SPN 217.02 & 217.03 Intermediate Spanish

V. Benoist

Office: ARH 220D
Telephone: ext. 3057
e-mail: benoist@grinnell.edu

Horas de consulta:
Lunes 2:10-3:00
Martes 10:00 - 11:00
Miércoles 10:00-11:00 & 2:10 - 3:00
Jueves 10:00-11:00
Viernes 10:00-11:00
o por cita


I.   Course objectives:

Reading:  start reading longer non-literary and literary texts and develop reading strategies for increasing comprehension of those texts: 

-learn appropriate idiomatic expressions and vocabulary;
-learn to identify related words;
-learn to guess at meaning of unfamiliar words;
-review important grammatical structures;
-identify main ideas of sections, divisions, paragraphs, etc.

Speaking:  answer questions related to readings; describe/paraphrase what has been seen, read, or heard; state reactions to selected issues raised by the readings; ask questions on topics related to the readings; improve fluency through vocabulary building, grammar review and oral practice.  Attention given to speaking in paragraphs.

Grammatical accuracy:  be  able to communicate in Spanish with a higher degree of grammatical accuracy.  To help the student achieve this goal, a review of the main grammatical difficulties will be offered during the first part of the semester.

Writing:  to be able to write short assignments related to readings;  to describe/paraphrase what has been read or seen or to state reactions to selected issues raised in the readings.

II.  Required Texts:

Avanzando: Gramática española y lectura.  Sara Lequerica y Carmen Salazar.

Cuaderno de ejercicios de Avanzando: Gramática española y lectura.  Sara Lequerica de la vega y Carmen Salazar.

Buero Vallejo, Antonio.  En la ardiente oscuridad.

Ritos de iniciación (Pacheco, José Emilio, Batallas en el desierto)Library e-reserves for the course

III.  Advice for Language AcquisitionClass time provides the primary means for you to practice speaking and to receive feedback from the instructor on your spoken Spanish, therefore your active participation is fundamental to your language acquisition.  Class participation comprises a large part of your final grade.  Fruitful classroom learning depends on careful preparation for each class meeting.  Language is not acquired through cramming before tests, but through constant practice.  You should expect to spend two to three hours outside of class in preparing for each class.Take advantage of resources that will enable you to improve your language skills:

-meeting with instructor outside of class (especially if you are having difficulties)

-working with another student in 217

-meeting with the Spanish assistant during her office hours

-going to the Spanish Lab (staffed by the language assistant & advanced students and open on Sundas,

Tuesdays and Thursdays from 7-9 pm in ARH 223)

-attend the weekly Spanish Table (Thursdays from 12-1 pm in student center)

-check the Spanish Department Web site (you can find the departmental newsletter, dictionaries on line, a discussion forum for your class, money converters, newspapers on lines, engine searches in Spanish and much more)

-use the discussion forum set for this class for help from other students or to do group activities

-Check out satellite TV programs in Spanish in the AV Center.  Keep abreast of current news from Spain and Latin America on the Web; just a few of the many sites are listed below.

 

El país (España)         http://www.elpais.es/

El periódico (España) http://www.elperiodico.es/

Nexos (México)       http://www.nexos.com.mx/index.html

Proceso (México)       http://proceso.web.com.mx/

El tiempo (Colombia)  http://www.eltiempo.com/Wellcome.htm

El mercurio (Chile)    http://www.mercurio.cl/

La república (Perú) http://ekeko.rcp.net.pe/LaRepublica/

Latin American Information

Centerhttp://lanic.utexas.edu/

IV.   Evaluation

Participation grade Work (class participation, lab attendance)

20%

Quizzes and homework

10%

Exam I y II (gramática)

15%

Exam III

15%

Exam IV

15%

Oral Exam

15%

Composition

10%

As you can see 30% of your final grades depends on your presence in class and on your active participationIt is therefore necessary to arrive to class on time and to be prepared (readings, exercises and assignments done).

Grading scale:

A

94-100

 

C+

77-79

A-

90-93

 

C

74-76

B+

87-89

 

C-

70-73

B

84-86

 

D

60-69

B-

80-83

 

F

below 59

 

V. Class requirements

*Attendance for every class and active participation in discussion (with quality comments) and in other class projects.  Since language acquisition heavily relies on participation in class, you will receive an oral grade for class participation at the end of each class and therefore any unexcused absences will have a negative affect on your final oral grade.  Arriving late to class will have a similar affect.

MORE THAN 3 ABSENCES OF ANY KIND WILL AUTOMATICALLY LOWER YOUR FINAL GRADE BY A FULL LETTER GRADE.

AS A REWARD, ALL STUDENTS WHO DO NOT MISS ANY CLASS DURING THE ENTIRE SEMESTER WILL HAVE THEIR FINAL GRADE GO UP BY A THIRD OF A LETTER GRADE (EXAMPLE= FROM B+ TO A-)

ALSO NOTICE THAT IF YOU MISS MORE THAN 2 CLASSES OF YOUR LAB, YOU WILL LOSE 10% OF YOUR PARTICIPATION GRADE FOR THIS CLASS.

*Thorough preparation for each class, which is an essential condition for an effective participation.  This means not just reading the assignment, but looking up new words, learning them, underlining, taking notes and preparing each one of the homework questions in writing in a complete and detailed manner with evidence.  I will be collecting those notes and assigning them grades.

*Turning in your written assignments to me on TIME.  I will not accept late papers.

*Presenting your oral assignments on TIME.   Yours fellow students will be counting on you that day.  You will be expected to put as much effort into the oral assignment as into the written ones.

To get the most out of this class  and to do well in the course, you are strongly encouraged to go to the Spanish lab which is open 3 nights a week for 2 hours.  I will be notified of all your visits to the lab.  The Spanish Lab is located in ARH 223 and open on Sundays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays from 7 to 9 pm.

HORARIO DEL CURSO

31 agosto

Introducción y presentación del curso

_______________

 
   

INTRODUCCION AL MUNDO HISPANO

   

3 de Sept

No hay clase

5 de sept

Gramática:Presente Indicativo

 

Lectura y discusión : “La Universidad y los hispanos” y “La identificación religiosa de los hispanos” ( fotocopia)

7 de sept

Gramática: Ser/Estar

 

Lectura y discusión: Lectura y discusión: “La emigración a España”

 (fotocopia)

 
   

______________

 
   

LA MUJER Y LA IMIGRACION EN EL MUNDO HISPANO

   

10 de sep

Gramática: Pasados del Indicativo

 

Lectura y discusión: "Si me permiten hablar" (e-reserve)

 

(en clase: canción: “La niña”por Lila Downs)

   

12 de sep

Gramática: contraste entre pretérito e imperfecto

 

Lectura y discusión: “La despedida” (e-reserve)

   

14 de sep

Gramática: futuro

 

Lectura y discusión:   "La despedida" (e-reserve)

   

______________

 
   

17 de sep

Gramática: condicional:

 

Lectura y discusión: “Pasé mi trabajito” (e-reserve)

 

(en clase: canción “el bracero fracasado “ por Lila Downs

   

19 de sep

repaso para el examen

   

21 de sep

Examen I

   

_______________

 
   

24 de sep

presentaciones sobre Frida Khalo (red)

   
   

LOS DERECHOS HUMANOS

 
   

26 de sep

Gramática: Tiempos del Subjuntivo

 

Lectura y discusión: "un día de éstos" (e-reserve)

   

28 de sep

Gramática: correlación de tiempos

 

Lectura: “Preso sin nombre" (e-reserve)

   

_______________

 
   

1 de oct

Lectura y discusión"Un día en la vida"  (e-reserve)

 

repaso del borrador de la composición #1

   

LOS HISPANOS

 

3 de oct

Gramática: Subordinación sustantiva

 

entregar trabajo escrito #1

   

5 de oct

Gramática: Subordinación adjetival

 

Lectura y discusión: “La prieta” (e-reserve)

   

_______________

 
   

8 de oct

Gramática: subordinación adverbial

 

lectura y discusión: “La güera”  (red)

   

10 de oct

Gramática: SE impersonal

 

Repaso gramatical para examen II

   

12 de oct

 Examen II

   
   

15 de oct

Entrevistas orales (preparación para el examen oral)

17 de oct 

Examen oral

19 de oct

Examen oral

   

_______________

 
   

DESCANSO DE OCTUBRE BIEN MERECIDO

   

_______________

 
   

Oct 29

composición # 2 en clase

Oct 31

En la ardiente oscuridad

Nov 2

En la ardiente oscuridad

_______________

 
   

Nov 5

 En la ardiente oscuridad

Nov 7

En la ardiente oscuridad

Nov 9

 En la ardiente oscuridad

_______________

 
   

Nov 12

En la ardiente oscuridad

Nov 14

Repaso para el examen sobre En la ardiente oscuridad

Nov 16

Examen III

______________

 
   

Nov 19

Las batallas en el desierto

Nov 21

No hay clase

Nov 23

No hay clase

_______________

 
   

Nov 26

Las batallas en el desierto

Nov  28

 

Nov 30

Las batallas en el desierto

   

_______________

 
   

Dic 3

Las batallas en el desierto

 

Entregar composición #3

Dic 5

Conclusiones de clase y repaso para examen

Dic 7

Examen IV

   

_______________

 

 Semana del 9 al 14 de dic

   

Examen oral final