SPAN 1002

Instructor: Dr. Joe Johnson

Office: 105-B, A&S Building

Office Hours: T/R: 4:30-5:30, W: 11:00 – 5:00 pm,

or by appointment

Phone: (678) 466-4737

Web Page: http://a-s.clayton.edu/jojohnso/

GOALS AND OBJECTIVES OF THIS COURSE:

Our goal in the beginning language courses is develop your communicative proficiency in comprehending, speaking, reading, and writing Spanish on a variety of everyday topics. Interaction is our primary means to attain our goals. There is, therefore, NO ENGLISH in class in this method. The presentation of the material is meant to make the experience of learning Spanish as close to "being there" as possible. Keep in mind that, if you really were in a Spanish-speaking country, you would most likely not understand every word you would hear. You must therefore train yourself both to listen for the gist of the language and to cope with the frustration that comes when you cannot have a translation for every word in Spanish. Therefore, pay attention to context, use your guessing skills to hypothesize about meaning, and relax! Study and review assigned sections and complete homework before coming to class: you have English explanations in the text. Learning language is a process of accumulation. To succeed in this course, you must study every day!

TEXTS:

Philip R. Donley, et al. Vistas: Introducción a la lengua española, 3rd ed.. (Boston: Vista Higher Learning, 2005).

Tarea (workbook, lab manual, telenovela exercises; other homework): 20%

Participación et asiduidad: 10%

Composition: 10%

Entrevista oral: 10%

EXPECTATIONS:

· In order to complete this course successfully, you will need to spend two hours of study time (at home or in the library) for each class hour, plus study Spanish on a DAILY basis. You learn another language by a process of accumulation.

· Before coming to class: a) study the assigned material, and b) do and correct at least two textbook exercises pertaining to the assigned section(s) in the syllabus in order to check your knowledge.

· Students are expected to have reviewed assigned pages and to have completed homework BEFORE coming to class. It is essential that students prepare the assignments in order to participate fully in class discussions and activities.

(35%) EXAMS & QUIZZES: Test and Quiz policy: Dates of both scheduled chapter tests are on the syllabus. There will also be frequent short quizzes at the very beginning of class periods on materials covered in the previous classes. The chapter tests and final exam will have both written and listening components. The final will be accumulative. Without prior arrangement or a documented absence, there is no excuse for missing a scheduled test!

(20%) STUDENT ACTIVITIES MANUAL: The VISTAS Web-SAM is the electronic version of the printed VISTAS Student Activities Manual. The Web-SAM delivers the entire Workbook, Video Manual and Laboratory Manual on-line with automatic scoring, plus it includes the complete Laboratory Audio & Video Program. You will complete all your work electronically and get instant feedback to the questions you answer in a variety of activity formats. You will complete and submit the assigned exercises for three separate things: the (1) Workbook, (2) Video Manual, and (3) Laboratory Manual for each lesson. It is important you do the exercises as soon as the material) is covered in class while it is fresh in your mind and also for you to determine whether you grasp what we’re covering at the moment. Don’t wait until the last minute to do them all, for you won’t have the time to do so in a conscientious manner or won’t finish all the work. If you do not do all three parts of the student activity manual for each chapter, the effect on your class grade can be dramatic.

(10%) ATTENDANCE & CLASS PARTICIPATION: Students are expected to attend and participate in every class meeting. For this reason, attendance is carefully noted. You will receive a 0 for your class participation grade for every absence after the second absence. Sleeping, reading the newspaper, doing work for another class, etc., constitute an automatic absence with NO warning. If you are tardy, you will automatically receive a 3 (see below). ***If you have excused absences due to University-sanctioned events (i.e. athletes) or because of official military duty, you are not eligible for other excused absences.

You are responsible for any information you miss when absent. Be sure to get the name and phone number of one or two classmates, as you are responsible for finding out about any changes in the syllabus or any additional assignments announced in your absence. (Do this right now!)

Name________________________ # __________________________

Daily, active participation in class is essential, for your success depends largely on maximum exposure to the language. Please note that QUALITY PARTICIPATION and ATTENDANCE are 10% of your final grade. You cannot participate if you’re not in class. This portion of the final grade will take into account all of the following criteria: attendance and punctuality, preparation, initiative, use of Spanish exclusively, positive attitude, primarily on task, other in-class work. It will be assessed daily.

Grading Criteria for PARTICIPATION/PREPARATION: Participation does not grade “correctness,” but rather “effort”. Participation grades will be assigned as follows:

Excellent (5 %): The student frequently volunteers, has always studied the assigned material the night before, stays on task during pair-work, attempts to use complete sentences, always elaborates on answers, and does not speak English in class. Moreover, an “A” student comes to office hours to discuss any problems they are having in the course.

Good (4 %): The student occasionally volunteers, sometimes has not studied the assigned material, is involved in pair-work, voluntarily elaborates on answers, and does not speak English in class. Moreover, a “B” student comes to office hours to discuss any problems they are having in the course.

Poor (3 %): The student does not volunteer, is often unprepared when called upon, tends to be off task during pair-work, (especially when the professor is not nearby), gives one-word answers, and often resorts to English in class. Student was tardy.

Very Poor (2 %): The student is obviously unprepared when called upon, does not do the assigned task during pair-work, and usually speaks English.

Inadequate (1-0 %): The student just sits there in class or does not come to class. You may receive a “0” for participation with no warning for a period in which you are a distraction to classmates, are disrespectful of the professor or other classmates, or are absent.

(10%) COMPOSITION: You will write one composition on an assigned topic at home. You can find the TOPICS at the class web-page. IMPORTANT: What you submit for grading must be your own original work. You may not collaborate with anyone when writing your composition, nor make use of computer- or internet-based translation programs. If you misrepresent your work, you will receive a failing grade for this assignment. You can find the TOPICS here and the grading criteria here.

(10%) ORAL EXAM: The oral exam will take place in class on the days indicated in the syllabus. It is an eight- minute conversation between two students. The order of the groups will be drawn by lots. You can find the TOPICS here and the grading criteria here.

OTHER ACADEMIC ISSUES

Individuals with disabilities who need to request alternate accommodations should contact the Disability Services Coordinator, Student Center 214, 678-466-5445, disabilityservices@mail.clayton.edu.

If you need help in your studies, do not hesitate to visit me during my Office Hours or make an appointment. If you need “extra” help, the Center for Academic Success http://adminservices.clayton.edu/caa/ offers personalized tutoring in Spanish. The Center is located below the library.

Academic Dishonesty/Misconduct will not be tolerated under any circumstances. Please consult the CCSU Student Handbook for further information and guidelines.

Notebook Computer Requirement:

Each CSU student is required to have ready access throughout the semester to a notebook computer that meets faculty-approved hardware and software requirements for the student's academic program. Students will sign a statement attesting to such access. For further information on CSU's Official Policy, please go to http://itpchoice.clayton.edu/policy.htm.

Computer Skill Prerequisites and In-class use policy:

Able to use the Windows^TM operating system and able to use the Microsoft Word^TM word processing program.
Able to send and receive e-mail at your campus e-mail address using the Outlook^TM or Outlook Express^TM program. All official communications are via your CSU e-address alone!
Able to attach and retrieve attached files via email.
Able to use a Web browser.
Student notebook computers will not be used in the classroom in this course. Computers will be required to access course materials and to communicate electronically with your instructor.

1a semana: 8-10 enero

Formalidades y repaso

Repaso

2a semana: 15-17 enero

lección 7

3a semana: 22-24 enero)

lección 7

lección 7, Workbooks due, midnight on 23rd

4a semana: 29-31 enero

lección 8

5a semana: 5-7 febrero

lección 8

lección 8, Workbooks due, midnight on 7th

6a semana: 12-14 febrero

Examen #1 de lecciones 7 y 8

NO HAY CLASE , el señor Johnson debe

ausentarse

7a semana: 19-21 febrero

lección 9

8a semana: 27 febrero- 1 marzo***

lección 9

lección 9, Workbook due, midnight on 12th

***Nota bene: El 29 de febrero es el último día para dar de baja la clase sin consecuencia.

9a semana: 3-9 marzo

SPRING BREAK

10a semana: 11-13 marzo

lección 10

11a semana: 18-20 marzo

lección 10

lección 10, Workbooks due, midnight on 24th

12a semana: 25-27 marzo

Examen #2 de lecciones 9 y 10

NO HAY CLASE, el señor Johnson debe

ausentarse

13a semana: 1-3 abril

lección 11

14a semana: 8-10 abril

lección 11, Workbooks due, midnight on 10th

lección 12

15a semana: 15-17 abril

NO HAY CLASE , el señor Johnson debe

ausentarse

lección 12 (ORALS)

16ª semana: 22-24 abril

lección 12 (ORALS)

lección 12, Final Composition due by 4:30 p.m. today. Final workbooks due by midnight the day before the final exam.

Examen final: The final exam will be comprehensive. It will take place on Tuesday, May 6th at 3 p.m. till 5 p.m. in our classroom.