Dalhousie University
Department of Spanish and Latin American Studies
Fall /Winter 2013 - 2014
Course: SPAN 2020.06XY Intermediate Spanish (B1 Level)
Time: TTH 10:05 – 11:25 FASS 2170 (Fall) / 2021 (Winter)
Professor: Emilia Santos Montero
Office: Marion McCain Arts and Social Sciences Building (FASS), Office # 3020
Telephone: (902) 494 - 7118
Email: emontero @dal.ca
Office hours: M - Th 11:30 - 1:00 or by appointment.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
In SPAN 2020 students will acquire an intermediate knowledge of Spanish equivalent of a B1 level, by adopting an action-oriented approach and engaging in communicative and task – based activities. This course follows the system for learning, teaching and assessing languages established by the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) that defines the competencies the students need to master in the following categories: Comprehension (Listening and Reading) and Expression (Interaction, Oral and Writing).
COMPETENCIES
At the end of SPAN 2020, students should be able to:
§ Understand the main points of simple texts if they deal with known topics in work, study or leisure situations;
§ Speak and interact with others in the majority of situations that could occur when travelling in areas where Spanish is spoken;
§ Write simple and coherent texts about topics which are familiar or of interest;
§ Describe experiences, events, wishes and aspirations as well as justify briefly opinions and explain plans;
§ Explore different cultural realities from around the Spanish – speaking world.
Required COURSE Materials
· AULA Internacional 3. Corpas, Jaime; García, Eva; Garmendia, Agustín; Soriano, Carmen. Difusión, 2011.
· A good Spanish/English dictionary such as Collins. (optional)
Department Grading SCALE
A+ 95-100% / B+ 80-84% / C+ 65-69% / D 50-54%A 90-94% / B 75-79% / C 60-64% / F 0-49%
A- 85-89% / B- 70-74% / C- 55-59%
Course Evaluation
To assess the student’s performance in this course, the following components will be combined:
GRADE BREAKDOWN
Evaluation components / %1. Preparación y participación / 10
2. Evaluaciones (3) / 30
3. Examen final escrito / 20
4. Examen final oral / 15
5. Mini-tests (8) / 5
6. Composiciones (11) / 10
7. Lecturas / 10
Evaluation
1. Preparation and participation (10%)
1.1. Preparación. In order to actively participate in class, students must be prepared. Students are expected to review their notes and textbook daily. Read the material and prepare the assignments /exercises assigned by the instructor for each class. Your effort and daily preparation for class is essential. In working towards proficiency in the language, you must become an independent learner and become responsible for your own progress. Without your daily homework, classes will become ineffective, and your learning experience will be hampered.
1.2. Participación. Class participation is a vital part of your language learning experience. Evaluation will occur on an ongoing basis and since participation is an essential component of this course, it is very important to attend class every day. While you will NOT obtain a grade for class attendance, attendance is a prerequisite to obtain credit for class participation and performance.
SPAN 2020 requires ACTIVE contribution in all the class activities as they are used to evaluate your performance in class and your progress. Students are expected to participate fully in class individually, in pairs or groups, volunteer to answer questions frequently and speak as much as possible in Spanish.
2. Evaluaciones (30%). There will be three evaluaciones based on the material covered in the course. See schedule for dates. In case of illness, a medical certificate is required and you must contact the instructor as soon as possible.
3. Examen Final escrito (20%). There will be one final exam the last day of classes in April. This exam is designed to assess the skills practiced during the course.
4. Examen final oral (15%). An oral exam will be conducted and organized by the instructor in April to assess the students’ communicative competence. See the Oral Exam guidelines and evaluation criteria on the Bblearn site
5. Mini–tests (5%). There will be eight mini–tests, one after most units. These mini–tests will evaluate formal concepts covered in the units. There will be NO MAKE–UP tests. Please, check all Mini-tests dates carefully.
6. Composiciones (10%). You will have to write 11 compositions related to the units studied. Please pay attention to the following:
· Make sure to type (double spaced) your composition on a separate sheet of paper.
· You can use recycled paper to write your compositions.
· Assignments are due at the beginning of the class on the day for which they are assigned.
· You cannot send it by email. A printed copy is needed.
· Late homework will NOT be accepted.
· Keep an electronic copy of any paper you submit, the course instructor may require you to submit that electronic copy on demand.
· You cannot submit wrinkled and/or dirty sheets of paper and hand-written compositions.
· No credit will be given for late or incomplete assignments.
7. Lecturas (10%). There will be two assigned readings per semester. In class, students will have the opportunity to discuss their content and reflect on different cultural aspects of the Spanish-speaking world. Students will be evaluated in 3 different aspects: exercise preparation, participation in class discussions, and in written evaluations.
OTHER RELEVANT INFORMATION
OSAA SYLLABUS STATEMENT ON ACCOMMODATION
Students may request accommodation as a result of barriers related to disability, religious obligation, or any characteristic under the Nova Scotia Human Rights Act. Students who require academic accommodation for either classroom participation or the writing of tests, quizzes and exams should make their request to the Office of Student Accessibility & Accommodation (OSAA) prior to or at the outset of each academic term (with the exception of X/Y Courses). Please see www.studentaccessibility.dal.ca for more information and to obtain Form A Request for Accommodation.
A note taker may be required to assist a classmate. There is an honorarium of 75/course/term. If you are interested, please contact OSAA at 494-2836 for more information.
Please note that the classroom may contain specialized accessible furniture and equipment. It is important that these items remain in the classroom so that students who require their usage will be able to participate in the class.
Academic Integrity/Plagiarism
All students in this class are to read and understand the policies on academic integrity and plagiarism referenced in the Policies and Student Resources sections of the academicintegrity.dal.ca website. Ignorance of such policies is no excuse for violations.
Any paper submitted by a student at Dalhousie University may be checked for originality to confirm that the student has not plagiarized from other sources. Plagiarism is considered a serious academic offence which may lead to loss of credit, suspension or expulsion from the University, or even to the revocation of a degree. It is essential that there be correct attribution of authorities from which facts and opinions have been derived. At Dalhousie there are University Regulations which deal with plagiarism and, prior to submitting any paper in a course, students should read the Policy on Intellectual Honesty contained in the Calendar or on the Online Dalhousie website. The Senate has affirmed the right of any instructor to require that student papers be submitted in both written and computer-readable format, and to submit any paper to a check such as that performed by Turnitin.com. As a student in this class, you are to keep an electronic copy of any paper you submit, and the course instructor may require you to submit that electronic copy on demand.
Ifyou are unsure about how this applies to your work in SPAN 2020, please consult with me. You are not to use internet translation programs or ask proficient speakers, TAs, tutors or classmates for corrections to your writing assignments; they may only help you find your mistakes, guide you to reason out the solution to your problems, or give you grammar explanations. If I suspect that you are not following these guidelines, I will consider this a violation of the intellectual honesty policy and appropriate disciplinary action will be taken.
sUGGESTIONS TO SUCCESS !!!!
· Familiarize yourself with the textbook. Read the introduction Cómo es Aula Internacional that explains the structure of each unit and check the sections Más ejercicios, Más cultura y Más gramática at the back of the book that offer activities to practice your grammar with additional formal explanations and a selection of different types of texts to expand your knowledge of the cultural themes explored in the units.
· Come to class prepared and ready to participate on a regular basis.
· Do not fall behind in your work. This includes doing the exercises and tasks in the book as we are covering the material. It is very difficult to catch up on missed work. Language learning is progressive and each lesson is based on the previous one. If you do fall behind in your work contact your instructor as soon as possible.
· Remember that people learn in different ways. Find the ways that work best for you. Rather than compare yourself to other students in the class, try to evaluate your learning based on your personal progress.
· A language is meant to be spoken. Take every opportunity to use your Spanish with your classmates, your instructor or any Spanish speaker you might know. Get in touch the vibrant Spanish Society at Dalhousie who organizes all kind of fun events. Watch films, read newspapers and magazines in Spanish, check the Web sites in Spanish, etc. Soon you will be part of the Spanish speaking community.
· Finally, relax and have fun!!!
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