Otoño 2006

All work done for this course is subject to the Wesleyan Honor Code.

All written assignments must be signed with the honor pledge: No aid, no violation.

Unless otherwise specified by the instructor, all work must be the product of the student who signs it exclusively.

COURSE MATERIALS
1. Gabriel García Márquez. La aventura de Miguel Littín clandestino en Chile.
2. Iguina & Dozier. Manual de gramática. 
3. Spanish-English Dictionary.

 

ABOUT THE COURSE
Spanish 112, a communication-oriented course whose emphasis is divided among the four basic language skills: listening comprehension, speaking, reading, and writing. It provides a review of first year skills as well as appropriate new material to help you improve your speaking fluency, comprehension of both literary and non-literary written Spanish, writing ability, and understanding of non-technical spoken Spanish, command of grammatical structures, active and passive vocabulary.

Class time will be essentially devoted to oral communication, as well as acquiring learning techniques to improve your language skills. Therefore, although Spanish 112 will offer you a grammar review, do not expect to receive extensive grammar explanations in class. This is a language course, not a grammar review.

It is a basic tenet in this course that culture is inseparable of a language and the people who speak it. Language cannot exist in a cultural vacuum. Therefore, you are expected to acquire cultural information together with the Spanish language as an intricate part of your language training, as much as you must learn vocabulary, verbs, or conversation skills in order to be able to communicate or read a text in Spanish.

All homework will be collected on the day of the deadline, with no exceptions. Except for well justified cases, old homework cannot be made up for credit.

Tertulias
These are obligatory conversation hours for smaller groups. Meeting once a week under the supervision of a TA/CA, you will have the opportunity to chat extensively in Spanish. There will be videos, debates, games, situations, and other interesting activities that you may suggest. An absence to a tertulia session will be counted the same as an absence to a class period.

Grading
Your final grade will be calculated as follows:

1. Tests: 50%
2. Compositions: 20%
3. Oral presentations and other: 20%
4. Class participation: 10%

Attendance
Attendance to every class is mandatory. One point (out of 100) from the total final grade will be automatically deducted after every absence. In order to claim exception to this rule, students must document the reason for their absence in a timely fashion. (Possible exceptions are death in the family or serious illness.)

Repeated tardiness will count as absences. In the event of an absence, students are responsible for finding out about the topics covered in class as well as the assigned homework. An absence to class does not justify handing in late homework, except in the case of illness. It is recommended that you contact your professor or your classmates as soon as possible for an update of the information. In the event of illness, contact your professor as soon as possible, via e-mail or voicemail.