HOLY CROSS SPAN 301
Composición y Conversación

Introducción al Curso (otoño 2011)

Contact Information

Prof. Cynthia Stone, Stein 459, X2272, cstone (at) holycross (dot) edu
Office hours: Mondays 12:00-1:00, Wednesdays 12:00-1:00, Thursdays 12:30-1:30

Foreign Language Assistants

Carolina Blázquez Gándara (Caro) from Mallorca, Spain
Juan Antonio Caballero Martínez (Eme) from Mallorca, Spain
Grecia Chirinos Delgado from Lima, Peru
Javier Del Valle Pérex (Javi) from León, Spain
Anxo Fernández-Arnesto from La Coruña, Spain
Iván Ferrero Ruiz from León, Spain
Javier Suárez Trejo from Lima, Peru

Goals and Description

This course provides intensive composition and conversation practice in Spanish. We will use a variety of readings and films produced by authors and filmmakers from different national and cultural backgrounds. The goal is to expand your command of Spanish grammar and vocabulary, to develop your communicative and rhetorical skills, your fluency and pronunciation, while reflecting critically on different life approaches and experiences, particularly with reference to Spanish-speaking communities across the world. Though the main emphasis is on speaking and writing, we will also focus on listening and reading. The course is taught exclusively in Spanish, and includes two 1-hour Practicum sessions with a native Foreign Language Assistant (FLA) in addition to the regular class meeting times. Prerequisites: Intermediate Spanish 2 or its equivalent. 1 unit.

Online Course Schedule

The course schedule for Spanish 301-02 (MWF 11-11:50) is online at http://college.holycross.edu/faculty/cstone/span301/horario_section_02.html. The course schedule for Spanish 301-03 (TR 11-12:15) is online at http://college.holycross.edu/faculty/cstone/span301/horario_section_03.html. You can also access the course schedule for your section via Moodle. Before each class, make sure to go to the online course schedule to access and print any assigned web materials (do not rely on a hard copy of the course schedule, since some links may be added and others modified as necessary). Also, please note that some readings and handouts (those identified as ‘intranet’) can only be accessed when you are connected to the Holy Cross campus server.

Practicum

The Practicum involves two 50-minute sessions per week with Foreign Language Assistants from Peru or Spain. Attendance is mandatory, and you may not alternate Practicum sessions from week to week. FLAs evaluate your performance in terms of attendance, preparation, participation, and language use. FLAs may assign additional homework for Practicum, but they may not relay your messages to me or reschedule exams or assignments.

Required Texts (available in the College bookstore)

1) Aparisi, María Cinta, José A. Blanco, and Marcie D. Rinka. 2007. Revista: Conversación sin barreras. 3rd edition. Boston: Vista Higher Learning. 

Note: You will need to purchase a new edition to have access to the book’s on-line resources. If you choose to buy a used copy of the book, you can get a “Supersite passcode” at: http://www.vhldirect.com/Store/catalog/3rd-Edition,25.htm

2) Bleichmar, Guillermo, and Paula Cañón. 2012. Taller de escritores: Grammar and Composition for Advanced Spanish. Boston: Vista Higher Learning.

Note: You will need to purchase a new edition to have access to the book’s on-line resources. If you choose to buy a used copy of the book, you can get a “Supersite passcode” at: http://www.vhldirect.com/Store/Catalog/PassCodeProducts.aspx?CatID=1051~Taller%20de%20escritores

Recommended Texts (choose one)

HarperCollins Unabridged Spanish Dictionary or The Oxford Spanish Desk Dictionary

Requirements

Written Exams (2) 20% (8%, 12%)
Oral Exams (2) 20% (8%, 12%)
Compositions (5) 30% (4%, 5%, 6%, 7%, 8%)
Vista website assignments 5%
Attendance/Participation (regular class, practicums, extra-curricular events) 25%
  • attendance
  • 5%
  • engagement in and preparation for class discussions
  • 10%
  • oral presentations/improvisations/debates
  • 10%

Grading Scale

A  95-100  A- 90-94.9 B+  87-89.9    B  84-86.9 B-  80-83.9 C+  77-79.9 C 74-76.9 C- 70-73.9 D+  67-69.9 D  60-66.9 F 0-59.9

Written Exams

This class has a midterm and a final exam. (The date of the final will be determined by the Registrar's Office.) The exams combine ‘traditional’ grammar and vocabulary exercises (e.g. completing sentences or paragraphs) with open-ended questions and mini-compositions on topics covered in class. Please note that no make-up exams will be allowed without written documentation from a doctor, class dean, coach, etc. The focus in this class is on expanding your vocabulary in order to build advanced language fluency. We will also be focusing on grammatical structures that tend to bedevil native English-speaking students at this level. Class time will be devoted primarily to illustrating how to apply these concepts in practice, with relatively little time dedicated to abstract grammatical explanations. It is your responsibility to complete the assigned vocabulary and grammar exercises (most of which feature automatic online correction) and, whenever you feel the need for additional practice in a particular area, to access the Más práctica grammar explanations and review exercises from the online course schedule. I also very much encourage you to bring these review materials to my office hours so I can help you to better process them.

Oral Exams

There are two oral exams: one midsemester and one during the last week of classes. Your grade will be based on your use of vocabulary and grammar, pronunciation/fluency (speed & ‘naturalness’ of your speech), overall communicative skills (ability to get your message across and to understand the person with whom you are speaking), and content/preparation, as specified in the Clave de corrección de exámenes orales.  If you miss your appointment for an unexcused reason, you will receive a 0. The exam is in pairs (or in groups of 3, in the case of sections with an odd number of students). You must sign up in advance with a classmate.

Compositions

All compositions must be typed and double spaced. You should type all accent marks and tildes as you write your compositions. Do not add them manually, since you will make more mistakes and be less likely to learn how to spell the words correctly. To add accents to your computer, go to Control Panel > Regional and Language Options > Languages (tab) > Details. Select ‘Keyboard’, click ‘Add’, select ‘United States International’. This will allow you to type accents and tildes (e.g. by typing the apostrophe ‘ and then the letter a, you will get á).

Each composition will be submitted twice. The first time, it should be posted to Moodle by midnight on the date specified in the online class schedule. Extensions are available only for documented reasons (i.e. illness or family emergency). Feel free to discuss and develop your ideas in consultation with others, but you must write the first draft on your own without assistance (e.g. no one should edit it for you or write parts of it for you). Always take care to cite any sources of information (including encyclopedias, articles, books and on-line materials) under "Obras citadas" on the last page of the composition or as footnotes. For the rewrite or second draft (and only for the second draft), I encourage you to seek help from the Spanish Writing Workshop in the Multimedia Resource Center (schedule to be provided in class). Upper-class Spanish majors in the workshop will assist you to understand my corrections and answer any other questions you may have.

After I correct the first draft, you will have a few days to rewrite and resubmit your revised composition, using my comments in conjunction with the Clave de símbolos para la corrección de composiciones. The final grade for each composition will be based on content, organization, grammar (sentence structure, verb conjugations, agreement, articles, etc.), vocabulary (variety, precision, word choice, etc.) and mechanics (spelling, accents, capitalization, etc), as specified in the Clave de corrección de composiciones. The first draft will count for 80% of the grade and the rewrite for up to 20% (depending on how well you succeed in incorporating my comments on the first draft).

Note on academic honesty: Compositions deviating from the above guidelines violate the College’s Academic Honesty policy and are subject to a grade penalty. Please consult the College's Academic Honesty Policy concerning the use of sources and other matters. As a basic rule of thumb, you should always cite someone else's original ideas or specific language whenever you incorporate them into your own written work.

Attendance/Participation

Class attendance is mandatory, both in ‘regular’ class and in Practicum. Unexcused absences will result in a lower attendance/participation grade. Foreign Language Assistants may not grant excuses for absences from Practicum classes; permission must be granted by the professor. Four late arrivals by more than 10 minutes equal one absence. If you miss a class, you are still responsible for handing in your assignments.

As an aid to developing oral skills and cultural exposure, students are expected to participate in at least two social or extra-curricular activities during the semester. You may choose, at your convenience, from the events advertised in the Spanish Events Calendar (posted online at the Spanish Department website and also outside the Spanish Department office on the 4th floor of Stein) or the Latin American and Latino Studies Events Calendar (posted online at the Latin American and Latino Studies website or announced in class). Attendance at these events will count towards your attendance/participation grade.

Active class participation, both in quantity and quality, is essential to your success in this course. To participate successfully, you should budget about three hours preparation for each hour spent in class. This is a fast-paced course, and we will cover a large amount of material. It is your responsibility to bring any questions or concerns to class or to my office hours so that I can help you.

Shorts (Cortometrajes)

We will be watching several short movies during the semester, most of which are featured in the Revista textbook and online supersite. Others will be screened in Stein 102 on the dates and times specified in the online course schedule. If you miss the screenings, you should still watch the movie on your own at the Multimedia Resource Center (MRC, 3rd floor of Stein) to prepare for class discussion. If you watch the movie at the MRC, don’t wait until the last minute. Because of high demand, you might not be able to watch the video before the class session in which it is discussed. Note: movies are not to be removed from the MRC for personal viewing under any circumstances

Revista and Taller Supersites

The Revista and Taller textbooks have websites where you can access some of the videos and materials we will be using this semester (see online course schedule for details). For a Supersite Tour/Tutorial, go to http://5nline1.vhlcentral.com/supersites/student_tours/index.php . Alternately, you can follow the instructions below to set up your access to the Revista and Taller supersites:

Other Useful Internet Resources