PORT 14b: Accelerated Beginning Portuguese
Fall 2017
Brandeis University
Department of Romance Studies
Class Schedule: MTWR1:00-1:50pm
Location: tbd
Instructor:Dr. Laura Brown
Email: (notice the C!)
Office Hours:
T,Th11:00-12:00 (and after class on T/Th)
or by appointment
Office Location: Brown 101
Textbook: Ponto de Encontro: Portuguese as a World Language, 2nd Edition
My Portuguese Lab and Audio Resources:
A Portuguese-English or Portuguese-Spanish Dictionary
Recommended: Portuguese Verb book (of conjugations)—Print out the back pages!!!
Course Description and Objectives
PORT 14b Accelerated Brazilian Portuguese introduces Brazilian and other Lusophone cultures while reviewing and presenting basic grammar skills. Speaking, reading, and writing skills are all emphasized. Movies and television, news broadcasts, journal articles, and Internet sites all complement class work.
The Portuguese 14b course is designed to give students the ability to communicate in Portuguese using all four language skills: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. By the end of the semester students should be able to:
1. Understand spoken Portuguese in intermediate to advanced conversations; participate in dialogues about politics, history, culture, economics, mass media, etc.
2. Read newspaper articles, websites, and literary texts.
3. Express him/herself in written form.
4. Continue learning about the cultures and history of the Portuguese-Speaking World.
5. Learn advanced grammatical structures and expressions to strengthen their communication skills.
Experiential Learning
This class is a designated Experiential Learning course. This means that we will be learning Portuguese with practices that are designed to be active, reflective, authentic, and relevant. Grammar and vocabulary lessons supported by the textbook Ponto de Encontrowill be cumulative, leading up to a live, unstructured 30-minute interaction with a native speaker through the program TalkAbroad. Each chapter is therefore approached with this communicative task in mind. Students are encouraged to think about how and what we tend to communicate about ourselves and what kind of information we request from others in our interactions. Furthermore, we will approach lessons about daily life (food, rituals, leisure, world issues and opinions) and grammar functions with a reflective approach, drawing conclusions about the social, communicative, and cultural aspects of language. This class thus requires you to be an active learner, and observations will figure in the form of journal entries. The sense of community, ever important in the Brazilian and Lusophone cultures, is further fostered through Facebook entries on designated topics, as well as the shared culture of television watching as a common interest. Therefore, 3%, to be watched on Netflix with Portuguese audio and captions, in an important component of this class.
Course Requirements
Preparation is essential. Prepare in advance for each class, completing homework and any assignments set by the instructor. It is the student’s responsibility to study the assigned grammatical sections and complete the workbook exercises before each class, in order to fully participate in class. Late work will be accepted but will be penalized at the instructor’s discretion, with a maximum of 80% credit given. As a guideline, see the recommended homework outline.
Absences are bad. Regular class attendance is essential for successful keeping up in the course and for progressing your skills; attendance is therefore obligatory for all classes. Ascircumstances may arise that prevent you from attending class, you are permitted four unexcused absences, about which questions will not be asked nor excuses solicited. Since four classes represent an entire week of formal contact, any absence beyond those classes is considered excessive. These four absences are not “free” but should be used wisely for doctor appointments, minor illnesses, attendance at weddings, etc. Excessive absences: If you accumulate five absences or more, one percentage point per unexcused absence will be deducted from your Final Grade calculation. To have your absences excused, you must provide your instructor with official documentation of the reason for your missing class (e.g. extended hospitalization, medical emergency, religious functions, etc.). Please consult your peers about any materials missed and/or papers handed out.
Participation Grade
This grade is based on two factors: (1) Evidence that student has prepared for class AND (2) active, volunteered participation in class activities and discussions. Participation must be in the foreign language (PORTUGUESE) and will be evaluated according to the following criteria:
A= Excellent participation, always well prepared, virtually no English/Spanish spoken
B= Good participation, almost always prepared, very little English/Spanish spoken
C= Fair participation, generally prepared, some English/Spanishspoken
D= Irregular participation, infrequently prepared, English/Spanish spoken frequently
F= Little to no participation, infrequently prepared, English/Spanish spoken consistently
Course Grading Criteria
Participation and Attendance (15%): Classroom participation is essential for acquiring language skills. Furthermore, will a small class size, individual contribution to class discussion is important for maintaining an engaging, interesting class.
Homework and Blogs (20%): Workbook activities will be graded at the end of each chapter for a homework grade (15%), though they should be completed in preparation for most classes.In addition, the instructor will assign five cultural activities on special topics and involving “real materials,” to be completed on the class facebook site (5%).
Compositions (15 %): Two compositions will be written during the semester, one narrative, the other an argumentative essay expressing an opinion. The narrative topic will be assigned by the professor, whereas the argumentative project will involve a topic and geographical project of the student’s choice with guidance from the instructor. You will be given the opportunity to turn in a second, corrected version for a higher grade.
Quizzes (20%): Three take home quizzes will be given during the semester. Please see detailed syllabus for these dates.
Notes (5%): As a new element, each chapter will be accompanied by note taking sheets (provided by the instruction). It is worth the weight of one quiz.
Midterm (10 %): Cumulative, based on first part of semester.
Oral Proficiency Interview (5 %): In order to demonstrate one’s ability to communicate in the target language, each student will carry out an online conversation with native speaker through TalkAbroad. Possible topics and questions will be discussed later in the semester.
Final Exam (10%): Cumulative, but focus on second half of the semester.
Grading System
A = 94-100B = 83-86.9C = 73-76.9D = 63-66.9
A- = 90-93.9 B- = 80-82.9 C- = 70-72.9D- = 60-62.9
B+ = 87-89.9C+ = 77-79.9D+ = 67-69.9F = 0-59.9
Expectations for Student Conduct
Of course, no cell phones or other electronic communication devices are to be used during class, except for the use of a dictionary or e-text book. The use of social media in class may be penalized under participation. Students are expected to adhere strictly to the Brandeis Undergraduate Honor Code. The course syllabus is a general plan for the course. The instructor may announce changes to this syllabus and to the course. You will need your textbook in class.
Academic Integrity: You are expected to be familiar with, and to follow, the University’s policies on academic integrity. Please consult Brandeis University Rights and Responsibilities for all policies and procedures. All policies related to academic integrity apply to in-class and take home projects, assignments, exams, and quizzes. Students may only collaborate on assignments with permission from the instructor. Allegations of alleged academic dishonesty will be forwarded to the Director of Academic Integrity. Sanctions for academic dishonesty can include failing grades and/or suspension from the university.
DisabilitiesIf you are a student with a documented disability on record at Brandeis University and wish to have a reasonable accommodation made for you in this class, please see me immediately. If you have questions about documenting a disability or requesting academic accommodations, you should contact Undergraduate Academic Services. Letters of accommodations should be presented at the start of the semester to ensure provision of accommodations. Accommodations cannot be granted retroactively.
Four-credit Course (with four hours of class-time per week)
Success in this 4 credit hour course is based on the expectation that students will spend a minimum of 9 hours of study time per week in preparation for class (readings, papers, discussion sections, preparation for exams, etc.).