R 4:30PM-7:10PM T117 Professor: Esperanza Román Mendoza Telephone: 993-1232 E-mail: eromanme

Department of Modern and Classical Languages George Mason University Office: Thompson 235A Office hours: TR 2:00-3:00PM and by appointment

• Course Description
• Objectives
• Materials
• Attendance
• Assessment
• Tentative program

Span 461 has been designed for students who have completed 15 credit hours of instruction in Spanish (or can demonstrate an equivalent level of proficiency). Span 461 reviews the history of Spain from the prehistoric times to the present, covering Spanish achievements in literature and the arts as well.

• To identify important names, dates and events in Spanish History.
• To write small essays on topics related to the Spanish Civilization and Culture.
• To consult reference materials to find additional information on research themes.

• Quesada Marco, Sebastián: Curso de civilización española. Houghton Mifflin Company: Boston, 1997.
• E-mail account and experience in using it. If you are not familiarized with e-mail, UCIS and the university libraries offer free workshops on how to use PINE and other Internet-related applications.

Class discussions, videos and activities provide the kind of interaction in Spanish that you cannot get at home. For this reason, there is no substitution for attendance. You are expected to attend all classes and be on time.

If you arrive late you are being disruptive and you may also miss some important information given at the beginning which cannot be repeated every time a student is late. You are responsible for all material covered in class. Keep in mind that irregular attendance will severely affect your learning process and, consequently, your final grade in this course. In case of an emergency, you are expected to let your instructor know about it as soon as possible.

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

Participation means active involvement in the class. Students are encouraged to contribute in class discussions and are expected to speak only Spanish. The participation grade includes:

1. your contribution in Spanish in regular class sessions, in group activities, and in electronic discussions;
2. the grades of the collected assignments and quizzes;
3. your cooperation and leadership in group and pair work, and
4. your respect and attitude towards your peers and the class.

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. Assignments and quizzes will be collected regularly.

Every student will receive two sets of copies on two different course topics and will write an approximately 1,000-word summary/essay on each topic. The first paper is due Thursday, March 5^th. The second paper is due on Thursday, April 30^th. More details about the papers in class.

Students will prepare a ten-minute presentation on a topic assigned by the instructor. A written version of the presentation will be submitted through e-mail to the whole class. More details in class.

There will be two written tests in this course: a midterm and a final exam. These exams will evaluate the student’s ability to identify important names, events and dates related to the Spanish Culture, and to write short essays on topics covered in class. The midterm exam will be administered on Thursday, March 6^th, 1998. The final exam will be administered on May 7^th from 4:30 pm to 7:15 pm.

HONOR CODE: Collaboration is the best way to learn a language. You are encouraged to help each other and to make use of outside resources. Nevertheless, on assignments which are submitted for a grade, your work must be yours alone. Consult the GMU Honor Code for information.