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Instructor:
Darren Witwer
2000-01: 5:30-7:45
Tuesday & Thursday, Room K2420
Office H 4119 (English-Humanities suite) Phone # 612-659-6444 My
office hours are 11:00-11:50 Monday & Wednesday
1:00-1:50 Th and I am almost always available before and after this class
(5:00 & 8:00). I am also available other times by
appointment. I try hard to be available in the area near the
classroom before class and the cafeteria. I am usually early to the
classroom.
Home
Voice Mail 612-659-6444 e-mail: darren.witwer@minneapolis.edu
Darren Witwer's faculty web
site: http:/home.minneapolis.edu/~witwerda
My home phone is available
for important messages. I expect to receive some visits and calls
for class related issues or to make an appointment for a longer discussion.
Also, I have office hours for a reason--come see me at least once, but it's
nice if I know you are coming so that you don't come when somebody else is
already there.
In appropriate situations it is best to come see me in small
groups if you have similar questions. The same goes for tutors--it is
usually best to go with at least one other person. You may not think of a
question that somebody happens to ask and it is more fun and efficient.
You can communicate with me
by e-mail: darren.witwer@minneapolis.edu
Please send communications in Spanish. I will be lenient for a while, but
after a month, there is no excuse or reason to use English for anything
except technical questions of grammar. I won’t grade your e-mail. I will
expect errors and be very pleased to see you make the effort to write in
Spanish. You don’t need to use accent marks if you don’t have a convenient
way to access them. I can help you use a Spanish keyboard on all PC-based
machines using Windows 95 and Windows 3.1 See me for details. I encourage
you to submit writing assignments via e-mail attachment or e-mail itself. I
prefer that you use Microsoft Word to write your electronic papers.
This
is a somewhat computer intensive course. You will be expected to do some
web-based research of newspapers on-line, and send e-mails. Training is
available for all students in the computer lab on the 3rd floor of this
building. I can provide some help too. Minimal support is available for
Macintosh users. You must submit files in a format readable on PC such as
MS Word (filename.doc) and Rich Text Format (filename.rtf) with accent
marks and other foreign characters.
I will show you to do this in the classroom, and assist you outside
the classroom if necessary.
TEXTS (used for entire 2nd year
prog.):
Conexiones 3rd edition (box
set) including the textbook Comunicación y cultura, Student
activities manual (workbook) and other additional materials. Published by Pearson/Prentice Hall.
You will also need to use the Conexiones web site to
download the audio files for doing the workbook. CD-R copies can also be obtained in the
language lab. http://www.prenhal.com/conexiones
The World Wide Web--That's not a book. That's the internet. We will be using
it a lot. The Spanish dept. web site has a vast amount of resources
available for you to improve your Spanish and to complete the writing
assignments.
A Spanish-English dictionary is highly recommended. Several are
available in bookstore. You can use the excellent dictionaries in the
Library as well. You are encouraged to use them in class except when I tell
you not to or on written tests. My experience shows that students who use
the dictionary frequently during in-class writing assignments end up
writing much less, and of a much lower quality. It is best to avoid using
it when time limits are involved, simply because it is such a distraction.
If you find yourself using it a lot, consider spending extra time expanding
your working vocabulary so that it isn’t necessary to refer to the
dictionary for basic vocab. If I see some students over-using the
dictionary, and therefore turning in short, unsubstantial writing (still
shows low level vocab), I may selectively tell them not to use the
dictionary because it is hampering their performance, while still allowing
others to use them. Don't abuse your
ability to use the dictionary on writing assignments.
501 Spanish Verbs is
necessary only for those who find memorization of words easier than
assimilating abstract patterns like verb conjugation paradigms. For
students who understand how to do verb conjugation, I strongly
recommend that you either burn it or leave it at home. Instead, use
the verb tables in the back of your text, or get a dictionary like the
Bantam paperback that is cross-referenced with irregular verbs only in the
middle. It is much better to make a mistake than look in a book when you
are in a "real life situation." Dependency on the Verb
conjugation book is a very bad habit.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS, GOALS & ADVICE:
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Probably the most
important thing to keep in mind about this course comes from the course
name: Spanish Language and Culture. In this course we will be learning in Spanish about the cultural
creations, customs, history, ecology and politics of Spanish-speaking
peoples from all over the world, including Spain, Latin America, the
Caribbean and the United States.
This course carries Global Perspective (MnTC 8) Gen. Ed. credit for
this course.
The grammar content will
be coming to you in two ways:
Informally through the readings in the
text. You will learn to recognize various structures,
verb forms and pronoun usages while we read. This means that we will
cover a lot of grammar at a pretty superficial level--mainly with a focus
on comprehending the passage concerned, and a sort of "osmotic
introduction" to these topics. You will not be expected to
produce most of these things in your writing until you learn them
formally from the textbook. Bear in mind that the first
few readings that we do will be slow and full of detours and
explanations. As your skills develop, we will need spend far less
time with basic concepts.
Formally from the text with focused and
repetitive exercises to develop the skill with the structure for writing
and speaking purposes. You can expect to see some of the more
important and problematic topics repeated frequently throughout the
course. At some point in time during this semester or next semester
even, we will focus on developing your ability to use them. Once
these topics are covered, you will be expected to be able to use them in
writing with a reasonable degree of accuracy.
The reason for this
approach is based on the observation of my students over the years, and
realizing that grammar rules are not easily internalized for productive
ability, especially if the student receives primarily training of the
formal type. Even as adults, a large part of our language
learning involves repeating structures that you have heard or read, and not
accurately demonstrating your ability to apply formal rules explained and
drilled. Keep this in mind as you work on developing your
skills. The best way to develop writing and speaking skills is to
read and listen to a lot of Spanish. Grammar rules are little
more than an excuse for a teacher to discipline you with drilling
exercises. This is an important, but limited value. Don't
expect grammar rules to cure your problems with writing or
speaking. Repetition is the only way. Speaking and writing skills develop at
different rates, and require feedback like from a teacher, or the answers
in the back of the book.
Another important point:
the basic grammar points covered in this semester will be about the same as
what you covered in the first year of Spanish (if you took it here).
There will be a lot of review of grammar, especially in the first month of
classes. You will notice as the semester, and second semester
progress that we will be spending less and less time with formal
explanations of grammar and drilling. At the same time, the formal
sessions that we do have will be progressively more
challenging.
It makes sense that the
easier topics appear at the beginning and the more difficult ones appear
later. The further we go, the more likely the formal grammar topic covered
will be a difficult one for you to incorporate into your own speaking and
writing. However, most students will pretty quickly learn to
recognize them in reading, and listening, assuming that they are spending
time practicing with these.
So, to summarize what is
about to happen to you, we will spend about 4 weeks reviewing the basics of
Spanish language: adjectives, verb conjugation in the present, some
pronouns, and vocabulary. After that, we will begin doing less and
less of this sort of grammar, and instead work with cultural essays,
internet, literature, art, and audiovisual media to develop your informal
or receptive skills, which will eventually translate themselves into
productive skills.
In order to facilitate
communication about these cultural, political and historical themes, we
will be working towards nurturing dialogue and even argument about real
issues and opinions. Your personal convictions are not relevant to your
grade as long as you are doing the following:
Communicating in a rational, constructive and polite way. (I will take
rudeness into account against your grade)
Facilitating --that you do not monopolize the conversation (preventing
others from speaking), nor do you remain silent at all times. Although I
don't expect everybody to participate every day, it is an ideal I would
like to strive for.
Demonstrating factual and/or textual knowledge
based on material covered in the text books and the classroom, as well as
your personal internet research. (I will notice if you don't know what you
are talking about.) Come to class each day with at least one remark or
question that shows you are thinking about the material we are
covering. Notice that this is the category in which I can tell if you are
actually spending time reading and listening to Spanish as you are being
asked to do.
Remember that this is much
more than a grammar class. You should strive to contextualize your grammar
and vocabulary according to the themes covered and the topics you choose to
research on the web.
I would like to stress that
these are the most common and important weaknesses and sources of problems
in this class. Focus your attention on these first and
foremost.
Answer when called upon,
participate in small groups. Speak in Spanish in class. I will be
more lenient in the beginning, but by the midterm and second semester I
expect to hear no English from you at all. It’s time to shift into a
completely Spanish-speaking mode. You may encounter vocabulary problems, or
make mistakes, but that’s a very natural part of learning a foreign
language. Shyness and speaking English count for nothing. Mistakes count
for effort and good attitude. Try to keep a good sense of humor about
the mistakes. Usually they do not interfere much with my comprehension, and
they can be funny as well as educational experiences. We all make mistakes.
Even I do. A relatively relaxed and positive attitude is a must.
Language classes have the potential to be a lot of fun, intellectually
stimulating, and very social.
You are encouraged to play
devil's advocate on issues, even to play ironically with listeners to
elicit responses. (If nobody else does, I will.) Just don't be personally
offensive. Students with greater fluency who speak frequently in class
should always pause before answering questions so that others can answer.
It doesn't take me long to figure out who can quickly answer questions. If
you feel compelled to let me know you can answer a question, but are
waiting for others to speak, try nodding, smiling or winking at me.
In summary, this class is
designed to teach you to express yourself meaningfully in speaking and
writing about Spanish-speaking culture and history, as well as to
understand written and spoken Spanish about these cultural themes. The
final goal is not simply to pass the language proficiency exam, but to
assist you in developing awareness of the variety of cultures, the rich
history and literature. You will demonstrate this knowledge through
examinations in writing, reading, speaking and listening.
Because of the impediments
presented by language barriers, I expect that the volume of reading and
writing will be considerably smaller than in a similar course in your
native language. Work toward formulating a few interesting and well-thought
out remarks, rather than trying to write or speak extensively. Volume will
increase with time.
A note about how fast we
will move through the textbook: This
is our first semester with this book, and I have never taught out of this
particular book, though I do have over 20 years experience teaching
Spanish. I am planning to complete 5
chapters of this textbook, which means roughly that we need to go at a pace
of approximately 10 pages a day. I
have organized our schedule so that the first chapter will include 4 class
sessions, then a test. The second
chapter will include 3 ½ class
sessions, then a test. Chapters 3
through 5 will include 4 ½ class sessions, then a test. Each test will be timed to take an hour,
which means I’ll try to keep them brief.
After a 15 minute break, I will introduce the next chapter by
presenting the first pages of the chapter, and a quick summary of the
grammar content we will be learning with helpful hints for study &
practice.
My job is to lead you
through the problem spots, teach you the relevant vocab and linguistic
structures, and keep things orderly. Trust me. It's not as scary as it
sounds, and it's much more interesting than spending another year
practicing verb conjugation. Nevertheless, we will be reviewing EVERYTHING
that you did in the first year of college Spanish in the first
semester.
Attendance and participation in and out of the classroom.
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Due to the nature of a
language course, it is not possible to miss classes to any extent. Be certain to keep a log of your "extracurrcular"
time: tutoring, seeing tutors, working in the lab, etc. Give it to me at
the end of the quarter and let me know what you are doing.
Keep me informed and I'll keep you informed. If you are absent for an
extended period, I will waive this policy only if a valid medical excuse is
provided.
Beginning in Fall of
2006, a new college policy allows teachers to drop students from the class
for non-attendance. Teachers can
determine how the policy will be carried out in the classroom. The way I will handle it is as
follows: Students who do not show up
for class within the first two weeks (4 sessions) will be automatically
dropped from the class so that students who are attending can take those
seats. That means that the first two
weeks are very important. Any
two-week period of absence after that point will also result in an
automatic drop from the class. I
will make exceptions if you have a good reason and/or we have discussed
this. But, if you miss four classes
in a row without calling me, you can expect to be dropped. This means that you may be responsible
for repaying financial aid awards you have received, rather than the school
being responsible to repay it and then try to recover it from the student.
Classroom attendance is
tallied in the D2L gradebook. That
component of the gradebook takes a lot of columns, but does not carry the
final grade value. At Midterm and
Final I will do a simple class average to determine how to convert those
numbers into a grade value that I will average with a subjective grade I
give on the basis of the quality of your participation. Basically, my system is designed so that
the Attendance/Participation portion of your grade will be a maximum of B
at 4 absences.
If you are absent for
more than ¼ of the class sessions for any reason, you should
consider withdrawing from the course to avoid a negative impact on your
GPA. I will not grant a grade of Incomplete unless you have been present
for at least 2/3 of the class sessions, and a valid excuse is provided. I
will also not grant an incomplete unless it is possible for you to complete
the necessary work within the next school term. In case of extended
absence, be sure to remain in contact with me so that we can determine your
alternatives. If you fail to keep me informed, and provide valid excuses, I
will not consider special provisions for you.
Trips to Mexican resorts
like Cozumel, Cancún, Mazatlan, Isla Mujeres, Acapulco, or other highly
touristic destinations do not count as valid excuses for absence. I MAY CONSIDER trips to other
destinations if you can provide me proof of your trip via plane ticket, and
a follow up writing/research assignment and oral interview designed to
improve your knowledge of Spanish language and culture. However, this must
be carefully arranged beforehand, and I will not allow you to miss more
than two weeks of class. The point is that cocktail vacations to tropical
beaches are not acceptable as learning experiences since it is not
necessary to speak Spanish there, and the cultural experience is highly
commodified and filtered for American and European tourists.
First year students are
required to spend time in the lab. You are not required to attend the lab
outside of class, but we will have monthly class sessions there, and you
are free to go to the Learning Center for language activities. I will take Learning Center/Lab
attendance into account, as a factor in your participation grade, so be
sure to check in with the technician.
You are expected to
explore the Internet in Spanish. I have developed an extensive collection
of web links in Spanish that will be accessible through the school web
page. The computer labs are all linked to the net, and you will be able to
access it from any remote Internet connection. This provides excellent
access to reading materials, current events, art and literature.
Other Highly Recommended
Activities that will help your grade:
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Attend peer tutoring in the LAC.
Help classmates that don't understand
as well as you. I expect this
from those that are not having major difficulties. Learning a language can
be very easy for some and very difficult for others--there are many
possible reasons for this, but what concerns me is that the gifted students
focus their energy into helping those that do not. Teaching is the fastest
and most profound way to learn anything. Furthermore, I'm always looking
for tutors ($$? & teaching experience--very good on the
resume for those interested in education and counselling.) These positions are very limited, and I
will only consider those who demonstrate reliability, attendance and
attitude in the classroom. Language
ability is secondary to such considerations.
Spend time in the lab with videos and
audio tapes.
Help first year students. (see me) If
you feel that these are important for raising your grade and impressing me,
keep some sort of documentation of your work, signed by the person
involved. I especially encourage you to meet novices and help them. You
will learn a great deal by helping a beginner!
MEET AND TALK TO NATIVES. You can
also volunteer with organizations like CLUES to help Latin American
immigrants in the USA. Talk to me if you are interested in a service
learning/volunteer experience to supplement your Spanish education. We are
co-located with the ESL program on the 5th floor of this building, so there
are great opportunities to meet and exchange language tutoring with native
speakers.
Watch UNIVISION on cable, rent
Spanish-language, subtitled films, listen to 88.5 FM on Sunday afternoons,
etc.
Goals and Requirements:
Writing and testing
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You must complete of ALL
workbook exercises
and textbook exercises as assigned. Some writing assignments will be
done at home, others will be prepared at home and then executed in class
from your head. The workbook is organized into sections that correspond
with the Comunicación y cultura
book. You ought to parallel your work in the workbook along
with where we are in the textbook.
Quizzes, in-class compositions, final
essay written, and two in-class oral interviews. There will be a
number of assignments from the book for which you will be expected to
prepare at home and bring in to class--ready to discuss or perform. All in
class work (other than quizzes and final) and workbooks will be graded in a
simple, holistic way: 4 pts excellent and outstanding, 3 pts good, 2 pt
satisfactory but needs work, 1 credit for performance only, 0 missed
test/performance or unprepared. In-class assignments may not be made up
if you were absent.
Part Four: Grading
Policy: It must be
clear to you that D grades will be given. A grade of D is no longer
considered passing if you take a course pass-fail.
100-91%=A 90.9-81%=B
80.9-70%=C 69-60%=D 59-0% F
Incompletes will not be
given unless there are clear reasons which support such. i.e. extended
illness. BE SURE THAT YOU HAVE FILED PASS-FAIL or AUDIT before the Nov 3
deadline. If you think you are auditing, but forget to change it, you will
receive an F. If you intend to drop the course, do so in the first week in
order to receive a refund. If you decide to "fade away" be
absolutely sure to file a drop-add notice or you will get an F. The
deadline for withdrawing from classes is November 17th. You will receive a
W that doesn’t affect your GPA.
25% 3-4 Essay-based Tests Grading criteria will be
distributed when I return the first test. Around midterm I will distribute
another higher set of standards for the remaining tests.
15% Final Comprehension
Exam and Oral Interview cluster
20% in-class
participation attitude,
preparation, speaking Spanish at all times in the class, etc.
15% 4 pt assignments: In-class exercises handed in AND
workbook, textbook assignments, essay assignments given specifically to be
handed in. Absence from class when 4 pt assignments will result
in a zero for that assignment. Frequent absence will result in a lot of
zeros. These cannot be made up. Don’t ask. (These assignments are intended
to show me what you can write by yourself in a limited time. Therefore, you
cannot do these assignments at home and bring them in for credit.)
10% -- 2 Web-based
research and opinion essays. These two papers must be typed on a
computer. They can be written as e-mail, but I prefer that they be done in
a word processor. They must be submitted with accent marks appropriately
placed. If you have difficulty finding a computer that can do this for you,
I will accept hand written accents added to a printout. I can help PC users
add accent mark ability to their computers. There may be problems getting
the computers in the lab set up for this, but we will definitely work to
get this arranged. The specifics of these papers are explained below.
15% workbook--do it all unless otherwise
directed. This is the grammatical component of your class work.
I am still unsure of the grading process that I will use for this, but I
promise that the emphasis will be on the completion of the assignments and
less on the grammatical and mechanical accuracy. The workbook
is not a joke or a waste of time. I will not take you seriously if you do
not take it seriously.
WEB-BASED RESEARCH PAPERS
- Find a newspaper article of at least 250
words on the internet. It must be in Spanish, and it must be about an
issue that is relevant to a Spanish-speaking country, and it must be
an issue that is not widely reported in the American media. Pick local
issues with some political, social, economic or otherwise ethical
importance. Print the article and submit it with your assignment.
- Write a 100 word essay explaining the
context and events related to the issue in your own words.
- Explain the
moral-social-economic-political-ethical principles that underlie the
situation (it is wrong to kill, it is wrong to take advantage of the
poor, racism is wrong, etc.)
- Express your opinion on what should be
done--either by the citizens, the local military, the United States,
we as citizens of the United States or whoever seems appropriate.
Explain why you think that this solution is best.
- Grading will be based largely on the degree
to which you follow these rules, the usage of new vocabulary and
reading comprehension. I will be very lenient on grammar errors—which
will probably be many, especially for the first of these papers.
Miscellaneous:
You will be writing some
in-class compositions. You are expected to prepare for these outside of
class. For the most part, these will be recitations of and reactions to
ideas and info learned from the textbook readings. You can get help from
tutors or friends, but be certain that you understand the grammar
structures you are using. Do not use your dictionary to look up conjugated
verbs! (For instance, do not look up "would" or "seen"
in your dictionary) Avoid using your dictionary as much as possible unless
you are extremely careful to check that you are getting the right word
(noun, adjective, verb, etc.) Always double check by looking up the word in
the other side of the dictionary (Spanish--English). Consequently, I
recommend that you "borrow" structures directly from the reading.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with memorizing phrases you read. It is
actually a very efficient way to learn vocabulary, grammar and syntax in
one simple operation.
Another very important
rule seems to require mentioning: NEVER, NEVER write your compositions in
English and translate them to Spanish. The results are invariably
disastrous and immediately visible to me. No matter how much I warn people,
there are always those who ignore me. Be advised that although you may
think it is easier, you are in reality doing the most difficult thing
possible. Your knowledge of English far exceeds your knowledge of Spanish
so you will be best off to think immediately in Spanish. If you don't know
how to say one phrase at that moment, you will be in terrible shape after
writing 200 words of stuff you don't know how to say. You will not suddenly
be able to translate it all. Dictionaries do not help with grammar.
If you have difficulties in
the class, please contact me as soon as possible. Problems in language learning
build up quickly and will "drown" you in a short time. If my
office hours are not convenient, please contact me, other times can be
arranged easily and tutoring is available through the college. I am an avid
e-mail user, and will be glad to provide you quick feedback via e-mail.
Don't ask me or the
tutors to translate letters and compositions for you. We will check your work, but will not
do it for you.
Do not be afraid to make
mistakes, effort counts much more than correctness. Prepare yourself for
making a lot of errors. It's a natural part of the process. I am extremely
patient with anyone who is at least trying to communicate. I expect you to
be patient too if other students are not as quick as you.
Because this class is based
largely upon the absorption of vocabulary, idiomatic expressions and
syntactical structures, it is highly advisable that you make a set of flash
cards to drill yourself. Be sure to work them from English to Spanish. You
can do it the other way too, but Engl-Span is more difficult and important.
Tentative schedule: I keep this schedule on my web
site. I will also let you know when changes have been made to that
schedule so that you'll know when to print new copies. The schedule
has been tested over several years, so it's pretty solid, but things do
come up, and I am very flexible. Consult the web site for the
complete schedule.
Current
Classroom schedule and notes
Week One: Aug 28-29
Tuesday: Introduction of
syllabus and materials, review of basic grammar & conversation
Thursday: Begin chapter
1 of textbook pp. 3-22 ( present
tense review)
Friday
Aug 31 Last day to add/drop
Week 2: Sept 4-6
Tuesday: Continue chapter
1 pp. 23-45
(past tense review)
Thursday: Review and conversation (bring textbooks for these sessions also)
Week 3: Sept 11-13
Tuesday:
Test 1 & pp. 46-
Thursday: pp. 46-64
(Ser/Estar/Haber, future tense)
Week 4: Sept 18, 20
Tuesday: pp. 65-85
Thursday: Review and conversation in past tense (graded)
Week 5: Sept 25-27
Tuesday: Test 2 pp. 86-92
No Class Days
Monday Sept 3 (doesn't
affect this class)
Thursday, Friday Oct 18-20
Monday, Nov 12 (doesn't affect this class)
Thanksgiving—Thursday, Friday Nov 22-24
Final Exam Week December 17-21
Important dates
Web-based paper 1 Due Friday Oct 5th
Tuesday, Nov 13: Last day to file pass/fail (change
Monday, December 10: Last day to withdraw from (drop) the course grading
method)
Web-based paper
2 Due Friday
Dec 7th
Oral Interviews
Tuesday
Dec. 11 & Thursday 13th
Last day of class (before
final exam) Tuesday Dec. 13
Final Comprehension Exam
is Thursday, December 18th at 5:30-7:45 PM
Further updates on the
calendar will be made to the web site during the quarter.
If you need an accommodation
to participate in this class please see your instructor or contact the
Office for Students with Disabilities at 612-659-6730 (voice) 612-659-6731
(TTY). Course materials can be
provided in alternative formats if needed.
Contact
the Office for Students with Disabilities.
(http://www.minneapolis.edu/osd/index.cfm)
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