Professor:  Edward Waters Hood
Office:   BAA 213
Office Hours:  M & W 10-12 am.
Phone number: 523-9635
e-mail   Edward.Hood@nau.edu
web page  http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~ewh/

REQUIRED TEXTS

    Zayas-Bazán, Bacon, García: Conexiones: Comunicación y Cultura

• Textbook
• Workbook and Answer Key (separate items)

    Recommended:

• a good Spanish/English – English/Spanish dictionary, such as the American Heritage
• 501 Spanish Verbs

This course seeks to complete a foundation in basic language skills--comprehension, speaking, reading, and writing--and to expand vocabulary and cultural awareness. Instruction is conducted entirely in the target language.

Course objectives in terms of student learning:

This course offers students the means to establish an intermediate level of proficiency in the target language, sufficient to communicate on an array of issues with sympathetic native speakers (i.e., those accustomed to interacting with non proficient speakers). Students achieve an understanding of the grammatical system of the target language, and they utilize the language creatively in speech and writing and to interpret some complex aural passages and readings. They also investigate historic and contemporary issues important to the socio-political life of the target language. They continue to build skills for interpreting readings dealing with cultural issues and they comment on such texts critically.

This course applies to the  Distribution Block of "Cultural Understanding"  and the Thematic Focus of "Valuing the Diversity of Human Experience," within the  NAU Liberal Studies  Program.

Specific language skills to be acquired:

• Speaking:  Students will initiate and respond verbally to communicative tasks and social situations.  Students will initiate, sustain, and close a general conversation utilizing learned grammatical strategies.  In planned speech, students will produce simple narratives and descriptions.
• Writing:  Students will create statements or questions in writing within the scope of their acquired language experience. When writing involves a process (generating ideas, organizing, drafting, revising, proofreading), students will create narratives and descriptions of more than a paragraph length containing simple expository elements.
• Reading:  Students will interpret the written target language from selected authentic, connected texts dealing with everyday life and some socio-historical issues. Students will critically analyze and evaluate texts with predictable discourse structures.
• Listening:  Students will demonstrate comprehension of conversational discourse as well as the main idea and salient supporting details of extended listening passages.

Specific cultural skills to be acquired:

• In  an increasing number of language situations, students will recognize and be able to describe basic non-verbal cultural norms and practices, which are  characteristic of the areas where the target language is spoken,  and which are distinct from their own culture.
• In these language transactions, students will also interact appropriately with speakers from the target language according to these norms and practices.

Critical thinking skills to be acquired:

• Students will parse and describe the fundamental grammatical properties of conjoined sentences and those containing embedded structures.  Students will determine the message, the primary thesis, and/or the socio-cultural context of simple expository and narrative texts (written and oral).

Course structure/approach

 This course completes a four-semester introduction to the Spanish language for students with little or no previous experience or formal study. Students explore and master various grammatical phenomena that are syntactically complex and morphologically abstract.  Students receive opportunities to develop further their abilities to speak, write, read and aurally comprehend the language. Activities will entail pair work, class presentations, writing as a process activities, as well as cooperative learning tasks, where you will use the language for "functional" (real world) purposes. Students investigate cultural aspects of the Hispanic experience with the use of the target language. Students acquire skills for determining the semiotic and cultural elements that underlie Spanish texts.

• There will be three, hour-long exams.
• There will be three 250 word in-class compositions. You will be given the topic beforehand. You may use a dictionary, and you can prepare an outline for your composition.
• The workbook will be turned in the day of each test.
• 'There will be many verb & grammar quizzes throughout the semester.
• The oral presentations will be scheduled for reading week. The topic should be chosen early in the semester. This assignment includes preparing a program: a summary (two-page composition) and list of vocabulary.

• Three exams.  30%
• One five-minute oral presentation.  10%
• Two brief presentations de noticias. 5%
• Three in-class compositions.  15%
• Verb and grammar quizzes. 10%
• Portfolio.  10%
• Comprehensive final exam.  20%

• All of your graded work for the class (quizzes, tests, and three in-class compositions, already graded by your instructor;
• A corrected, typed version of each of the in-class compositions;
• Your "Vocabulario" (list of new vocubulary kept throughout the semester).
• Illustrations, brochures, newspaper articles, photographs, and any other material that you might deem appropriate to complement the ideas presented in your compositions and the topic of your oral presentation;
• Sources of information for  your oral presentation.
• Your fourth composition: A two page summary of your oral presentation.
• The "List of Vocabulary" for your oral presentation.

The brief, 1-2 minute presentations should cover some current event. You should base your oral report on news sources in Spanish (and English). You may use an outline, but may not read a text!!

Special absence exemption: the instructor will completely excuse students for extended absences for sickness, death in the family, etc., if the need for the absence can be verified to the satisfaction of the instructor. Students who must miss class for a prolonged time and for a serious reason must show written proof (e.g., doctor's note on office letterhead with telephone number) to have the absences excused.

If you must leave the university suddenly for a family emergency, inform your instructor immediately or have another student do so for you. Do not just disappear. Keep your instructor informed.

PLAGIARISM AND CHEATING: the Department of Modern Languages strictly adheres to NAU's policies on academic dishonesty, which includes cheating on tests or examinations, forging or altering forms or documents, engaging in plagiarism on any written work. Sanctions for students found guilty in matters of academic dishonesty are listed in the current NAU Student Handbook.

WANT OR NEED HELP? IT'S FREE!

If you need help, you can seek assistance from your instructor during his/her 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 phoning ahead for an appointment (523-5524)