Intermediate Spanish II

HISP 204, Fall 2006


Syllabus

 

Index

Syllabus (Revised 10/30/06 )

Course Calendar
(Revised 10/30/06 )

Identidades Website

Quia Website

Moodle

Announcements

Links

Humanities Resource Center (HRC)

Macalester College

   
Professor: Leland Guyer
Email: guyerl@macalester.edu
Assistant: TBA
Email: TBA
Office: Humanities 200C
Telephone Extension: 6390
Office Hours: MWF (TBA) or by appointment
Course Description: Intermediate Spanish II extends and deepens awareness and use of linguistic functions in Spanish, and it introduces the history and culture of Hispanophone countries. Successful completion allows enrollment in 300-level courses in Spanish. Prerequisites: for admission into Spanish 204, students must have completed Spanish 203, or its equivalent, with a minimum grade of C-. Offered every semester. (4 credits)

Textbook and other materials:

  1. Castells, Guzmán, Liskin-Gasparro, Lapuerta.  Identidades: Exploraciones e interconexiones, 2005.
  2. Castells, Guzmán, Liskin-Gasparro, Lapuerta, Bolaños.  Student Activities Manual to Identidades: Exploraciones e interconexiones, 2005 (Quia version only).
  3. Other materials to be studied will be supplied by the instructor.
Exams and Quizzes: There will be three written exams in the course, each one of equal value. There will also be an oral exit interview. There will also be written quizzes throughout the semester often unannounced. Finally, there will be nearly daily electronic quizzes from the Identidades website.
Writing: There will be two compositions based on topics derived from the textbook.
Homework: Homework consists primarily of the on-line student workbook and on-line quizzes, although there may be other assignments as well.
Use of Spanish in the Classroom: Spanish will be the usual language of Spanish 204. English is allowed, but only briefly and for reasons of economy and clarity and for the benefit of the entire class. Informal talk among members of the class is encouraged when appropriate as long as it is in Spanish.
Participation and Preparation: For the class to be successful for both the individual and for the group each person must be fully prepared for each class session and willing to participate in each day's activities. The degree to which one meets this goal determines a large percentage of the final grade. Please see Participation and Preparation.

Attendance Policy: Attendance is required in this and all other courses in the Department of Hispanic Studies. Students are allowed up to three unexcused class absences with minimal penalty to the grade for participation. More than three unexcused absences will result in a dramatically lowered grade for participation. Each unexcused absence beyond 3 will lower the preparation and participation grade by 20 additional percentage points. One is allowed excused absences with prior approval of the professor for certain occasions (i.e. course field trips, intercollegiate sports activities, unexpected personal health needs and family emergencies). If one is seriously ill or has an accident the student will be excused from class with a written explanation from the Dean of Students or health care provider either before or after the fact. Conflicting assignments, non-essential appointments, oversleeping, and the like do not qualify as excusable absences. Important: As all other courses in the Department of Hispanic Studies, this one requires attendance at the first meeting in order to hold one's space in the course. If an enrolled student is absent for the first meeting without making prior arrangements, the student may be dropped from the course to make room for another person on a waiting list.

Missed and Late Assignments: Work is due on specified dates at the time of the class, and there will be little if any latitude allowed for missing due dates.

On-line assignments (both Identidades and Quia) will be accepted up to 60 minutes late with no penalty. On-line work submitted after that time will receive a maximum grade of 50%. Beyond 24 hours, late on-line assignments will not be accepted, and a grade of "0" will be recorded.

Compositions will be accepted up to 60 minutes late with no penalty. After that grace period they will be accepted up to 24 hours after the due date but the grade will drop markedly, and no feedback and/or corrections will be given. Beyond 24 hours, late compositions will not be accepted, and a grade of "0" will be recorded.

Students will not be allowed to make up quizzes and/or tests due to unexcused absences. In the latter case, a grade of "0" will be recorded.

Students who join the class late must have all missed work completed and submitted no later than class time on the Monday following the week they enroll in the class.

Grades of Incomplete: A grade of "incomplete" is rarely an option in this course. If circumstances seem to require a notation of incomplete, it is essential to make arrangements as soon as possible. Any delay will lessen the likelihood of approval.
Use of Tutors: Student tutors in Spanish are available for consultation and oral practice and all language students are strongly encouraged to make use of this resource. Nevertheless, written work is considered the intellectual property solely of the student. As such, if one seeks outside help with an assignment all parties must be certain that the help must be only of an instructional or advisory nature. That is, simple correction of mistakes by that person would be considered a violation of an implicit honor code and would be inappropriate and unacceptable. Advice and instruction while guiding toward improvement are more appropriate activities to have with an assistant.
Course Web Sites: The course web site on which this syllabus and associated materials reside is an integral part of the course. It is the only up-to-date source of information for the course. Changes to the calendar will be made frequently, and it is each student's responsibility to consult and verify the calendar correspondingly. In addition, the Identidades and Quia web sites will also be necessary resources and evaluation tools. In addition to this page, links to this web site can be found on both the Calendar and on the Links page.

Evaluation: The final grade is based on the following categories of work:

3 chapter tests: 40%
Preparation and Participation: 15%
Student Activities Manual (Quia): 15%
On line Quizzes (Identidades): 10%
Compositions and Written Quizzes: 10%
Oral Exit Interview: 10%

Final grades are assigned according to the following numerical scale, based on the categories described above: 100-93=A; 92-90=A-; 89-88=B+; 86-83=B; 82-80=B-; 79-78=C+; 76-73=C; 72-70=C-; 69-68=D+; 66-63=D; 62-60=D-; below 60=NC. PLEASE NOTE: The Spanish Department has specified that a student must receive a grade of C- or better to continue to the next level of Spanish.

Honesty: This course operates on the honor system. This system applies primarily to tests, quizzes, and compositions, and on-line assignments. Most daily classroom activities tend to be collaborative and therefore allow and encourage an exchange of information, ideas and opinions. All violations of this honor system, without exception, will be referred to the Academic Dean. If in doubt, please consult your instructor.