Angelina College Liberal Arts Division Spanish 2311 Intermediate Spanish Instructional Syllabus

Transcription

1 Angelina College Liberal Arts Division Spanish 2311 Intermediate Spanish Instructional Syllabus 4/25/14 I. Basic Course Information A. Course Description (as stated in the bulletin, including necessary prerequisite courses, credit hours) (Three hours credit) The consolidation of skills acquired at the introductory level. Further development of proficiency in listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Emphasis on comprehension, appreciation, and interpretation of the cultures of the Spanish-speaking world. Pre-requisite: SPAN 1411 and SPAN 1412, or two years of Spanish in an accredited high school. Three lecture hours each week. B. Intended Audience Spanish 2311 is an academic course designed for students with prior knowledge of the language. See pre-requisites above. This course satisfies three credit hours of Foreign Languages requirements at most institutions of higher education. C. Instructor Name: Tim Ditoro Office location: Angelina College, Crockett Center Office hours: by appointment Telephone: (936) Fax: (936) II. Intended Student Outcomes A. Core Objectives Required for this Course 1. Critical Thinking: to include creative thinking, innovation, inquiry and analysis, evaluation and synthesis of information. 2. Communication: to include effective development, interpretation and expression of ideas through written, oral, and visual communication. 3. Social Responsibility: to include intercultural competence, knowledge of civic responsibility, and the ability to engage effectively in regional, national, and global communities. B. Learning Outcomes Upon successful completion of this course, students will: 1. Demonstrate comprehension of authentic spoken discourse produced by Spanish speakers of diverse origins. 2. Produce oral Spanish comprehensible to native speakers using complex grammatical structures to narrate, describe and elicit information.

2 3. Demonstrate increasing comprehension of authentic written texts in a variety of genres. 4. Write description and narratives at a low intermediate level using complex grammatical structures. 5. Formulate cohesive paragraphs and short/simple essays. 6. Describe cultural practices and products of the Spanish-speaking world drawing on authentic materials including literature and the visual arts. III. Assessments for the Core Objectives A. Critical Thinking: Students will acquire the basics of Spanish vocabulary and grammar. They will be asked to compare and contrast what they have learned about Spanish grammar and vocabulary with English grammar and vocabulary. A rubric will be used to assess critical thinking skills in grammar and vocabulary comparisons as demonstrated through embedded questions on standardized exams. B. Communications Skills: Students will write sentences in Spanish and organize them into short paragraphs. They will demonstrate the ability to engage in conversations using level-appropriate grammatical structures, including narrating events that take place in the present and producing questions and answers on a variety of topics dealing with everyday life. Students will demonstrate the ability to use visual cues to present information about persons, places, or objects. A rubric will be used to assess written skills as demonstrated through answers to essay prompts, and to assess oral and visual communication skills as demonstrated through an oral presentation. C. Social Responsibility: Students will demonstrate their ability to identify traditions, customs, and values of the Hispanic world, as well as the ability to compare and contrast these traditions, customs, and values with characteristics of their own culture. A rubric will be used to assess social responsibility through embedded questions on standardized exams. IV. Instructional Procedures Methodologies that may be utilized in presenting course content include in-class lectures or pre-recorded lectures for playback online, paper-and-pencil and online grammar and vocabulary exercises, asynchronous online discussions, and student presentations in class or via Skype to groups or to the instructor only. V. Course Requirements and Policies A. Required Textbook, Materials and Equipment 1. Textbook: Punto y aparte, Spanish in Review: Moving Toward Fluency, Expanded Edition by Sharon W. Foerster and Anne Lambright 2. Online manual: Punto y aparte: Expanded Edition, Online Manual New textbooks may include a key that gives access to the online manual. If you need to purchase access to the online manual separately, visit the following website:

3 3. Angelina College s Blackboard: 4. Computer with webcam, microphone and internet access Optional: Critical Thinking Learning Module (see Critical Thinking Supplement Unit for Critical Thinking 1.1 by Monica Peters available on Blackboard) B. Assignments (course requirements) 2 exams 30% 1 final written exam 20% Discussion component 16% Quizzes 12% Online workbook 10% Writing assignments 12% Total: 100% Exams Exam 1 will cover chapter 1. Exam 2 will cover chapter 2. The final exam will have a cumulative component, but will emphasize chapter 3. Students are required to schedule a proctored exam at an AC testing site or through the testing center of the institution through which they enrolled (if enrolled through VCT). Dates for the exams are listed on the course calendar. Discussion component Three times during the semester, students will post answers to discussion prompts that are related to chapter themes. Students will also converse with the instructor and other students via Skype using the same discussion topics. Discussion topics will be posted at the beginning of the semester. This portion of the grade will be worth 16%, with 6% awarded for discussion board posts, and 10% awarded for discussions via Skype. A computer with webcam and microphone is required. Instructions for installing Skype will be provided by the first week of class. See the course calendar for due dates. Quizzes Five quizzes will be administered through Blackboard during the course. The lowest quiz grade will be dropped. Quiz questions are derived from the weekly lessons posted in Blackboard. Students are allowed to use any resource at their disposal to complete the quizzes, except the aid of another person. It is considered dishonest to collaborate with other students to answer quiz questions. See the course calendar for the quiz due dates. An additional quiz grade will be given for completion of the First Week survey. This survey is required and will not be dropped. Online workbook Students are required to complete the assigned exercises at on a weekly basis. Complete login instructions are provided on the information page at the end of this syllabus. If you purchase a book that does not include a workbook access code, you will need to purchase an access code separately. Instructions for purchasing a code are included at the end of this document. Specific assignments and dates are listed on the course calendar. Writing assignments Two short compositions will be written in two drafts. The composition topics will be posted in Blackboard by the second week of the semester. A first draft of each writing assignment will be completed at a testing center, and a second draft based on instructor feedback will be completed at home. The grade for each composition will be the average of the two grades. Dates for the compositions are the same as for the exams, and are listed on the course calendar.

4 C. Course Policies (This course conforms to the policies of Angelina College as stated in the Angelina College Handbook). 1. Academic Assistance: If you have a disability (as cited in Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 or Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990) that may affect your participation in this class, you should see Karen Bowser, Room 208, in the Student Center. At a post-secondary institution, you must self-identify as a person with a disability; Ms. Bowser will assist you with the necessary information to do so. Angelina College (AC) admits students without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, disability, or age. Inquiries regarding the non-discrimination policies of AC should be directed to Dr. Patricia McKenzie, Vice President and Dean of Instruction, 3500 South First, Lufkin, TX 75904; telephone, Attendance: Angelina College requires students to attend class regularly. Students may miss up to four (4) classes during the regular semesters and up to two (2) classes during the summer sessions. Any three (3) consecutive absences during the regular semester, or two consecutive absences during the summer sessions, constitute grounds for being dropped from the course. Students who encounter circumstances that lead to many absences need to either drop the class or contact the instructor to discuss the situation. Attendance for internet classes is evaluated on the basis of timely completion of assignments, including proctored exams, online quizzes, Blackboard assignments, Skype sessions, and online workbook assignments. Internet class students who miss assignments should contact the instructor as soon as possible to avoid being dropped from the course. 3. Additional policies established by the instructor: Tardiness: Students must arrive on time and stay for the duration of the class (non-internet and hybrid classes). Three instances of tardiness constitute an absence. In case of a special need to leave the class, students should leave and return without disrupting the class. Students with special needs must discuss the situation with the site facilitator. Special needs do not include smoking breaks or breaks for cell phone use. Participation: Students in all class formats (non-internet, hybrid, and internet) are expected to complete all assignments. This includes the playback of prerecorded lessons for internet and hybrid classes and the completion of activities assigned through those pre-recorded lessons. It is ultimately the responsibility of the student to resolve technical issues, such as difficulty in accessing online content due to poor internet connectivity, internet browser compatibility, etc. In classroom settings it is appropriate to talk in response to questions or statements made during class, and it is necessary to speak in Spanish during pair or group work. It is inappropriate to conduct social conversation during class. Classroom and online behavior: Students will be required to treat the instructor and fellow students with respect. The instructor will also treat all students with respect. Disruptive behavior will not be tolerated.

5 Missed quizzes, exams and assignments: Students will be able to make up missed work if they have a valid excuse. All excused, missed work must be made up within a week (within two days during the summer sessions) of the missed class. Academic Freedom: The study of another language and culture frequently questions, researches, evaluates and assesses controversial issues. The classroom may serve as a forum for the presentation of a variety of ideas, none of which are intended injuriously. VI. VII. Course Outline: Description of the Course Activities, including Dates, Schedules, and Deadlines Please refer to the separate course calendar. Evaluation and Grading A. Grading Scale points A points B points C points D 59 points and below F B. Determination of final grade The final course letter grade will be based on total points accumulated from exams, quizzes, written assignments, and completion of the online workbook activities. VIII. Syllabus Modification: The instructor may modify the provisions of this syllabus to meet special circumstances and the class will be informed of any modifications in advance of writing.