Texts (available
at IWU Bookstore or on-line)
 Foerster, Lambright,
Alfonso-Pinto. (2003). Punto
y Aparte: Spanish in Review, Moving Toward Fluency. 2nd Edition.
New York: McGraw Hill.
Gabriel García Márquez. La
aventura de Miguel Littín clandestino en Chile.
A good bilingual dictionary (New
World)
Course Description
Every effort will be made to
stick to the course syllabus, but variations
are inevitable. It is the responsibility of the student to find
out
what modifications have been made in the syllabus, if any, and arrive
for
class appropriately prepared.
The 200-level courses are
designed to review grammar structures and to
give students practice in using basic speaking, listening, reading and
writing skills. The in-class time will be devoted, as much as
possible,
to the oral skills (speaking and listening), while out-of-class time
will
be directed toward the development of reading and writing.
Therefore,
class will be conducted in Spanish, and every effort will be made to
give
each student as much opportunity as possible to speak.
It is very important that
students come well prepared to speak in class.
You should consider class time, not as a period of passive observation
(as in a traditional lecture course), but almost as a performance (like
a music lesson or acting class). Students should anticipate
classroom
activities by not only reading assignments carefully, but by planning
in
advance comments or questions about the material along with the
appropriate
vocabulary. Shy people will have to work extra hard at this.
Course Boals:
This
course offers you an opportunity to expand vocabulary, improve
grammatical accuracy and, as the title of the book suggests, master
paragraph-length discourse (punto y aparte is the phrase for starting a
new paragraph). We will do tasks and discuss real-world situations to
accomplish these goals. To master paragraph-length discourse we will
exercise seven communicative skills:
Describe ~
Compare and contrast ~ React and recommend ~ Narrate in the past
Discuss our
likes ~ Make hypotheses ~ Talk about the future
In
addition, we will read the book, La aventura de Miguel Littín,
clandestino en Chile, by Gabriel García Márquez. Although
reading an entire novel in Spanish may seem overwhelming, it will aid
in improving your comprehension of Spanish and you will find a great
sense of accomplishment in doing so. Finally, the main goal of this
course is for you to communicate more effectively in Spanish.
Grading System
The final grade will be based on
student performance
in the following:
1. Essays (5) - 30%
2. Written exams (2) - 20%
3. Oral exams (3) - 30%
4. Homework- 10%
5. Participation - 10%
Essays:
You will write several essays; each one will focus on one communicative
skill although others may be incorporated into the essay. As in other
types of writing, correct punctuation, paragraphing and correct grammar
are expected. Equally important, however, are the freshness of
ideas, their coherent organization and effective expression. Thus,
content, organization, language use and vocabulary will be the
focus.
Written Exams:
You will have one mid term exam and one comprehensive final exam. Both
are comprehensive; both reflect the information from our readings and
in class activities.
Oral
Exams:
You will have two oral exams. The exams are one-on-one interviews with
me and deal with specific situations relating to topics we will be
discussing class. This oral has two parts. In the analytic part, which
consists of questions based on vocabulary and structures, responses are
scored for correctness. In the global part, which consists of
situations or topics, overall proficiency is assessed through
performance in a conversation. The question/answer scale emphasizes
accuracy; the conversation/situation scale emphasizes the ability to
sustain a conversation. You will also have an oral presentation
with a group, topic to be determined.
Preparation/Homework: You
need to read over the appropriate pages of the textbook or novel, do
the assigned homework, and come to class with questions and comments
about the material assigned for that day. Assigned homework includes
pages from the manual and your answers to the chapter-reading guides
for Miguel Littín.
Participation:
Each class you are expected to speak and, when possible, respond to
what others say. You will receive a participation grade for each day of
the week. If you are not in class you will receive a 0 for
participation that day. Active daily participation in class is a
required part of the course
and
will be evaluated every day according to a 3-point scale. The points
are
awarded as follows:
3 - student well prepared for class shown through frequent oral
participation,
frequently leads discussion, and can expand effectively on topic
2 - prepared, but must be encouraged to participate, may speak
English
1 - doesn’t talk; prepared or preparation inadequate to allow
full
participation;
asleep; disruptive to groups
0 - no preparation; absent from class
THERE IS A FREE TUTOR
AVAILABLE SPECIFICALLY FOR THIS COURSE Elizabeth Johnson Monday
and Thursdays 9am-12pm
No need to make an appointment, just show up. Buck 108 (Language Resource Center)
Policies
I will make myself available to
discuss appropriate academic accommodations
that you may require as a student with a disability. Before course
accommodations
will be made, students may be required to provide documentation to the
Associate Provost, 211 Holmes Hall, 556-3107.
I
will only accept late work if you make arrangements with me beforehand.
Even if you cannot attend class, make sure I receive your homework or
you will receive a 0 for that work.
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