SPAN 105 / 106

1. SPAN 105 / 106 Where all your wildest dreams come true… en serio…

2. ¡El sílabo! Spanish 105 is designed for students who have had two years of high school Spanish or the equivalent. The course objectives are to continue to develop speaking and listening proficiency, expand mastery of grammar and vocabulary, introduce reading and writing of various types of texts, and deepen understanding of and appreciation for Hispanic cultures. 

3. ¿Cultura? ¿Por qué?

4. ¿Debo estar aquí? If you are not sure if this is the course you should be in, please take BYU’s placement exam by going to http://webcape.byuhtrsc.org/nwcregister.php. Then choose Brigham Young University (BYU) from the menu. The password is cougars1. The test will give you a score and recommend which course to take. Your instructor is also a good resource for help deciding which course to enroll in.

5. Los libros requeridos Requiredtexts: Fuentes: Conversación y gramática (3rd ed.); Fuentes: Lectura y redacción (3rd ed.). Boston: Houghton Mifflin. Fuentes: Online access for Workbook and Lab Manual Bilingual Spanish/English Dictionary

6. ¡La asistencia es necesaria! Attendance: Learning a foreign language, like learning to play the piano or to play tennis, requires practice, and the bulk of that practice occurs in class. For that reason, attendance will play a role in your final course grade. You are allowed five absences for whatever reason (excused or otherwise) without any penalty to your grade. In addition to these five absences, you may make up a maximum of three additional absences by attending another section of 105 within five days of the missed classes and obtaining a note from the instructor verifying your attendance and participation. Each absence beyond five that is not made up will result in 1 percentage point being deducted from your final grade. Arriving more than 10 minutes late or leaving more than 10 minutes early constitutes an absence. If you anticipate missing much more than five class periods, you may do better to wait and take the class at a later date when you are able to participate more fully.

7. ¡Prepárense! Preparation and participation: Students are expected to come to class prepared to discuss the assigned material and actively participate. Reading the grammar explanations, articles, and short stories in the textbook prior to class as indicated in the syllabus will allow the majority of class time to be devoted to practice and communicative activities.

8. Notas (105) Grading: Grades will be calculated based on the percentage you earn of the total possible points (93% = A, 90% = A-, 87% = B+, 83% = B, 80% = B-, 77 % = C+, 73% = C, 70% = C-, 67% = D+, 63% = D, 60% = D-, 59% and below = E). Grades will be based on the following approximate breakdown (the percentages correspond to the total number of points possible in each category): Workbook and Lab Manual 15% Laboratorio de Conversación 10% Pruebas de lectura (12) 10% Redacciones (3) 10% Actividades culturales 15% Exámenes (5) 25% Examen Final 15%

9. Notas (106) Grading: Grades will be calculated based on the percentage you earn of the total possible points (93% = A, 90% = A-, 87% = B+, 83% = B, 80% = B-, 77 % = C+, 73% = C, 70% = C-, 67% = D+, 63% = D, 60% = D-, 59% and below = E). Grades will be based on the following approximate breakdown (the percentages correspond to the total number of points possible in each category): Workbook and Lab Manual 10% Laboratorio de Conversación 10% Pruebas de lectura (12) 10% Redacciones (3) 10% Spanish for You 15% Exámenes (5) 25% Examen Final 20%

10. El workbook Workbook and Lab Manual: Assignments in the workbook provide practice in using vocabulary and grammar, as well as preparation for the exams, which are partly based on workbook activities. Lab manual activities are designed to develop listening comprehension skills. Daily homework assignments in the workbook and lab manual are indicated in the syllabus. Since the workbook is accessed online, your instructor will simply log on to the workbook and be able to view which activities you have or have not completed as well as grade the activities. All of the activities in the workbook/lab manual must be completed by the “Fechalimite” at the end of each chapter indicated in the syllabus. If not, and you still want credit, you will be required to print the activities and complete them by hand. You were provided a code if you purchased your Fuentes textbook package from the bookstore. If necessary, your instructor will provide further instructions for accessing the online workbook and lab manual. INSTRUCTIONS TO SIGN UP ONLINE AVAILABLE ON BLACKBOARD

11. El laboratorio de conversación Laboratorio de Conversación: The Conversation Lab is designed to provide additional opportunities for developing your speaking skills in Spanish. A schedule for the lab will be made available during the second week of the semester. Students are required to attend and participate in the lab two hours per chapter (which works out to slightly less than one hour per week). The lab attendant will verify your participation by stamping or signing your informe slip. Iftheattendantdoesnot show, you can get credit of you BOTH spend the hour practicing Spanish with other people there, AND send me an email with the date, time, and absent attendant

12. Las lecturas Lecturas: In each chapter of Fuentes: Lectura y redacción, you will read three short texts. The first two readings are journalistic (newspaper or magazine article) or informative cultural texts, while the third is a literary text such as a short story. You will take a short quiz in class on some of these readings to assess your reading comprehension. Your instructor may or may not announce these quizzes in advance.

13. Las redacciones Redacciones: Toward the end of every other chapter you will write a short composition. Your teacher will provide feedback on the content of your writing and on your use of Spanish. Compositions should be typed, with appropriate accent marks. (A sheet explaining how to type accent marks on a word processor is available on Blackboard). If you choose to revise any of your compositions, incorporating the teacher’s feedback and correcting any errors, you can make up any points you may have lost on the first draft (although revisions are completely optional). DOUBLE SPACED, TYPED, and IN SPANISH

14. Los exámenes Exámenes: Tests at the end of each chapter will assess your mastery of the material learned. These tests will be administered in the Testing Lab, B153 JFSB. You may sign up for a time in the lab one week prior to each test. The tests contain sections on listening comprehension, grammar, vocabulary, reading, and writing. Each chapter test will also contain a speaking component, which will consist of a role-play done with a partner. Toward the end of each chapter your teacher will distribute a sheet on which you and a partner may sign up for an oral exam time. Missed tests may be made up, but with a 10% penalty. In order to take a test in the Testing Lab on any day other than the scheduled days, students need a written permission slip from their instructor, and a $5 late fee is assessed by the lab.

15. El examen final Examen Final: The final exam will be comprehensive but will focus primarily on material from the latter part of the course. It is administered in the Testing Lab and is taken any time beginning on the first reading day through the day scheduled for your section’s final exam. (Please note in most cases, the exam must be taken before the end of finals week.) The speaking portion of the exam consists of a 10-15 minute oral interview, which will given by another instructor. Signup sheets for these interviews are posted shortly prior to finals week. Failure to appear at the time you signed up for results in a 25% reduction in score.

16. El código de honor Honor Code Standards: In keeping with the principles of the BYU Honor Code, students are expected to be honest in all of their academic work. Academic honesty means, most fundamentally, that any work you present as your own must in fact be your own work and not that of another. In this course, it also means that you are honest in reporting the work you do outside of class. Violations of this principle may result in a failing grade in the course and additional disciplinary action by the university. Students are also expected to adhere to the Dress and Grooming Standards. Adherence demonstrates respect for yourself and others and ensures an effective learning and working environment. It is the university’s expectation, and my own expectation in class, that each student will abide by all Honor Code standards. Please call the Honor Code Office at 422-2847 if you have questions about those standards.

17. Don’t come to class looking like this guy here…

18. Otras cosas importantes Preventing Sexual HarassmentTitle IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 prohibits sex discrimination against any participant in an educational program or activity that receives federal funds. The act is intended to eliminate sex discrimination in education and pertains to admissions, academic and athletic programs, and university-sponsored activities. Title IX also prohibits sexual harassment of students by university employees, other students, and visitors to campus. If you encounter sexual harassment or gender-based discrimination, please talk to your professor; contact the Equal Employment Office at 801-422-5895 or 1-888-238-1062 (24-hours), or http://www.ethicspoint.com; or contact the Honor Code Office at 801-422-2847. Students with Disabilities: If you have a disability that may affect your performance in this course, you should get in touch with the office of Services for Students with Disabilities (1520 WSC). This office can evaluate your disability and assist the professor in arranging for reasonable accommodations.

19. Don’t be like Vince… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZxyqMrb0uU