COURSE OUTLINE
SPANISH 261-262
Fall 2010
INSTRUCTOR: Bryan McBride
PHONE: 428-8486
E-MAIL:
OFFICE NUMBER: AP 240
OFFICE HOURS: M, T, W & Th 7:30am–8:00am; M, W & Th 11:00am - 12:00 noon.
Also by appointment
WEBSITE: eacfaculty.org/bmcbride
INTRODUCTION: Spanish 261 is a continuation of Spanish 202. Spanish 262 is a continuation of Spanish 261. The purpose is to reinforce what has been learned in previous semesters and to enhance speaking, reading, writing and listening skills in preparation for upper-division course work. Students will be required to participate actively with the instructor and classmates. All activities assigned for outside of class are designed to help students acquire the language by practicing what is known, reviewing classroom activities and developing skills in speaking, listening, reading and writing.
ATTENDANCE: Attendance is of the utmost importance in a language course. Students are expected to attend and to participate in all class meetings and laboratory sessions. Absences from class due to authorized participation in College sponsored activities will be considered as official absences. There will be no institutionally sanctioned penalty associated with official absences. Absences other than official absences will be considered as unofficial absences. You will receive attendance and participation points each day you are present. If you are absent, it is your responsibility to find out what you missed that day. You may e-mail the instructor, phone the instructor or contact another student.
LATE WORK: It is your responsibility to make-up any assignments or exams missed because of either an official or unofficial absence. Arrangements for make-up assignments or exams must be made with the instructor prior to the absence. Any assignment turned in late will receive half credit. If you had an official absence the day the assignment was due, it will be due the first day you return to class.
HONESTY: The result of cheating or plagiarism on an assignment or test will be a grade of zero (0) on that assignment and may result in expulsion from the class.
ELECTRONIC DEVICES: Cell phones, beepers and pagers are to be turned off or put on silent when you enter the classroom. No text messaging is permitted during class.
EVALUATION OF STUDENT WORK GRADING SCALE
Participation and Attendance 15% 90% - 100% = A
Assignments & Quizzes 60% 80% - 89% = B
Final Written Exam 15% 70% - 79% = C
Final Oral Exam 10% 60% - 69% = D
0% - 59% = F
REQUIRED TEXTBOOK & STUDY AIDES:
Macario por Bruno Traven, Selector 2003. ISBN: 968-403-015-0
A good Spanish/English - English/Spanish dictionary
RECOMMENDED: 501 Spanish Verbs
LANGUAGE LEARNING: Language learning is an ongoing, cumulative process necessitating daily study and practice. Most work in the classroom will be aural/oral (listening/verbal). Therefore, you must be familiar with the assigned material so that you can actively participate. Do not be afraid to make mistakes. Trying out your new skills, and making mistakes, is part of the learning process.
Listening comprehension is the basis for the sound acquisition of a foreign language. Therefore, you will be listening to a great deal of Spanish from the professor, other students and additional sources. It is essential that you attend each class session in order to participate in small group, pair work, role playing and other activities in class that will give you more chances to practice speaking. The classroom experience cannot be substituted with make-up work.
The goal of this course is communicative competence in the listening and speaking skills. This class will use reading and writing activities to enhance your grasp of vocabulary and to provide you with opportunities to express yourself in Spanish. Cultural and historical aspects of the Spanish-speaking cultures will also be discussed in class since language is an expression of a cultural group. This course will be taught with the intention of having students develop a sound basis on which to further develop skills in speaking, reading, listening and writing Spanish.