MW 5:55PM-7:10PM 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 300, a decisive course to begin studying Spanish at an advanced level, has been designed for students who have completed two years of instruction in Spanish (or can demonstrate an equivalent level of proficiency) and plan to continue studying the language.

• To develop reading skills in Spanish so that students can understand all different kinds of texts and interact with other readers about their content.
• To learn how to use different types of reference material, such as dictionaries and encyclopaedias, in both printed and digital formats.
• To incorporate the reading abilities learned during the course into class discussions, daily conversations, and creative endeavors.

• The Oxford Spanish Dictionary. New International Edition. Spanish-English/English-Spanish. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1996 (Please do not purchase any other dictionary).
• Long, Villar & Meuser. Hacia la literatura. New York: John Wiley & Sons, 1998.
• Selection of readings prepared for the course.
• 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.

You must be exposed to Spanish and use Spanish in order to learn it, so you really want to be in class and benefit from it. Class discussions, presentations 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. Make sure you get the phone number of at least two classmates:

Name________________________ Phone_____________

Name________________________ Phone_____________

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.

If you have to miss a class, you have to notify your instructor ahead of time (either by e-mail or a written notice left in mail box). 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: