Contact Information

Professor: Jessica Ramos-Harthun, Ph.D.

Tel. (205) 226-4858 & Cel. (205) 482-3074 / Email: jmramosd@bsc.edu

Office:  HC 2023

Office Hours: M & W 2:00-3:00 pm; T & Th 1:00-2:00 pm, and by appointment

Participación en clase

(60 points or 6% / approximately 1.5 points per each session, 40 sessions)

All students are expected to be full participants in all daily classroom activities that include reading activities, debates, role-play, videos, singing, pair and group work. Students will receive a daily participation grade. Each class session is worth 1.5 points approximately. As a minimum each student must come to class prepared to review, ask and answer questions on the material assigned for the day. Students must prepare for class by completing all assignments in advance and be ready to participate in all class activities and discussions.  All chapters of the textbook are to be read and reviewed completely PRIOR to coming to class the day that chapter is discussed. Special attention should be given to the PURPLE pages at the end of the textbook where the grammatical explanations are located. The use of Spanish and the attendance to class will be critical parts of the participation grade.  Students will be graded, among other things, on the following factors:

·         Constant use of Spanish in the classroom

·         Volunteering to answer and ask questions

·         Positive contributions to the class

·         Regular use of new vocabulary

·         Being able to formulate grammatically and phonetically correct answers

·         Show progress in the “skill of communication”

·         Complete homework assignments

·         Show attendance and alertness

Online Homework - Connect (140 points or 14% / 7 x 20 points each)

Students will complete selected online exercises via Connect for each of the six chapters and the preliminary chapter to be studied. These exercises will provide ample opportunities for reviewing specific Metas comunicativas, Puntos clave and vocabulary studied within each chapter. Students will complete the pre-selected activities by the due date indicated on the Programa. Based on completion and accuracy, the online exercises for each chapter studied will be worth up to 20 points.

TEMA #1: Perspectivas / ¿QUIEN ERES?

Due date: Monday, September 19, 2022

Imagine that you are applying for a scholarship in order to take part in a study abroad program to Peru next summer. You need to write an essay about your personality, your experiences and your objectives showing why you are a great candidate for receiving this study abroad scholarship.

-Review purple pages for Metas Comunicativas: DESCRIPCION, COMPARACION, NARRACION EN EL PASADO. Use these three Metas at least 3 times each.

-Use vocabulary words/expressions of chapters 1 & 2 (minimum 15 words). Highlight or bold these words on the essay

-Use conectores or palabras de transicion appropriately (minimum 4)

a causa de = on account of; por eso = for that reason; por esta razón = for this reason; al contrario = on the contrary; en cambio = instead; por otro lado = on the other hand; además = besides; también = also; así que = so; en conclusiόn = in conclusion; para concluir = to conclude

-Check "Rubrica de temas" below (this will show you how you will be evaluated)

-At the bottom of the page, write the number of words of text that your essay contains

Essays must be:

1. typed

2. double-spaced

3. in Spanish

4. minimum 275 words (name, date, etc. don't count)

OJO: Having anyone other than la Profesora look at your Tema or help you with it would be a violation of the Honor Code.

TEMA #2 PASIONES Y SENTIMIENTOS

Due date: Monday, October 17th

Imagine that your best friend is having troubles with his/her girlfriend/boyfriend and have requested your advise. You will write him/her a letter (an essay) as your response for advise. Your letter will include your believes about the ideal relationship, what is important to keep love alive and have a healthy relationship, suggestions for your friend so he/she can make it work with his/her partner. Make sure that your letter/essay includes a title, head, body and feet (conclusions). Be creative as well as analytical in finding solutions to the problems!

-Review PURPLE pages for Metas Comunicativas- DESCRIPCION, COMPARACION, NARRACION EN EL PASADO, REACCIONES Y RECOMENDACIONES- and Tenses handout. You have to use these FOUR Metas at least THREE times each. For Reacciones y recomendaciones you have to include "Mandatos,"  "Presente del subuntivo" y "Pasado del subjuntivo" at least one time each. It is expected from you to utilize several times the "Presente del Subjuntivo" since you will be giving recommendations to your friend.

-Use Minimum 15 NEW WORDS from CAPITULO #3. Additionally, you can always recycle vocabulary from previous chapters. Highlight or bold New words on the essay

-Use conectores or palabras de transicion appropriately (minimum 4)

a causa de = on account of; por eso = for that reason; por esta razón = for this reason; al contrario = on the contrary; en cambio = instead; por otro lado = on the other hand; además = besides; también = also; así que = so; en conclusiόn = in conclusion; para concluir = to conclude

-Check "Rubrica de temas" below (this will show you how you will be evaluated)

-At the bottom of the page, write the number of words of text that your essay contains

Essays must be:

1. typed

2. double-spaced

3. in Spanish

4. minimum 275 words (name, date, etc. don't count)

OJO: Having anyone other than la Profesora look at your Tema or help you with it would be a violation of the Honor Code.

(EDICION #2 due on Wednesday, October 26th)

TEMA #3 EL MUNDO ACTUAL

Due date: Monday, November 7th

A LETTER TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

You will write a letter to the President of the United States showing your concerns about current issues. You will describe these issues and you will offer suggestions for improvements. You are interested in promoting peace, freedom, justice, civic values and an economy that works for everybody.  How will the American dream endure? Be creative as well as analytical in finding solutions to current problems! Make sure that your letter/essay includes a title, head, body and feet (conclusions).

-Review PURPLE pages for Metas Comunicativas- DESCRIPCION, COMPARACION, NARRACION EN EL PASADO, REACCIONES Y RECOMENDACIONES, HABLAR DE LOS GUSTOS, HACER HIPÓTESIS- and Tenses handout. You have to use all Metas at least THREE times each.

-Use Minimum 15 NEW WORDS from CAPITULO #5. Additionally, you can always recycle vocabulary from previous chapters. Highlight or bold New words on the essay

-Use conectores or palabras de transicion appropriately (minimum 4)

a causa de = on account of; por eso = for that reason; por esta razón = for this reason; al contrario = on the contrary; en cambio = instead; por otro lado = on the other hand; además = besides; también = also; así que = so; en conclusiόn = in conclusion; para concluir = to conclude

-Check "Rubrica de temas" below (this will show you how you will be evaluated)

-At the bottom of the page, write the number of words of text that your essay contains

Essays must be:

1. typed

2. double-spaced

3. in Spanish

4. minimum 275 words (name, date, etc. don't count)

OJO: Having anyone other than la Profesora look at your Tema or help you with it would be a violation of the Honor Code.

 (EDICION #3 due on Friday, November 18th)

Video Quizzes (150 pts. or 15% / 5 x 30 pts.)

On designated days (found on your course Programa) you will record and submit a video-monologue via Moodle. This should be done by using your personal computer at home or at the Language Lab. Students may prepare and practice the monologue beforehand, but should focus on spontaneous speech as much as possible when recording. Students may record on Flipgrid.com the exercise as many times as they like before sending the final copy to the Professor. Once the recording is completed to the student’s satisfaction, he/she will submit the video to our online account in Moodle. These recordings are scored based on a rubric of 30 points (3%) available in Moodle. The students will be given samples for each video so that they know what the communicative goals are. The video must be completed by the posted deadline shown on the Programa at the end of the syllabus.

Exámenes / Exams (180 points or 18% / 2 exams x 90 points each)

There will be two (2) formal assessments during the semester. The exams evaluate your skills in the three modes of communication: Interpretive, Presentational and Interpersonal. These exams are comprehensive in nature and will include three sections: a reading comprehension activity, an essay-type of writing activity, and a conversation activity assessing the three modes of communication.  The professor will discuss specific format of these activities and study strategies before the assessments. The dates of these exams are printed on your syllabus and found in the course calendar at the end, ps. 6-7. Except in the case of excused absences due to serious illness or other extreme hardship, THERE WILL BE NO MAKE UP TESTS. Plan to be in class on time.

Portafolio Cultural (100 points or 10% / 5 activities x 20 points)

One of the major objectives of this course is to provide students with the opportunity to utilize their communicative skills in Spanish while deepening their understanding of the Spanish-speaking world. Students are encouraged to participate in events and programs which involve the Hispanic community, such as visits to local Hispanic institutions (churches, medical centers, businesses or other organizations), interviews with members of the Hispanic speaking community (on-or off-campus), writing to pen-pals in a Spanish speaking country, attendance to cultural events hosted by BSC, among others (presentations, movies, shows), etc. Students are required to prepare and maintain a Cultural Portfolio which describes their involvement in such activities and should include visual aids, such as pictures, sketches as well as evidence such as tickets to the events and recorded interviews on tape. Statements around reflective thoughts should include: 1. Reason for the selected activity, 2. Description of the event (date, time, participants, and objectives), 3. What did I learn from this experience? 4. What did I like best and what did I like least of this experience? The minimum number of activities for the completion of this project is five. Each activity will be worth 20 points based on accuracy and completion making a total of 100 points per portfolio. Out of the five cultural activities two of them should be of an oral interview nature. The Portafolio Cultural is due on Monday, November 28^th. Before hand in it to the professor, students will conduct a round table presentation about their experiences with this project. The rubric and other details for this project are available on Moodle.

Presentación oral (50 points or 5%)

Each student will conduct a concise oral presentation during the semester that should last approximately 5-7 minutes. The topic is around the student’s background, family, interests, experiences, likes and dislikes, etc. “Who are you?” is the question to be examined, developed and presented.  Furthermore, students need to utilize the “7 Metas Comunicativas” learnt in the semester. They may include some visual aids such as pictures or small personal items to enhance communication with their audience. On average there will be one presentation each class period throughout the semester. The presentation may not be made up or rescheduled without the professor’s prior approval. Do not forget your presentation date and do not be absent! The rubric for this project is available on Moodle.

Olivia 26 de octubre 

Marcus 28 de octubre 

Cheryl 4 de noviembre 

Kennedy 9 de noviembre 

Noah 11 de noviembre 

Examen final & Talk Abroad(110 points or 11%)

This is a comprehensive exam given during finals week. It will take place on Monday, December 5th, 1-4 PM. The professor will discuss the format of the exam and study strategies before the exam. Daily preparation and completion of all assignments throughout the term will help students prepare for this activity. Furthermore, the final exam will include a 30-minute conversation with a native Spanish speaker via TalkAbroad (https://talkabroad.com/). Students will need to register (Ramos2022-818767) and secure a date/time for this activity not later than 72 hours before the due date, which is the same date as the Final exam, December 5th, by 4:00 pm or before. 

The final exam will include a 30-minute conversation with a native Spanish speaker via TalkAbroad (https://talkabroad.com/). Students will need to register (Ramos2022-818767) and secure a date/time for this activity not later than 72 hours before the due date, which is the same date as the Final exam, Monday, December 5th, by 4:00 pm or before. 

Students need to create a student account on talkabroad.com, register into our class section, and redeem their codes as soon as they receive them.

Here are the basic steps for students to get started:

To get started, students need to do the following:

1. Create a student account on talkabroad.com and input the Section Code from their professor to join their section: Ramos2022-818767
2. Redeem the Pre-purchase Code received from the bookstore
3. Make reservations with the assignment topics their professor has already created (see list of questions provided within Assignments)
4. Students must schedule this activity with the TalkAbroad partner not later than 72 hours before the due date, which is the same date as the Final exam, Monday, December 5th, by 4:00 pm or before. Students can complete the TalkAbroad conversation starting Monday, November 28th.

List of Spanish related websites

LATINOAMERICA, CALLE 13

Grammar Tutorial Videos by McGraw Hill

https://highered.mheducation.com/sites/1259602966/student_view0/grammar_tutorials.html

Punto y aparte website

www.mhhe.com/puntoyaparte3 ;

Colby

http://personal.colby.edu/~bknelson/SLC/

VERSIFICACION VIRTUAL

Las siete metas comunicativas y los puntos clave:

CAPITULO 1:           Perspectivas, percepciones e impresiones / España

Meta comunicativa:                                         Puntos clave:

1) Descripción                                                 - La concordancia de género y número

- Ser & Estar

- Los participios como adjetivos

2) Comparación                                               - La concordancia de género y número

                                                                        - tan... como, tanto/a/os/as.... como

                                                                        - mas/menos.... que

CAPITULO 2:           ¿Qué importancia tienen nuestras raíces? / El Caribe

Meta comunicativa:                                         Puntos clave:

3) Reacciones y recomendaciones                  - El subjuntivo en cláusulas nominales

                                                                        - Los mandatos

CAPITULO 3:           Pasiones y sentimientos / México

Meta comunicativa:                                         Puntos clave:

4) Narración en el pasado                               - El pretérito

                                                                        - El imperfecto

                                                                        - Los tiempos perfectos

CAPITULO 4:           El trabajo y el ocio / El Cono Sur (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay)

Meta comunicativa:                                         Puntos clave:

5) Hablar de los gustos                                   - Los verbos como Gustar

                                                                        - Los pronombres de complemento indirecto

CAPITULO 5:           El mundo actual y los problemas del mundo / La región andina

Meta comunicativa:                                         Puntos clave:

6) Hacer hipótesis                                           - El pasado del subjuntivo

                                                                        - El condicional

CAPITULO 6:           El porvenir / Centroamérica

Meta comunicativa:                                         Puntos clave:

7) Hablar del futuro                                        - El futuro

                                                                        - El subjuntivo en cláusulas adverbiales        

Please note that attendance to class is mandatory.

If you had to be absent (due to illness, BSC sports and/or an emergency of personal matters), you will need to arrange a meeting with our Spanish tutor, Nolen Ridlehoover (ngridleh@bsc.edu) to review whatever you missed during your absence. You can also review any other grammatical structure, vocabulary, questions you might have; practice your pronunciation by reading aloud; and/or having a conversation for preparation to TalkAbroad (see list of questions on Moodle). Minimum time for a tutorial session is 30 minutes.