We learn our first language to communicate with other people, and the reason for learning a second language or third is the same. The foreign language student also learns to perceive the world from different perspectives and ultimately becomes more sensitive to other cultures, people, and issues. Spanish is the language of Spain, Mexico, and of most countries in Central America, South America, and the Caribbean, and it is rapidly becoming the second language of the United States. If you are pursuing a career in business, health care, government, or social services, learning and knowing Spanish will open the doors to many opportunities and will aid you in your search for employment. As you continue learning Spanish during the semester, please take advantage of every moment to experience the Spanish language and culture to the fullest.
Spanish 100 is a comprehensive first-semester Spanish course, which includes instruction and practice in all four language skills: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. By the end of the course, you will be able to use basic Spanish in several contexts, including spontaneous conversation, reading, and writing, and you will have begun to cultivate an awareness of the culture and civilization of the Spanish-speaking world. The class is conducted in Spanish.
Spanish 100 requires students to buy two books, both of which are available at the SCSU bookstore.
Spanish 100 will cover the Preliminary Lesson and Lessons 1-5, and Spanish 101 will cover chapters 6-11. The Audioscript for Spanish 100 (available at Tyco), includes in print all the words you will hear on the audio program.
You may get copies of the prerecorded tape program
for ¿Sabías que…? in Room D161 in Engleman Hall, directly
across from the language lab rooms. In order to get copies of the tape programs,
you need to bring two (2) new 90-minute tapes to Room EN D161. You do not need
to label the tapes. You may also recycle tapes that have been previously recorded
in the language lab. Other used tapes cannot be accepted, however. You can
exchange your two new or recycled tapes for the recorded tapes. This way, you
need to stop by only once, and you can get the taped material immediately.
You can also access the audio part online at:
http://www.southernct.edu/departments/foreignlanguage/onlineInstructs.html
The importance of daily attendance cannot be exaggerated. A major goal of the course is spontaneous, oral communication—a skill that can best be developed, particularly at the early stages of adult language learning, by active participation in the classroom. Doing the written work is not enough. You should attend regularly. You may miss up to 3 classes (including laboratory sessions) with no grading penalty. These may include all medical excuses, religious holidays, job interviews, sports events, weekend trips, etc. If you attend class and miss lab, you will be considered absent on that day. (Please see your instructor if you will be absent more than 3 times.) HOWEVER, you may not miss any scheduled evaluation (test) and/or homework. From the 4th absence on, you will be penalized 1/3 off your final grade for each absence. Therefore, if you, for example, receive a B average after everything is calculated, but you have one absence past your allocated three, your average would be reduced to a B-. Note that three occurrences of tardiness are equal to one absence.
Our attendance expectations are based on the following regulations, which are
stipulated on page 10 in the SCSU Fall 2003 Schedule of Classes:
“You are expected to attend class and laboratory sessions regularly. This is
especially important for first-year students who are learning to develop good study
habits.
If regular class attendance is a course requirement, the instructor will inform
the class, in writing, sometime during the first week of the semester what effect
absences will have on grades. Furthermore, you are responsible for all materials
presented in class, whether you’re present or absent. Unless there are extenuating
circumstances, such as illness, you should not expect to use future class time or
private tutoring by your instructor to make up work covered during your absence.
During the first week of the semester, your instructor will present, in writing, a
description of her/his exam policy, including any penalty for arranging make-up
exams. In all courses you must take announced exams when they are given. You
should expect to be penalized for missing announced exams unless there is an
acceptable reason for being absent.” (It is left to the discretion of the instructor to
allow make-up for any missed scheduled exams or homework.)
You will have a short written assignment after every class session (or as stated by the instructor). You are provided with an answer key for some exercises in your workbook for the purpose of self-correction. Many of the sections entitled Comunicación para entregar, however, will be collected and corrected by your instructor. (The amount of work to hand in will be left to the discretion of the instructor.) If through the homework it becomes apparent that you need additional help, be sure to contact your instructor. There is tutoring service available at the Office of Student Supportive Services in the Wintergreen Building, free of charge to SCSU students.
Late homework will not be accepted. In case of an absence, please either attach your para entregar exercises via e-mail to your instructor or have someone place them in the instructor’s mailbox on the day they are due.
Before every class session, you are required to study carefully the material in the textbook, which will be covered in class (see the Programa del curso). This will increase your comprehension and enable you to participate effectively in class. If you do not study the material before class, you will become a burden to your classmates who have studied.
This grade is based on an evaluation of each student’s participation. The following aspects of student work are graded and then averaged together: oral performance (quality and quantity) and class attendance. Note that although class attendance is important, it is not the same as class participation. You must be actively involved in each class to receive a good grade in participation.
All cell phones (los teléfonos celulares) and beepers (los buscas) are to be turned off before class begins. If for some reason you have an emergency situation (such as a sick child at home) and must keep your cell phone turned on during a particular day, please see your instructor before class to clear it with her or him.
There will be six chapter tests and a cumulative common final exam. The oral and written components of the final exam will be administered by each instructor for his or her students during the final week of classes. All tests are announced in the Programa del Curso. Out of the six exams that will be administered, only the five highest grades will count. There are no make-up exams.
| Lesson exams (5) | 30 % |
| Common final exam | 25 % |
| Compositions | 15 % |
| Homework | 15 % |
| Class participation | 15 % |
From the SCSU Student Handbook: “The Disability Resource Office provides educational equity for students with disabilities. The office provides and coordinates individualized accommodations and support services for all students with disabilities, learning disabilities/ADD, vision and hearing disabilities, mobility-related and orthopedic disabilities, head injuries, emotional and psychiatric disabilities, epilepsy, and chronic health-related disabilities. Services include assistance with registration, arrangements for course and testing accommodations, assistance from a learning specialist, adaptive computer technology, peer support, advocacy referrals to on- and off-campus resources, accessibility information, and assistance in arranging for sign-language interpreters, personal assistance, readers, and notetakers. Call (203) 392-6828.”
If any student is found to be cheating on a quiz/test, exam, or assignment, she/he will fail that quiz/test, exam, or assignment. In addition, she/he could be removed from the course, could receive an F for the course, and could be subject to further disciplinary action. Please consult the SCSU Student Handbook regarding this subject.
The course schedule provides a detailed outline of all course activities, including classroom work, homework, and activities in the Language Laboratory. We might vary the schedule occasionally, but for the most part, we will follow it as closely as possible.
Classes meeting MWF | Classes meeting MW | Classes meeting TR
This is a first-semester introductory Spanish course. However, as is usually the case, some students may already have some rudimentary knowledge of the language. This slight difference in levels of familiarity with Spanish should not intimidate anyone.
You will find information about waiver / placement exams for Foreign Languages on page 12 of the SCSU Fall 2003 Schedule of Classes. In addition, you may speak with Louise Cerrone-Bell, Secretary of the Department of Foreign Languages, (203-392-6132), for exam dates. You may call the School of Extended Learning in the Wintergreen Building, 203-392-5238, for information about the CLEP (College-Level Examination Program), through which you may earn academic credit for Spanish.