SPAN 2313 • Course Syllabus

Summer I 2008

The University of Texas at Arlington
The Department of Modern Languages

Grade Distribution:

• 25% Midterm
• 25% Final
• 20% Chapter Tests
• 05% Composición
• 10% Quizzes
• 10% Lab Manual and Workbook
• 05% Mi diario

Grading Scale:

• A 90–100
• B 80–89
• C 70–79
• D 65–69
• F 64 and below

Texts:

• Puntos de partida: An Invitation to Spanish, 7th edition. New York: McGraw Hill, 2004
• Quia Workbook to accompany Puntos de partida, 7th edition
• Quia Lab Manual to accompany Puntos de partida, 7th edition
• Supplementary Materials Workbook, 6th edition, to accompany Puntos de partida, 7th edition

Objectives:

In Spanish 2313, the objective of the course is to develop skills in the areas of listening, reading, writing and speaking in the Spanish language. Emphasis is placed on creative oral practice of Spanish in the classroom to actively promote speaking proficiency. Writing skills are reinforced through the inclusion of formal compositions. Mastery of grammatical structures is also highly emphasized for enhanced communication and comprehension in Spanish.

Placement Exam:

Transfer students, students who have taken high school Spanish, or students who have Spanish-speaking relatives are encouraged to take the UTA CLEP placement test. Call the Counseling and Testing Center (817.272.3670) for details. (Neither the Department of Modern Languages nor the Testing Center has study aids for this test.)

Midterm and Final Exams:

Midterm and final exams will be given only on the dates indicated on the syllabus. You will be tested on approximately half of the course material for the midterm. The final will emphasize the last half of the course, but will contain some of the concepts presented in the first half that are required for comprehension of topics presented in the last section of the course.

Chapter Tests:

Chapter tests will be given only on the dates shown on the syllabus. You will be tested over material from the workbook, the lab manual, the text and class activities. The policy of the department is no make-ups. If a student provides proper written documentation for an excused absence (only for serious extenuating circumstances) on the day of a chapter test, the score of the midterm or final closest to the missed test will be used as the score for that test. Otherwise, missed tests are recorded as a "0".

Composición:

You will be required to write one in-class compositions. Approximately one to two class days before the compositions are scheduled, your instructor will announce possible topics that you may be asked to write about. The composition will be graded based on accuracy of grammatical forms and quality of content.

Quizzes:

There will be 8 quizzes and the lowest grade will be dropped. Quizzes cannot be made up under any circumstances.

Quia Lab Manual and Workbook:

Students are responsible for completing the assignments listed in the syllabus on the dates indicated. The laboratory manual and the workbook will be completed on-line. The system will allow access after the due date but will not generate a grade.

Mi diario:

Students will complete the Mi diario section of the workbook. These will be corrected using an ECCO (Error Correction Code). Grades will be based on the student's rewrite based on the ECCO corrections. No credit is given for the original submission. Diarios must be typed, double-spaced. No work will be accepted via e-mail.

Attendance:

Each student is allowed three “free” hours of absences per course. All absences, for whatever reason, count, including but not limited to absences due to illness, family emergencies, and religious holidays. If a student maintains his or her attendance record at or below this allowance of three, the lowest chapter test score will be replaced with a '100'.

Three tardies equal one absence.

E-culture Policy:

When dealing with faculty over e-mail, it is important that students keep the following in mind:

1. Always use salutations and signatures. Be courteous.
2. For serious matters use e-mails to facilitate a mutually agreeable time to meet. E-mail should not be used to avoid personal interaction.
3. Never use e-mail to vent or to respond immediately to an emotional situation.
4. Always remember that e-mail creates a documentary record of one's communication with others.

There are two main reasons for using e-mail in this course:

1. To set up a face-to-face appointment with your professor if you wish to ask questions regarding course materials, clarification or concerns about your progress in the course.
2. To inform the professor of absences.

Do not use e-mail for the following:

1. Do not e-mail your professor asking him/her
   1. to tell you what you missed in class.
   2. to e-mail you class notes as an attachment.
   3. to e-mail you course handouts.
2. Do not use e-mail as a way to solve issues that should be resolved professionally during the professor's regularly scheduled office hours.

Miscellaneous

• A grade of “C” or better in Spanish 1442 is a prerequisite for Spanish 2313.
• Spanish 2313 will be conducted at least 75 percent in Spanish at the beginning of the semester and 80 to 90 percent by the end of the semester.
• Note that for every hour spent in class, a student should be prepared to invest at least two hours of outside preparation.
• Spanish 1441 and 1442 or their equivalents are prerequisites for Spanish 2313. If you are currently enrolled in any other lower-division Spanish course, you will be dropped from the higher-level course. *Students are required to make any course changes by the census date (June 02). The last day to drop is June 17.

Student Questions/Concerns:

Should students have questions or concerns, they should first try to resolve these with their class instructor, then with Prof. Natalie Wagener, Supervisor of Lower Level Spanish. Only after having spoken with the instructor and Prof. Wagener should the Spanish Section Coordinator, Dr. Chris Conway, be contacted in the event of unresolved issues.

Student Support Services Available:

UTA supports a variety of student success programs to help you connect with the University and achieve academic success. These programs include learning assistance, developmental education, advising and mentoring, admission and transition, and federally funded programs. Students requiring assistance academically, personally, or socially should contact the Office of Student Success Programs at 817.272.6107 for more information and appropriate referrals.

Disability Accommodations/Americans with Disabilities Act:

The University of Texas at Arlington is on record as being committed to the spirit and letter of federal equal opportunity legislation. (Reference Public Law 93112–The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended.) Instructors are required by law to provide "reasonable accommodation" to students with disabilities, so as not to discriminate on the basis of that disability. Student responsibility primarily rests with informing faculty at the beginning of the semester and in providing authorized documentation through designated administrative channels.

Academic Dishonesty:

It is the philosophy of The University of Texas at Arlington that academic dishonesty is a completely unacceptable mode of conduct and will not be tolerated in any form. All persons involved in academic dishonesty will be disciplined in accordance with University regulations and procedures, which may include suspension or expulsion from the University. (See "Regents' Rules and Regulations".)

Language Acquisition Center (LAC):

The Language Acquisition Center (LAC), located on the third floor of Trimble Hall (rooms 302–307), offers audio, video and computer services for students of Spanish at UTA.

Student Learning Outcomes:

By the end of each chapter you should be able to:

Chapter 12:

• Talk about technology.
• Describe where you live.
• Tell others what to do.
• Express requests, use.
• You should know how to use
  • Informal commands.
  • The subjunctive for influence.

Chapter 13:

• Talk about the arts and culture.
• Express emotions, disbelief and doubt.
• Rank things.
• You should know how to use
  • The subjunctive for emotions and uncertainty.

Chapter 14:

• Talk about the environment and cars.
• Describe conditions.
• Tell what you have done recently.
• You should know how to use
  • Past participles as adjective.
  • The present perfect (indicative and subjunctive).

Chapter 15:

• Talk about sentimental relationships and the stages of life.
• Describe your ideal companion, friend, job, etc.
• Discuss cause-and-effect relationships.
• You should know how to use
  • The subjunctive after nonexistent and indefinite antecedents.
  • The subjunctive after conjunctions of contingency and purpose.

Chapter 16:

• Discuss careers and money matters.
• Talk about the future and pending actions.
• You should know how to use
  • Future verb forms.
  • The subjunctive and indicative after conjunctions of time.

Chapter 17:

• Discuss current events.
• Express doubts, emotions, and wishes in the past.
• Talk about what belongs to you and others.
• You should know how to use
  • The past subjunctive.
  • Stressed possessives.

Chapter 18:

• Discuss travel plans.
• Hypothesize.
• Talk about what you would do in certain situations.
• You should know how to use
  • Conditional verb forms.
  • "If" clauses.

Course Calendar:

 

Week 1: May 27–29

• Tuesday:
  • Introduction to the course.
  • Puntos: Cap. 12
• Wednesday:
  • Puntos: Cap. 12
• Thursday:
  • Prueba Cap. 12
  • Due: Lab Manual, Workbook, and Mi Diario
  • Puntos: Cap. 13

 

Week 2: June 2–5

• Monday:
  • Puntos: Cap. 13
  • Due: Lab Manual and Workbook
• Tuesday:
  • Puntos: Cap. 13
  • Prueba Cap. 13
  • Due: Mi Diario
• Wednesday:
  • Puntos: Cap. 14
• Thursday:
  • Puntos: Cap. 14
• Sunday:
  • Due: Lab Manual and Workbook

 

Week 3: June 9–12

• Monday:
  • Prueba Cap. 14
  • Due: Mi Diario
  • Puntos: Cap. 15
• Tuesday:
  • Puntos: Cap. 15
• Wednesday:
  • Puntos: Cap. 15
  • Review for the Midterm (12–15)
  • Due: Lab Manual and Workbook
• Thursday:
  • Midterm
  • There is no Mi Diario due.

 

Week 4: June 16–19

• Monday:
  • Puntos: Cap. 16
• Tuesday:
  • Puntos: Cap. 16
  • Due: Lab Manual and Workbook
• Wednesday:
  • Wednesday: Cap. 16
  • Prueba Cap. 16
  • Due: Mi Diario
• Thursday:
  • Thursday: Puntos: Cap. 17
  • Announce composición topic

 

Week 5: June 23–26

• Monday:
  • Puntos: Cap. 17
  • Due: Lab Manual and Workbook
• Tuesday:
  • Prueba Cap. 17
  • Due: Mi Diario
  • In-class composición
• Wednesday:
  • Puntos: Cap. 18
• Thursday:
  • Puntos: Cap. 18
  • Review for the Final (16–18)
• Sunday, June 29:
  • Due: Lab Manual and Workbook

 

Monday, June 30

• Final Exam
• Mi diario is not due.