SPAN 295 SPANISH IN THE WORKPLACE Spring 2016 Instructor Information: Instructor: Dr. Rafael Cabañas Alamán Email: rcabanas@suffolk.es Phone: 91-533-5935 Ext. 134 Office: Humanities & Social Sciences / top floor Office hours: Monday through Thursday 10:30-11:30h, or by appointment Homepage: www.suffolk.edu/academics/18429.php Course Information: Meetings: Mondays and Wednesdays 18:45h - 19:15h Catalog Description: Through a systematic review of grammar, a diversity of readings, and oral as well as written work, students will increase their lexical and grammatical knowledge of Spanish language specific to the workplace in order to communicate more easily and comfortably. Students will also be better prepared to deal with the specific themes related to business introduced in the course. (This course is not for Spanish minors or majors, but may be taken as a free elective.) Prerequisites: Spanish (201) at Suffolk or its equivalent elsewhere. Credit hours: 4 credits This course follows the US Federal Government s Credit Hour definition: An amount of work represented in intended learning outcomes and verified by evidence of student achievement that is an institutional established equivalence that reasonably approximates no less than: 1) One hour of classroom or direct faculty instruction and a minimum of two hours of out of class student work each week for approximately fifteen weeks for one semester or trimester hour of credit, or ten to twelve weeks for one quarter hour of credit, or the equivalent amount of work over a different amount of time; or 2) At least an equivalent amount of work as required in paragraph (1) of this definition for other academic activities as established by the institution including laboratory work, internships, practice, studio work, and other academic work leading to the award of credit hours. Instructor s Additional Course Description: This course is designed for students who have an intermediate knowledge of Spanish. Through a review of a text book, diverse readings, press articles and other materials, students will become acquainted with Spanish Business practices. This course is based on students active participation. They will come to class having worked on the book, written and oral activities, the articles included in the readings from the course packet and analyzed the material requested in order to actively participate in class discussions. Textbook / Course Materials Textbook: Socios 1, edi. Difusión, Madrid. Additional reading material will be given in class.
Course Goals & Learning Objectives: GOALS OBJECTIVES ASSESSMENTS Upon successful completion of this course, students will know/understand: Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to: How the student will be assessed on these learning outcomes: Increase Spanish workplace vocabulary and conversational skills. Understand better Spanish customs and habits in the workplace. Know the vocabulary necessary to deal with the specific themes related to business Improve their intonation and pronunciation of the Spanish language Speak in Spanish about business themes. Discuss and analyze texts about the workplace. Write about business themes and business letters Express their opinions regarding a working environment in a better way. Improve their communication skills in Spanish. Reading and writing assignments. Vocabulary notebook. Group activities. Tests and final exam Oral presentation. Group presentation. Test and final exam. Course requirements: Students will have four written tests, an oral presentation for this course. There will also be several reading and writing assignments from 1) Libro Socios 1. Libro del alumno (L.A) 2) Cuaderno de ejercicios (C. E. to be handed in every Wednesday) and from the course packet (Copias). Listening exercises (CD) are not obligatory, but very much recommended. There will be a final exam. The student should come to the class with the book (L.A) / work book (C.E), course-packet and a notebook, with the written pages assignments done for the due day, as indicated in the schedule. I will take the C.E. home to be corrected every Wednesday, at the end of the class. Preparation: The classroom is the primary environment in which you will be exposed to the Spanish language. You will be obliged to listen and to respond to it while in the presence of an instructor who can answer your questions immediately, resolve any uncertainties and correct mistakes. A significant part of your class work is based on oral activities which cannot be made up on an individual basis. All students are responsible for finding out what assignments have been given (i.e. written work, quizzes, etc.) if they are absent. Having been absent does not justify coming to the next class unprepared. Assignments/Exams/Papers/Projects: Students will be evaluated in several areas (please, see Grading/Evaluation). Selected assignments in this course may be used by our accreditation team for institutional assessment purposes and will be handled confidentially. Grading/Evaluation: Late assignments will be taken 5 points off for each class day. Active participation in class 20% Oral presentation (1) and written texts (4) 40% Writing Assignments (work book) 20% Final exam 20% Course and Classroom Policies: Any assignments due or class activities planned for such a cancelled class are due at the next class meeting unless other instructions are communicated. Written assignments from Libro del alumno will not be accepted by e-mail. The use of cell phones is not allowed. Texting while in class, and/or the use of
laptops other than for taking notes will be considered as if student were absent during that time from class. Consequently, it will be taken as ½ an absence. Participation/Attendance Policy: The SUMC Student Handbook states the following: Once a student is registered for a course, attendance at every meeting of every class is expected, including those held in the first week of the semester. A maximum of two unjustified absences is permitted. Each additional absence will cause the final course grade to be lowered by one-third of a letter grade, i.e., from A to A-; A- to B+; B+ to B, etc. Excessive absences in a course will have a negative effect on the final grade. When a student is absent, the quality of his or her work in a course will deteriorate since material missed in class sessions can rarely be made up satisfactorily, even though the student remains responsible for that work. In this course, any absence due to illness should be justified by a note from the student s physician or other health professional confirming the day(s) on which the student was unable to attend class. A written excuse from a student s host parent or residence supervisor is also acceptable. This is a challenging language class where classroom work is an essential component of the course. You are expected to arrive to class on time. Coming to class late, not only interferes with the general course dynamic but also interrupts the learning process of other students. If you are commuting to the university and either drive or depend upon public transportation, allow for delays and give yourself extra time to make it to class. Tardiness beyond 5 minutes will not be tolerated, but if late arrival, more than 10 minutes into the class hour, will be considered as ½ an absence. Leaving class is not permitted, other than during break times or for an emergency. You are expected to miss no more than two classes during the course of the semester. An authorized letter from the doctor must account for any additional absences. You will not be allowed to take an exam if you have not been attending class and the Associate Director will be notified if you miss an excess of 3 classes. If you do not think that you can fulfill the course requirements and earn a passing grade, make sure that you talk with your instructor. At this point it should be superfluous to stress that this is a college-level class. Your commitment is essential. The central purpose of this class is to make you a more successful communicator in written and oral Spanish. The stronger your skills become, the more comfortable you will feel expressing yourself in Spanish and the better prepared you will be to use your language skills in professional and personal settings. Although many of you will be familiar with the methodology used by the professor, some of you may not be prepared for the intensity of the experience. If you follow the instructor s guidelines you will enjoy the ride! How much you decide to invest in this class will pretty much determine how successful you are. Penalties will be strictly enforced if the work is not completed. In the event that a class meeting is unexpectedly cancelled, students will be expected to continue with readings or other assignments as originally scheduled. Any assignments due or class activities (e.g., a quiz, exam or presentation) planned for such a cancelled class are due at the next class meeting unless other instructions are communicated. Disability Statement: If you anticipate issues related to the format or requirements of this course, please meet with me. I would like us to discuss ways to ensure your full participation in my classroom. If formal, disability-related accommodations are necessary, it is very important that you be registered with the Office of Disability Services (ODS) at the main Campus in Boston so that I am notified of your eligibility for reasonable accommodations. We can then plan how best to coordinate your accommodations. Check the ODS web site at http://www.suffolk.edu/campuslife/3797.php for information on accommodations.
Student Resources: SUMC provides a range of student services, both academic and personal. To learn more about courserelated tutorials and academic workshops, refer to the SUMC Student Handbook, Section 5 Living in Madrid, which contains information on the medical and mental health resources, including an Englishspeaking therapist, available to you. Midterm Review: At midterm, around week 6, you will be given a midterm grade based on your progress to date and performance on assignments and quizzes. Midterm grades of C- or below will be reported to the Madrid Campus Academic Standing Committee, with an explanation of what I believe has contributed to that grade: excessive absences, poor time management or study skills, lack of effort, difficulty with the course material or with writing or language skills, etc. The Academic Standing Committee or I may contact you to suggest strategies for addressing these difficulties. I strongly encourage you to visit me during my office hours so we may discuss how you can be successful in this class. Academic Integrity Policy Student work may be checked by plagiarism detection software. Cheating on examinations, plagiarism and/or improper acknowledgment of sources in essays or research papers, and the use of a single essay or paper in more than one course without the permission of the instructor constitute unacceptable academic conduct. Academic dishonesty will be reported to the SUMC Academic Standing Committee and to the Suffolk University Office of Student Affairs. Reports will be addressed through the Student Discipline System. An undergraduate student who has been found to have violated this policy is subject to an automatic grade of F in the course and to suspension, enforced withdrawal or dismissal from the University, or appropriate lesser penalties if warranted by the circumstances. Course Schedule: The schedule, policies, procedures, and assignments in this course are subject to change in the event of extenuating circumstances, by mutual agreement, and/or to ensure better student learning. ENERO Sem 1 (20) Lección 1: En clase de español (L. A pp. 11-17) Conversational skills, introducing yourself, describing people, talking about moods, asking for and expressing opinions, indicating preferences Writing assignment: Why do you study Spanish? Copia 1: La importancia del español en el mundo Sem 2 (25-27) Lección 2: Datos personales (L. A pp. 19-27) The Spanish office 1. Co-workers: personal qualities and personalities 2. Machines commonly found in offices 3. Workday schedules 4. Basic information regarding companies 5. Professional qualifications
Lección 2 (C. E.: pp. 9-17) (C. E.: pp. 19-27) (nota: cada miércoles me llevaré el C.E. de las páginas indicadas) Grammar review focus: 1. Review the use of SER and ESTAR 2. Review present tense verb forms 3. Use of ESTAR + gerund: past focus 4. Review uses of POR and PARA 5. Expressing frequency 6. Use of object pronouns: reflexive verbs vs. verbs with indirect objects 7. Review formation Pretérito and Pretérito Indefinido Copia 2: Cómo ser emprendedor? Las dificultades FEBRERO Sem 3 (1-3) TEST 1 (Libro: lessons 1-2. Copias 1-2). 45m. Lección 3: El mundo de la empresa (L. A. pp. 29-35) Lección 3 (C.E.: pp. 29-39) 1. Leading Spanish companies 2. La actualidad económica española Copia 3: Como crear un negocio Low Cost Sem 4 (8-10) Lección 4: Le presento al director general (L.A. pp. 37-45) 1. How to introduce yourself in business meetings 2. Different ranks and 3. Business cards 4. Chamber of Commerce Lección 4 (C. E.: pp. 41-51) Grammar review focus: 1. Review Object pronouns 2. Review Past Perfect. 3. Reading assignment: Spanish economic situation Copia 4: 10 pasos para crear tu empresa Sem 5 (15-17) TEST 2 (Libro: lessons 3-4 Copias 3-4). 45m. Lección 5: De gestiones (L.A pp. 47-55) 1. Establishments 2. Sending emails! 3. Shopping centers 4. Dealing with services, products and prices Lección 5: (C. E.: pp. 53-63) 1. Times 2. Tener que, poder, saber, ir, tener, poder 3. Para + infinitivo Copia 5: Riesgos según los servicios de internet
Sem 6 (22-24) Lección 6: Lugares para trabajar, lugares para vivir (L.A. pp. 57-65) 1. Theme: What do you like to do on your holidays? 2. Business theme: vacation time for workers, Spain vs. U.S. 3. Review means of transportation 4. Business theme: resorts and tourist attractions in Spain 5. Spanish legislation regarding vacation time Lección 6: (C. E.: pp. 66-77) 1. Preterit, irregular participles 2. Preferir, querer, poder, volver 3. Uso de amortizar, invertir, ahorrar Copia 6: Cómo hace una campaña de marketing digital en las redes sociales MARZO Sem 7 (29-2) TEST 3 (Libro.: lessons 5-6, Copias 5-6). 45m. Lección 7: Agenda de trabajo (L. A. pp. 67-75) 1. Telephone conversations 2. Work appointments 3. Stress Lección 7: (C. E.: pp. 81-91) 1. Estar, hay, hay que 2. Present Perfect vs. Preterit Copia 7: Las 10 mejores tácticas para la entrevista de trabajo Sem 8 (7-9) Lección 8: Citas y reuniones (L.A. pp. 77-85) 1. Invitations 2. Work environment 3. Business meals 4. Restaurants Lección 8: (C. E.: pp. 93-103) 1. A mí, a ti, 2. Gustar 3. Objeto Indirecto
Sem 9 (14-16) TEST 4 (Libro: lessons 7-8 Copias 7-8). 45m. Lección 9: Productos y proyectos (L. A. pp. 87-95) 1. Publicity 2. Business projects 3. Future plans 4. The best plans. ferias Lección 9: (C. E.: pp. 105-116) 1. Estar 2. Estar + gerundio 3. Ir + infinitivo 4. Pronombres objeto directo SPRING BREAK (19-27 marzo) Sem 10 (28-30) Lección 10: Claves de éxito (L. A pp. 97-107) Topics/discussion 1. Professional goals 2. Keys for success 3. Flight companies in crisis Lección 10: (C. E. pp. 119-129) 1. Pretérito perfecto 2. Ya/todavía 3. Tener que 4. Hay que ABRIL Sem 11 (4-6) Lección 11: Viajes de negocios (L. A 109-117) Topics/discussion 1. Holidays! 2. Transportation 3. Office agenda 4. Business letters 5. Visit and report on Spanish tourism web pages (C.E. pp. 131-141) 1. Poder + infinitio 2. Si + presente + future Neuromarketing Sem 12 (11-13) Entregar resumen de Neuromarketing Non Verbal communication Oral Presentations
SEMANA 13 (18-20) Oral Presentations Oral Presentations SEMANA 14 (25) Último día de clase Repaso FINAL FINAL EXAM: Monday, May 3 (7pm)