Tompkins Cortland Community College

SPA 102: Beginning Spanish II

Course Information: Professor Information:

Credit Hours: 3 Name: Dr. Gina Gammage-Sikora

Semester/ Year: Summer 2009 Phone: 758-3670 (H)

E- mail: sikora777@aol.com

Web: www.ginasikora.com Office Hours: by appointment

Texts and other materials required.

En Linea 2.0 by Blanco et al.

Panorama 3/eSE

Maestro WEBSAM

This materials can be purchase at ( www.vhldirect.com )

Tech Requirements :

This course will make demands on your computer system and skills.
Hardware and software:

• a reliable computer, either a PC running Windows 2000 or later, or a Mac running OS X or later

• a CD-ROM drive

• a sound card and speakers

• a good quality computer microphone (external is preferable to built-in)

• a hi-speed modem (Cable or DSL strongly recommended to download audio and video without delays)

• a dependable Internet Service Provider (ISP)

• a working Email address

• for PC users a recent version of Internet Explorer (free download at http://www.microsoft.com/downloads)

• for Mac users a recent version of Safari (free download at http://www.apple.com/support/downloads/safari.html)

• browser preferences set to enable Java and JavaScript and to accept cookies

• Adobe Flash Player (free download at http://www.adobe.com/downloads)

• Adobe Shockwave Player (free download at http://www.adobe.com/downloads)

• Adobe Acrobat Reader (free download at http://www.adobe.com/downloads)

• QuickTime Player (free download at http://www.apple.com/quicktime/download)

• Real One Player 2 (free download at http://www.real.com)

• If you are unable to run this hardware and software from home, you must be willing and able to make additional visits to the Language Lab, located in the library, during the week.

We will be using a textbook with a variety of web-based components and resources and a robust internet course delivery system with features such as document sharing, threaded discussions, chatrooms and an online dropbox. We will also use interactive web exercises, internet voice recordings, online conferences and word processing and email functions, including attachments.
Be ready to develop your computer skills from the start and you need to be receptive to acquiring some more. Students with inadequate computer experience tend to feel very overwhelmed in this interdependent context.

The course materials are sold at the Bookstore and at Mandos Books in Cortland, at higher prices.
They are available as a package through the Vistas Online Bookstore at http://www.vhldirect.com/smc/all/.

You may be able to find used copies of the Third Edition Panorama hardcover textbook or the 3-hole-punch Companion version.
The other three items, however, consist of access codes to online resources and CANNOT be purchased used. 
They are mandatory and can be bought separately.
The eCourse code can be purchased at http://www.vhldirect.com/program.php?pid=13 for $105

(ISBN: 1-60007-333-5).
The other two items can be purchased at http://www.vhldirect.com/program.php?pid=27.
The Supersite Student Passcode will cost $35 (ISBN: 1-60007-175-9).
The Maestro Web-SAM access code will cost $37 (ISBN: 1-60007-192-9).
The total cost of these three access codes bought separately is more than the package, which includes a new textbook.

COURSE DESCRIPTION:

Since this is a 3 credit course, you should have available a minimum of 6 hours weekly to do nothing but Spanish: 3.5 hours online, 11/2 hours in class, 0.5 hours in lab, and at least 2 additional hours a week dedicated to studying and completing assignments. You only meet with the instructor face-to-face once a week but there are multiple tasks to be completed during the week, so you must be a self-motivated and self-directed student and you must be able to follow printed instructions carefully and to organize your time efficiently so that you meet the deadlines specified.

This course as is the case with all my course offerings, is rooted in the ideas of liberal learning. The underlying ideal in all of my classes whether they are literature-, culture-, or language based, is that all three of these elements are interwoven. The specific knowledge and perspectives that will be acquired in this class reflects the college's commitment to instilling in our students an acumen of themes and issues pertaining to Global Understanding (knowledge of the interconnectedness of the natural and human experience through exposure of the political, social, economic and religious differences of the target language's literature and civilization) and Social Justice (comparison and contrast of issues of social justice, equality and democracy between our society and those of the target language).

Prerequisites:

Before you can register for this class, you have to pass Spanish 101 with at least a "C" or take a placement test. I will re-evaluate your Spanish language skills during the first week of class. If you are inappropriately placed in Spanish 102, I will recommend that you change levels.

COURSE OBJECTIVES AND GOALS:

1. The students will continue to develop the four basic language skills: spoken communication, listening comprehension, reading and writing.

- In order to pass this course, the student must show an ability to carry on the following communicative and grammatical functions in both oral and written forms:

• narrate in the present tense and describe daily routines;

• narrate past actions and describe briefly in the past (preterit and imperfect tenses)

• describe people, places, and things through the proper adjective agreement and the use of ser and estar

• elicit and provide information by asking and answering questions appropriately

• express negation using appropriately “indefinites”

• discuss likes and dislikes

• talk about the future with the structure “Ir a + infinitive”

• Give and respond to simple commands

2. The student must begin to show cohesiveness in both oral and written discourse and an ability to formulate complex sentences. Through process-oriented writing activities, the student will also show an ability to develop and revise coherent paragraphs in Spanish.

3. The student will show an ability to read and understand short texts in Spanish.

4. The student will show an awareness of cultural elements of Spanish-speaking peoples,

throughout participation in course discussions and demonstrated understanding of

course readings.

Student will continue building their vocabulary and grammatical concepts, as well as learning about cultural aspects of Spanish-speaking countries.

COURSE ATTENDANCE POLICY:

IMPORTANT: This is a HYBRID course. It has three weekly components:

1. Class Meeting: You are expected to attend class on campus once a week for 1 1/2 hours. (This is absolutely mandatory) The mandatory meeting is for face-to-face interaction and for testing, with a quiz or an exam scheduled every week. The course format will be a combination of individual and group aural and written work. The instructor will also lecture on grammatical structures in real-life contexts, however, large part of each class will be devoted to different exercises and activities in class that promote the use of the language. If you cannot attend all of the weekly meetings in their entirety, you should not be taking this course!

2. Lab Requirement: To meet the lab requirement, you must arrange to log half an hour a week at your convenience in the Language Lab, located in the library, main campus, available for use during the library hours. You will be asked to access specialized language programs available in the lab or to make and save recordings on the lab servers in order to complete your online assignments for the course. 

3. Online Activities: You are expected to visit the course websites at least four times a week - but ideally, once a day. There you will find assignments, lecture materials, interactive exercises and text and voice discussions that can be accessed at your convenience, as well as chat and conference tools for scheduled online meetings with your instructor and your classmates. For this component of the course, you will be working, mostly, on your own and at your own pace.

I will consider an absence as excused only if you e-mail me the day of the absence or before letting me know that you will not be in class. A copy of that e-mail is your written excuse.

Participation

To succeed in this course, you need to be in class to take notes and ask questions. Lots of class participation will be required.

Missing class even a few days will make it extremely hard for you to catch up.

Breakdown of Class Participation: Three (3) components will be factored in to determine your participation grade.

1. Attendance

2. Attentiveness (note-taking, alertness, paying attention to instructor and classmates)

3. Participation (interacting and contributing during group discussions and activities and independent, in-class assignments.) IN SPANISH !!

Class is schedule to meet for 42 academic hours of 50 minutes each during the semester. You are allowed 3 absences during the semester. With this in mind, the following system will be used to determine your participation grade.

42 hours counted

Absent= F

Attended = C

Attended + Attentive = B

Attended + Attentive + Participated = A

Grades will be given for each day. All grades will be averaged to determine your final class participation.

Method of Instruction The hybrid system (online + lecture)

1 1/2 hours of lecture 2 hours of lab work at home

The course format will be a combination of individual and group aural and written work. The instructor will also lecture on grammatical structures in real-life contexts, however, large part of each class will be devoted to different exercises and activities in class that promote the use of the language. There will also be use of multi-media instructional aids in and outside of class.

Make use of all the tools and resources available in and outside the College to reinforce your knowledge of the Spanish language and culture.

Student will be required to attend extra-curricular events related to Spanish-speaking culture.

In class, if you have a question ask it! Someone else probably has the same question.

Work with you fellow students. A regular study group can be especially effective.

See instructor (time permitting) before or after class.

Lab drills are essential to improve your pronunciation.

From day one, try to memorize the vocabulary and verb forms presented in class.

Allow 15 minutes every day to practice the spelling of the vocabulary words. Write five times each of the easy words in Spanish and 10 times the difficult words.

Make use of all the tools and resources available in and outside the College to reinforce your knowledge of the Spanish language and culture.

Homework

Homework will be assigned most days. The professor may collect any homework without notice at the beginning of the class and it will be graded. Graded homework will be based on a scale of 1-10.

Homework assignments will come from the textbook, movies, handouts, internet resources, activities manual and other sources. For these assignments there are not extensions whatsoever.

All written assignments need to have your name and the course and section number.

Make sure that you use pencil when you prepare the assignments, other assignments should be written in a separate piece of paper, ready to hand in and will be collected on a spot check basis.

- Cultural assignments to be obtained from the internet will not be accepted late. Moreover, you are required to bring a hard copy of the information (a print out of the page), in which the date and web address are indicated.

Keep all written work in your binder. Keep a record of your points earned. (No one is perfect!) Please think of your work and points as if "on the job' - if you worked, especially overtime, you want to be paid! Keep your own record of your work, points and progress.

Presentations

As a class we will determine whether these should be done individually or as a group. See appendix 1 of this syllabus to get an idea of the guidelines and expectations for the presentations.

Oral Evaluations: There will be two oral evaluations. The topics to be tested in these evaluations will be taken from the material presented during the course of the semester.

Tests:

There will be short oral quizzes frequently, without notice. The quizzes will be drawn from recent class work and written assignments. Your best preparation for quizzes is to do the homework conscientiously. At the professor's discretion, a quiz may be given as a take-home, or a homework assignment may be collected and counted as a quiz. This procedure is intended for keeping you "on your toes" with the material covered in class.

No make-up quizzes will be given whatsoever. Pencil and eraser are preferred in quizzes and exams

There will be an hourly exam at the end of every chapter. Students who know in advance of a schedule conflict for a scheduled exam should make arrangements to reschedule before the exam day. Make up exams will only be given in the case of an excused absence.

Getting Extra Help:

1. Internet: The textbook has its own website where you can find additional on-line activities and quizzes. There are also many Spanish language resources on-line, including the site www.studyspanish.com Here you can, if you wish, sign up for a daily mini-lesson in Spanish delivered in your email.

2. Other support services: The Learning Assistance Center offers a variety of other support services. If you need help with your other course work, tutors and study groups are available. Career and counseling services are available to help with questions regarding career planning, job opportunities, transfer to other academic institutions, immigration and legal concerns, and any other personal problems you might need help with.

EVALUATION OF STUDENT'S PERFORMANCE:

Language lab weekly attendance

(for classes in the main campus) 10%

Participation and Attendance 30%

5 Exams 10%

2 oral evaluations and presentations 10%

Final Exam 5%

Homework assignments, pop quizzes 30%

Cultural Activities and Passport 5%

Your final letter grade is determined as a function of the percentage of points you earned out of the total minimum points possible according to the following table:

% of minimum available points Grade

96-100 A +