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 Instructor: David Sunderland
COURSE DESCRIPTION This course introduces vocabulary and grammar equivalent to one full year of study. Cultural notes and short readings are included along with the language study. Immediate use of the language is encouraged. The student will develop basic competency in the four skill areas: listening , reading, speaking, and writing. Competency will be defined as the ability to interact with the native speaker in real-life situations and converse on a variety of subjects such as university life, family life, weather, food, politics etc. Listening: Class will be conducted when possible in Spanish. Laboratory listening exercises will be performed and Lab Manual handed in. Reading: Students will occasionally read short articles, short stories, poems etc for comprehension. Speaking: Students will dialogue with others in one-on-one and small-group situations in role playing situations. Writing: Students will express self in writing with correct spelling and structure about a variety of daily topics. Intercultural communication and a basic familiarity with the Hispanic peoples and their cultures will be stressed through culture readings, film use, etc. and especially, regular conversation with the fourth or fifth hour native speaker instructor. Emphasis in Puntes is on class participation and conversation. Learning to speak in another language requires regular practice and daily preparation. Classroom time is primarily dedicated to oral exercises, ie., vocabulary use, pronunciation, improvisation etc. Grammar study is the responcibility of the individual student and is generally done outside of class. Grammar structure is tested in written exams. Group progress is measured in terms of individual mastery of the material. If the student feels (s)he is falling behind, (s)he should contact the professor immediatly. Remedial help is available. However, (s)he should not expect to feel in control of 100% of the material at all times-this is normal and necessary! The Tuesday/Thursday conversation lab session is designed to provide a change of pace and complement the normal classroom activities. These sessions constitute an integral part of the attendance and participation component and are instructed by the native speaker on campus. The student must be ready to work hard and have fun. A language is a performance skill much like music, art, sports etc. and not a passive content course in the traditional sense. A sucessfull experience depends in large part on what one puts into it. This is an accelerated five-credit course and the required work reflects the intensive nature of the course. ASSESSMENT The student is required to give the instructor a written assessment in the first two or three weeks of class of his or her projected performance in the class with concrete suggestions of ways to improve it, like and dislikes. GRADING Daily participation-------------------------------------------------20% GRADING SCALE A = 93-100% B+ = 87-89% C+ = 77-79% D+ = 67-69%
Web page maintained by: Yongho Kim February 2003 |