Sinclair Community College - Course Syllabus
Spring
Quarter 2006 -Elementary Spanish I - SPA 101
Instructor Information
Instructor:
Dr. Derek Petrey Office:
3232-B
Office
Hours: MTW 11-noon
Conversation Table Hours: T 3-4, R 10:30 - 11:30 & 2-3 Sinclair Library
Office
Phone
512-2092
E-mail:
derek.petrey@sinclair.edu
Instructor
Webpage: http://people.sinclair.edu/derekpetrey/
Dept.
Office: 3-240
Dept.
Secretary: Mrs. Lora Ginn (512-2844)
Dept. Chair: Luis Samuel González
Acevedo, M.A. Philosophy, Juris Doctor
Assistant
Professor of Philosophy
Office:
Bldg. 3, Rm. 240 F
E-Mail:
luis.gonzalez@sinclair.edu
Office
hours: By appointment
Course Information
Division: Liberal Arts & Sciences
Dept.: Hum., Govt. & Mod. Lang.
Course
Title: Elementary Spanish I
Course
No.: SPA 101
Credits:
4 hrs. university parallel.
Prerequisites:
none (SPA 100 is strongly recommended
for those who have never taken
Spanish
before, have never taken foreign language classes before, or who have been
previously
unsuccessful at language learning attempts.).
Course Description (What does this mean?)
Essentials
of the spoken and written language are stressed.
(We speak and write Spanish in class. This is the best, quickest, and most fun way to learn it!)
Emphasis
is on vocabulary practice, grammar, pronunciation, simple sentence structure,
conversational
drills, and reading.
We learn
words, how to say and combine the words, and how to use the words to speak,
listen, write and
read in Spanish.
This course is the first of the three
courses that make up the 1st year of university-parallel language
study.
Course progress: SPA 101 → SPA 102→ SPA 103
4
hours of in-class interactive activity supported by in-class lecture, in-class
handouts, quizzes, and exams.
Language
lab attendance is required.
You
are evaluated on performing in class
in various ways. (class is 200 min. / week)
Outside
of class (in addition to homework) you should spend at least 30 minutes in
the Language Lab
every week using the programs there to improve your skills.
Students
must see the instructor on an individual basis to arrange for optional ways of
fulfilling the
language
lab attendance requirement if the requirement is a problem. Any
alternative options
must
be arranged by THE THIRD WEEK OF CLASS and they are approved solely at the
instructor's
discretion.
You
are responsible for your own academic success. As your
instructor I will work with your special
needs as best as I can, but if I don't know these needs, I can't help you.
Course Objectives
·To develop
basic communicative competence (understanding and using) in Spanish by
developing
listening, speaking, reading, and writing. This includes using basic
gestures
and
other discursive and sociolinguistic features of the language appropriately
with native
speakers of Spanish.
·To provide practice and instruction in basic structures of the language.
·To apply rules of pronunciation, grammar, and lexicon usage to unfamiliar material.
·Specifically we
will look at: the present tense, reflexive verbs, stem-changing verbs,
and
the usage of IR, SER, ESTAR, HABER, and TENER in the present tense.
MATERIALS & RESOURCES
Required Texts
These are sold as a bundle in the Campus Bookstore. (1st floor, Building 7)
TEXT:
Nexos Media Edition by Long, Carreira, Madrigal Velasco, and Swanson.
Houghton-Mifflin 2007.
STUDENT
ACTIVITIES MANUAL: Workbook / Lab Manual
for Nexos, by Long,
Carreira, Madrigal Velasco,
and Swanson. Houghton-Mifflin
2007.
PASSCODE
TO E-BOOK: You will need to log on to
www.eduspace.com and provide both
your
instructor's course code AND your passcode.
The
instructor's course code is: ___________________________________
My passcode is : ___________________________________
Additional Materials
LAB
CDs: If you have no E-Book code, you may access the book's webpage
at
college.hmco.com/pic/nexosME1e
for
access to sound files and exercises. If
you have no Internet access, you will have to access
these
files in the Modern Language Lab. Permission
may be given to burn files for home use.
The
Lab Staff will tell you how many CD-Rs you need to bring: use CD-Rs only! CD-RWs or DVD-Rs
will
not be accepted by the lab
staff. They do not sell CD-Rs at
the Language Lab, but you can find
them
in the Tartan Bookstore. (Please be polite to the Language Lab
staff, as they are very busy at
the
beginning of the quarter! Give them your name, your course title, and the
chapters you need copied.)
It
may take them up to a couple of days to burn the CDs for you and they will
leave them for you
in
the Language Lab Dropbox.
DICTIONARY:
Not required but strongly suggested. Choose one that has at least 60,000
entries.
There
are a variety of ones out there, some good ones are Langenschiedt, VOX, Larousse,
University
of Chicago. You should check to see if the dictionary notes regionalisms in English and Spanish.
OTHER:
Looking for comic books, short stories, novels, dictionaries, and other print
materials in
Spanish? Check out the Sinclair Library (on the Campus Lower Level)!
MORE
OTHER?: Check out: http://people.sinclair.edu/derekpetrey/ This
site
has links to lots of other
interesting
Spanish-language resources, including on-line newspapers and educational sites.
Language Laboratory (Room 2-321)
THE
LANGUAGE LAB HOURS ARE: 8:30-7:30 MTWR, 8:30-3:30 F, 10:30-3:30 Sat. (except
9/9)
There are many things you can do there:
·USE THE AUDIO
FILES with your LAB
MANUAL
·LISTEN TO SPANISH-LANGUAGE MUSIC
·WATCH VIDEOS from your book and MOVIES IN SPANISH (either on the server or in the DVD collection)
·USE THE ONLINE
LEARNING CENTER WEBSITE (www.mhhe.com/puntos)
·WRITE COMPOSITIONS with ATAJO
·CHECK YOUR GRADES & CLASS ANNOUNCEMENTS AT THE CLASS WEBPAGE (at my.sinclair.edu)
·As an absolute
minimum you must visit the language lab regularly for at least 45 mins every
two weeks to work on the Puntos de Partida Interactive Program. For each chapter you must complete at least
10 of the chapter activities in the Puntos de Partida Interactive Program and
then print out the report page to be turned in. You will receive full credit only
for the chapter reports you turn in on time.
-The
Language Lab Policy on Pornography and Otherwise Offensive Material:
Using the Language
Lab
to browse, download, transmit or create any form of pornography will result in
immediate
and
permanent expulsion from the lab.
STUDENT EXPECTATIONS
You are ultimately responsible for your own academic progress and success.
Things
I expect students to do:
-Ask questions: If you have doubts, ask the instructor
to clarify them. If you are not sure about something, it is your duty to
let the instructor know.
-Be courteous: Just because you are using another language doesn't give you the right to be judgmental, racist, sexist, obscene, or rude. The need for courtesy and respect is universal, even though it may not always be expressed in the same way from culture to culture. Cell phones, pagers, beepers, and the like are expected to be on silent, whether in the classroom or in the Modern Language Lab.
-Challenge themselves: Language learners are most successful when
they have a strategy for learning languages that involves learning both inside
and outside the classroom. The Independent Learning Styles is there to
help you see what is in our comfort zone and what you need to do to challenge
yourself. Learning
a language involves a lot of skills: oral, aural, reading, writing, cultural,
and metacognitive. It follows an easily
discernible cycle:
LEARNING
ABSTRACT PRINCIPLES
REFLECTIVE ASSESSMENT ACTIVE EXPERIMENTATION
CONCRETE
PRACTICE IN REAL LIFE
Instruction in a classroom setting can give you with 60%
of the cycle. You have to provide the
other 40%.
-Do the logical thing: If you miss a class,
it is your task to check on-line to see what you have missed and
catch up on the assignments. Not being in class on one day is no excuse for not being prepared the next!
It is your duty to help create a learning environment. If you are
ill-prepared, other students you work with will
not be able to learn as well as they could.
-español, español, español: The more
Spanish you use in class, the better!
When you do group activities, resist the urge to speak
to your classmates in English! You will get more out of it if you force
yourself to stretch your Spanish!
-Follow the guidelines: Just because I
don't collect all the homework I assign doesn't mean I don't expect you to do
it.
The three questions I will ask you when you come to me
for problems is 1) What is your outside learning strategy?
2) Are you doing
the supplementary assignments? 3) Have
you thought about getting a tutor? Of
course, I am happy
to help you find what you need to do in order to learn
and use these skills better.
Evalution / Grades
The course total is 1000 points, or 100%
INDEPENDENT STUDY ACTIVITIES (150 points) 15%
You
get 75 points for doing two activities related to understanding culture and
learning the language. These are tailored to your individual learning preferences
Consult my webpage for more details.
QUIZZES & HOMEWORK (250 points) 25%
Various homework assignments will be collected during the course and graded.
You will receive various points for completing homework assignments(depends on
the assignment length). Quizzes may be given during any class at the
instructor's
discretion.
LAB PARTICIPATION & ASSIGNMENTS (100 points) 10%
You have to sign in and out each time
you visit the lab. You will receive
the full 100 points for spending 300 minutes in the lab.
CHAPTER EXAMS (500 points) 50%
There will be a chapter exam for each chapter, from 1 to 5 (100 points each)
Attendance / Participation Policy
To
learn a foreign language, you have to practice it with others. A lot of
work in class is small
group
and individual work that requires constant participation. Participation
should be active,
engaged,
and informed. This means that you have to prepare the assignments ahead
of time.
Homework
is to be done before class
begins. Arriving late or leaving early from class in
increments
of over 20 minutes will count as partial absences. For purposes of participation
value only, excused absences will count as half-absences.
For
classes meeting four times a week:
0-4
absences = no penalty
5-6 absences = -25 points
7-8
absences = -50 points
9-10
absences = -75 points
11
absences or over = -100 points
For
classes meeting twice a week:
none,
1, or 2 absences = no penalty
3 absences = -25 points
4
absences = -50 points
5
absences = -75 points
6
absences or over = -100 points
Make-up Work
Late
assignments will be accepted and make-up exams will be authorized solely at the
instructor's discretion. They are usually granted on receipt of a
documented absence. In all such cases, it is best to contact the
instructor as soon as possible and make-up work must be done within a
reasonable time (in most cases within 1 week of the student's return).
Institutional Policies
In all matters of: dropping and adding classes, switching sections, the last day to drop the course with W or F status, disruptive behavior, establishing status as a students with disability needs {such as special learning needs or accommodations}, disenrollment for non-attendance, and / or academic misconduct, the principles and guidelines established by the most updated version of the Student Handbook will apply without exception. Please contact your division counselor for a copy.
Honesty
Policy: Cheating or plagiarizing in any manner will not be
tolerated. Any student
found cheating or
plagiarizing material in any manner will be assigned a failing quarter\session
grade.
Honor Code
·As a member of the
Sinclair College community of students, faculty, and staff, I will
uphold
the values of citizenship, social-responsibility, and personal accountability.
·I will maintain the
highest standards of professional and academic ethics.
·I will uphold my
personal integrity, dignity, and self-respect by being fair and honest
at
all times and by treating all individuals with respect.
·By honoring these
ideals, I will be building a better future for myself, my college,
and
my local, regional, and global communities.
Any student found in breach
of Sinclair Community College’s Honor Code may be administratively
withdrawn or withdrawn in any
other manner consistent with the policies of Sinclair Community College.
Student Conduct:
Plagiarism occurs when
someone takes the ideas, writings, etc. from another and passes them off as
their own (Webster’s Dictionary). A
grade of zero credit, "F," will be assigned to the student’s work
product. In addition, any student who
plagiarizes or misrepresents his or her work or engages in dishonest behavior
as relates to his or her work will receive an “F” for the course, be
administratively withdrawn or withdrawn in any other manner consistent with the
policies of
Plagiarism:
Plagiarism, the misuse of
source materials involving greater or lesser amounts of copying, is
unacceptable in student work. A grade of zero credit, "F," will be
assigned to the student’s work product.
In addition, any student who plagiarizes or misrepresents his or her
work or engages in dishonest behavior as relates to his or her work may be
administratively withdrawn or withdrawn in any other manner consistent with the
policies of Sinclair Community College.
There are a variety of types
of plagiarism; common types include:
A Special Rule for Learning Languages:
In language classes, you are often asked to share personal information in small groups. Topics may include talking about your family, your interests, past activities, where you live, etc. If you don't feel comfortable divulging personal information to someone you don't know very well, make something up! We are not going to call your grandfather to see if he actually water-skis, has a mohawk hair-cut, and plays the bandoneón. As long as it is grammatical, makes sense, and is good-natured, no harm is done in being creative!
Just because you are using another language doesn't give you the right to be judgmental, racist, sexist, obscene, or rude. The need for courtesy and respect is universal, even though it may not always be expressed in the same way from culture to culture. Cell phones, pagers, beepers, and the like are expected to be on silent, whether in the classroom or in the Modern Language Lab.
¿Algo más?
I am at your service and willing to discuss and aspect of the course, any issues, and any concerns you have. Given that Spanish is the primary language of instruction, I may not always be able to answer your questions in English during class time. However, I am available to you before and after class, during my phone, and by e-mail. If you need to meet with me outside of my office, please contact me to arrange an appointment.