DEPARTMENT OF MODERN LANGUAGES
NORTHERN ARIZONA UNIVERSITY

Intermediate Oral Communication

Spanish 303 / Fall 2003


303-02    3475    3:00-4:15    MW    BAA 205
 
 

Spanish 303: Emphasizes oral proficiency in Spanish through speaking, writing, reading, and listening activities. If your competence exceeds the scope of this course, you receive credit by exam. Prerequisite: SPA 202 [NAU Undergraduate Catalog 2001-2003].
 
 
 

Instructor: Ed Hood

Office: BAA 213

Office hours: Mondays and Wednesdays, 4:15-5:00

Tuesdays and Thursdays, 2:00-3:00

Tel: (928)523-9635

E-mail: Edward.Hood@nau.edu

web: http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~ewh
 

Required texts

Jarvis, Laredo: ¡Conversemos!- 3rd ed.

Ramos, López, Casanova-Burgués: Cofre literario

Dossier, Higinia: Manual de gramática – 3rd ed.

Recommended

a good Spanish-English / English-Spanish dictionary (American Heritage)

501 Spanish Verbs

2001 Spanish and English Idioms
 
 
 

Course Objectives
 

This course is designed to help students understand and manage the relationships between speakers and listeners. At the end of the semester, students will have improved their ability to organize and express their thoughts in oral Spanish, increase their active vocabulary, and strengthen their knowledge of Spanish grammar.
 
 

Testing and Evaluation
 
 

Your work for this class will be evaluated as follows:

90-100%A

80-89%B

70-79%C

60-69%D

0-59%F


 

Your evaluation will be based on the following criteria:

Participation and presentations in class40%

Oral mid-term presentation20%

a. oral presentation 15%

b. written text 5%

Verb quizzes10%

Final Exam30%

a. oral presentation 20%

b. written 10%


 

Oral presentations

During the semester you will be required to give 6 presentations. You will be allowed to bring a brief outline of your presentation as well as any props you may deem necessary to enhance and complement your presentation. You may not read the presentation.

Your final presentation will be on a topic dealing with a specific aspect of Hispanic culture. You will have to clear it with your instructor to make sure the topic is appropriate. The presentation must be at least ten minutes in length and no more than fifteen.


 

Exams

There will be two written exams. The mid-term exam will be based on the written text of your mid-term presentation and the final will cover the readings and grammatical structures we have studied throughout the semester.


 

Homework

Specific pages are assigned for your daily reading and reviewing for each one of the books we will be using. Please prepare the material prior to class so that you can participate. Please refer to the PLAN DE ESTUDIO (attachedfor daily assignments.


 

Attendance

It is very important that students attend class. It is the responsibility of the student to make the necessary arrangements to complete any assignments missed due to an excused absence. However, the instructor is under no obligation to make special arrangements for students thathave missed class.

In this course the only work that can be handed in late due to a justified absence are homework assignments and verb quizzes. All decisions on this subject are in the hands of the instructor.

If you fail to show up for any exam or presentation without prior permission from your instructor, you will earn a zero. If you have a good reason why you cannot take the test, you will have to explain it to the instructor prior to the test. You should be prepared to document your absence, for example, with a note from your physician. If you do not clear a test absence prior to the test with your instructor, but prove your absence was valid, your instructor may allow you to take the test at a later date.

SPA 303 is not a conference or correspondence course. Attendance is required, not optional. You will be allowed a maximum of two absences during the semester without penalty (for sickness, doctor visits, court appearances, personal business, etc.). Beginning with the third absence a penalty of 2% for each absence will be levied on the final grade earned in the course. While this may seem rather insignificant, it can and sometimes does result in a student receiving a lower grade than expected and, yes, you can fail the course due to excessive absences.


 

CLEP exam

If you have placed into Spanish 303 with the Departmental Placement Exam and have not previously received college credit for Spanish 202, you may wish to attempt to gain credit by examination for that course. Contact NAU Counseling and Testing Services (523-2261) for information. Note: To receive credit for the exam, you must register and pay the fees no later than the middle of the semester in which you are enrolled in SPA 303 (or any other more advanced course).


 

Want or need help? It is free!

If you need help, you can seek assistance from your instructor during office hours. Or you can go to the tutors of Spanish in the LAC (upstairs in the field house next to the Union) for free tutorial assistance. Better scheduling is guaranteed by telephoning ahead of time for an appointment (523-5524).


 

Department of Modern Languages Sponsored Activities


 

Tertulia (Conversation Group) Gathering of students, from all levels, to converse on Thursdays (Time and Place TBA).


 

Modern Languages’ Movie Series: Contemporary films from around the world (Time and Days TBA).