteria:

 

        Preparation, participation and homework         30%            

        Graded written assignments                          30%            

        Film project                                                 15%

        Final exam                                                   25%

 

The final letter grade for the class will be assigned as follows:

98-100  A+    87-89   B+      77-79  C+                  60-69 D

93-97    A      83-86   B        73-76  C                      0-59 F

90-92    A-     80-82   B-       70-72  C-

                                                                                                       

Preparation, participation and homework

Students are required to contribute to all class discussions and are expected to speak only Spanish. In order to actively participate in class, students need to read the material assigned for each class, and do the homework and class activities assigned by the instructor. Class activities will include a variety of readings and writing 150-200 word paragraphs every class meeting. Students that arrive late are being disruptive and may also miss some important information given at the beginning of class. Students are responsible for all material covered in class.  It is important to exchange phone and e-mail information with at least two classmates in the event absence from class is unavoidable.

 

Graded written assignments

Graded written assignments will be collected throughout the semester which will be completed at home. You will have two types of written assignments:  1) Short ones which correspond to interactuando con el texto, creando textos,  grammatical activities sections of the book or random classroom essays assigned by the instructor, 2) long, more elaborated and global ones which are due after every chapter and start with a 300-word composition and end with a 500-word composition as the semester progresses (With long assignments students submit their final version once and then the instructor returns them with some key corrections, then students correct any mistakes the best they can and submit them a second time, attached with the first version.)  All homework submitted is for a grade and has to be typed, double-spaced, and labeled correctly. Late assignments will not be Accepted.

 

Group Film project

The end-of-the-semester film project will be based on one of several movies related to the topics covered in this course. The project includes an oral presentation as well as a research paper. There will be two separate grades for the film project: the first one will be based on the oral performance of each student, the second grade will be based on the research paper. More details will be given in class.

 

 

Final Exam

There will be one written test in this course.  This exam will evaluate the students’ ability to interact with a text and write about it using the strategies and skills learned in class. 

 

hONOR cODE

Exams, presentations and all written assignments must be done independently unless your professor tells you otherwise. Consult the GMU Honor Code for complete information and description of the Honor Code.  Here is the link: 

(http://jiju.gmu.edu/catalog/apolicies/honor.html). 

 

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.

As a courtesy to your fellow students and to your professor, please turn off all cell phones and pagers and store

them out of sight during class time.

 

 

CONTENIDO

Introducción

1. Las relaciones: Descubriendo los lazos humanos

 

2.Globalización: Entrando al nuevo milenio

3. La mujer y su entorno social

4. Fronteras: La experiencia latina en los Estados Unidos

5. El realismo mágico: Una visión latinoamericana del mundo

6. La identidad de los latinos:

«Dos culturas, dos lenguas y dos visiones del mundo»

Presentaciones en grupo / Película en español

Miércoles  12 de diciembre  7:30 pm - 10:15 pm  -  EXAMEN FINAL

http://registrar.gmu.edu/calendars/fall07examschedule.pdf

*sujeto a cambios