Spanish 312: Oral and Written Communication II

Fall 2008

HISP 312-03

Professor:              Elena Sánchez Mora
Telephone:                (320) 363-3076
Office:                        Quad. 469
Office hours:              135, 10:00-11:20
E-mail :                  esanchez@csbsju.edu

Required Texts:

1. Photocopied materials distributed by the professor or posted in the Hisp 312 webpage @ http://www.csbsju.edu/hispanicstudies/curriculum/Spanish_312.htm

2. Dozier & Iguina. Manual de Gramática. Grammar Reference for Sudents of Spanish. (Manual) Fourth edition. Boston: Thomson/Heinle, 2008 (ISBN: 9781413032192).

3. Film: Mujeres al borde de un ataque de nervios (Women on the verge…) (Mujeres), Pedro Almodóvar, España, 1988, 88 mins. (on reserve, Alcuin Library).

4. Unamuno, Miguel de. San Manuel bueno, mártir. (printable pdf file in webpage) (Sn. Manuel).

5. Gibaldi, Joseph. MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. 6th ed. New York: Modern Language Association of America, 2003 (Available in both Libraries reference collections: LB 2369.G53 2003)

Description

This course builds on the skills acquired in Spanish 311. Its goal is to further improve students’ command of written Spanish through a continued review of grammatical structures. As in Span 311, thematically selected literary and cultural readings, as well as films and other media, are incorporated by means of step-by-step assignments. The focus in this course is on the argumentative and expository writing modes, providing practice in essay writing; these skills aim at an understanding of the process of preparation and completion of a research project. Strategies for oral communication are also incorporated into this course through presentations and discussions.

Prerequisite: 311

Goals

1) Continue practice of language skills integrated to the course material.
2) Apply analytical skills to develop critical thinking in preparation for more advanced courses.
3) Explore the social and cultural realities of the Hispanic world through reading, research, writing and discussion.
4) Demonstrate ability to carry out substantive research on a topic related to the course theme.

Objectives

Through writing assignments based on works by contemporary Hispanic authors, students should do the following:

1) Become aware of writing strategies and modes to further develop writing skills.
2) Develop writing as a process through regular practice while engaging in revision through the production of multiple drafts, thus encouraging students to learn from their mistakes.
3) Apply knowledge from previous language courses to closely examine sentence structure and word function to convey meaning.
4) Affirm previously learned vocabulary and acquire new words by using them in context.
5) Continue to practice speaking and listening skills to enhance proficiency level through presentations and discussions.
6) Approach course readings from the unifying theme “Identidad sexual y religiosa”.

Coursework

1. 2 Ensayos —  2-3 pages in length. The ensayos will have the following modes:
1) exposición
2) argumentación literaria

As this course treats writing as a process, essays will involve three phases:

a.   Bosquejo — A preliminary outline that presents the structure of the essay. This is the planning stage.
b.   Borrador — A first rough draft of the essay. It must be peer reviewed before it is turned in to the professor. This is the developing stage.
c.   Versión final — Once your professor has corrected the borrador, it will be returned with grammatical, structural, stylistic and content commentary. The final version of the essay must address these suggestions and corrections made according to a Key. This is the revising stage. Students must schedule a meeting outside of class to go over their corrections of each essay. The peer reviewed Borrador should be turned in with the final version. The grade will be based on your improvements to the Borrador.

2. Presentación en grupo — 15 minute presentations in small groups will address an assigned research topic related to the texts viewed/read or a grammar structure that needs reviewing. You must consult with me before you prepare your presentation.

3. Discusión en grupo — 15 minute discussions in small groups will address topics related to the texts read/viewed.

4. Examen Escrito – The in-class exam will test your knowledge of vocabulary and grammatical structures as well as your reading-comprehension.

5. Trabajo de investigación — Students will complete a final individual paper of a minimum of 5 pages in length on a specific aspect of the course’s theme. This will be a research assignment, written and structured in accord with the MLA guidelines for research papers. Students must list a minimum of 5 sources, at least two of them in Spanish, and two of them off-line.

6. Presentación individual — Each student will give a 15 minute oral presentation to report on the development and the results of their final research paper.

7. Preparación -- During the course of the semester, students will engage in the reading/analysis of various types of texts (song, poem, cartoon, short novel, film, etc.), which will be the basis for writing in the exposition and argumentation discursive modes. As part of their preparation for class, students will be required to answer questions after careful daily readings of the assigned texts as indicated in the syllabus. These homework assignments will earn students points toward their preparation grade. If you are absent from class, you are responsible for turning in homework on the day it is due by sending it via e-mail BEFORE THE FOLLOWING CLASS SESSION.

8. Participación -- It will reflect students’ contribution to in-class activities based on short assignments and/or grammar exercises completed inside and/or outside of class; it will also include a self-evaluation of small-group work. The following scale will be used:

A         100-93             always                         C         77-73   rarely
AB      92-88               almost always              CD      72-68   only if asked
B         87-83               often                            D         67-63   almost never
BC       82-78               sometimes                   F          62-00   never

Attendance

You DON’T HAVE TO excuse occasional absences; however, you should be aware that by being absent, you affect your class participation. After 3 absences, your participation grade will be lowered by 3% for each missed day, except for emergencies. You are expected to be on time for class, and if you aren’t, make sure you get any announcements made in the beginning of class and/or check your e-mail. Any changes to the syllabus will be sent via e-mail.

Grade Distribution

10%           Presentation                20%     Research paper
10%           Discussion                   10%     Research presentation
10%           Exam                          10%     Preparation
20%           Essays (10/10)             10%     Participation

Grading Scale

100-93 = A                 82-78 = BC                 67-63 = D
92- 88 = AB                77-73 = C                   62-00= F
87 -83 = B                  72-68 = CD

Extra credit

May be earned by writing a 1 page review--including summary and personal opinion-- of a maximum of two outside of class related events such as films and speakers, which will be announced in advance; you must turn in reviews no later than a week after the event takes place; after corrections are made, the review will obtain 1 point to be added to the final grade.

Assignment format

All written assignments should be in Spanish, typed (Times 12 or equivalent) and 1.5-spaced (handwritten and single spaced assignments will not be corrected). You must write your name, the class name and the title and date of the assignment, on the left margin on top of the page. Late work will reduce grade incrementally. You will receive further information on each individual item’s description and evaluation.

Make-up Policy

There will be no make-up tests, except in the case of an emergency or certified school related event.

CALENDARIO HISP 312-03A