COURSE GRADE BREAKDOWN

•       Orientation Quiz & Self-Description                  5%
•       Participation Self-Assessment (L.1)                  1%
•       Homework                                                                                  10%
•       Oral Interview                                                                          10%

•       Foreign Film                                                                              10%      
•       Quizzes (5)                                                                                  10%      
•       Tests (3 x 10%)                                                                        30%     
•       Final Exam                                                                                  20%      
•       Participation Self-Assessment                                   4%

TOTAL                                                                                100%     

A = 89.5–100%     B = 79.5–89.4%     C = 69.5–79.4%     D = 59.5–69.4 %     F = below 59.5%

You must receive a grade of C or better in order to continue with Spanish 1412.

ORIENTATION QUIZ & SELF-DESCRIPTION

•          The Orientation Quiz is one of the first two assignments for the entire course. After you have read through the Start Here link in Blackboard, you will be ready to take this quiz.  You must score a 70% on this quiz.  This is worth 2.5% of your grade.
•          The Self-Description is the second of the first two assignments and is due when the Orientation Quiz is due.  This is worth 2.5% of your grade.


PARTICIPATION: 
Regular and timely class participation in discussions and completion of work is expected of all students.  If attendance or compliance (finishing the work by deadline as this is an asynchronous course) with other course policies is unsatisfactory, the instructor may withdraw students from the class. Here are more participation guidelines:

•          Students are responsible for preparing the material. Language acquisition is a skill that must be practiced daily. You must maintain an online presence in class to stay up to date. (I can view your last date of access to Bboard and VHL)
•          The material to cover in each session is indicated on the calendar, and you must study it to effectively learn Spanish. You can see how being prepared and maintaining an active online presence are closely linked.  If you remain active online, then you will stay current with the material covered.
•          There is a Participation Rubric Self-Assessment that you must fill out after the first lesson.  This initial review will count for 1%.  Then you will repeat the assessment the last week of classes.  This is worth 4%.  I reserve the right to override this grade.

*Since the class is fully online, the student hours meetings will be optional.  If students are present, we will review the topics and record the Zoom session.  I will send this recording in an announcement.

HOMEWORK WORKBOOK/VIDEO MANUAL/LAB MANUAL/FILMS

You must complete the assigned workbook exercises for each chapter to earn full credit. For the video manual and lab manual please refer to your VISTAS Supersite.  All homework is due on the last day of the chapter by 11:59 PM. 

CULTURAL EXPERIENCE: Presentation

You will also be watching an award-winning foreign film of your choice made and produced in a Spanish Speaking Country to go along with the countries covered in lessons one through five to add yet another cultural perspective.  I recommend the films listed below. Foreign films tend to be rated R or NC-17 in the United States.  In some cases they do not receive a rating.  The assignment entails viewing the film and then writing two paragraphs: the first is for you to describe in at least ten sentences any cultural differences and/or similarities about your experience viewing the film in English.  The second paragraph you will write another ten sentences in Spanish to describe a character or a scene using the vocabulary learned in this course.  You have until the end of lesson four to complete this assignment.  You can hand this in any time, but the last day I will accept this assignment is Thursday, July 18th by midnight. 

Latin America                                                                       Spain

Argentina, 1985 (Prime video)                                 Mujeres al borde de un ataque de nervios

Even the Rain                                                                         La lengua de las mariposas

Roma                                                                                             Biutiful

Encanto (In Spanish)                                                       Volver

PARTNER INTERVIEWS 
The partner interviews will take place at the end of the semester with a partner and with me as indicated on the calendar portion of the syllabus.  Unless otherwise indicated, I will conduct the partner interviews over Zoom. We will have a mid-semester check-in and optional practice session after the first test on Thursday, July 11th from 1:30 to 2:30 PM.
All the questions come from the Preguntas Personales posted in each lesson’s content folder in the Read section. You will find the translations broken up into days in my PowerPoints posted in the Watch section. Please sign up for a ten-minute time slot for Final Interview on Tuesday, July 30th  or Thursday, August 2nd  from 1:30 – 2:30PM or by appointment.

QUIZZES

There will be five small quizzes over the course of the semester to check your progress.  These will be available in Bboard. These quizzes will be written and include vocabulary and grammar.

TESTS & FINAL EXAM

Throughout the course of the semester there will be three regular tests (with listening and written portions) and a final exam during the last week of class. All examinations consist of both a listening comprehension and a written section. There will only be a possibility of a make-up tests or exam due to a very unusual circumstances and only if the instructor is notified before the time of the tests or exam window is open. All tests will be taken using the Respondus Lockdown Browser.

General Test Guidelines:

•          Tests must be taken online by downloading the Respondus Lockdown Browser at home. Please note that I do require a camera as I do have the monitor enabled.  You need good connectivity for the Browser to function well.
•          You will have one attempt at this test.  The test must be completed by the posted deadlines.
•          If you have a Chromebook, please check in with me about an alternative means of secure testing since Respondus does not function with this device.  Our testing centers can schedule you to test with them via Google meet.  This link will tell you how to proceed: https://www.austincc.edu/students/testing-services/instructional-testing 

Course Policies

Attendance / Participation

Regular and timely class participation and completion of work is expected of all students.  If compliance with course policies is unsatisfactory, the instructor may withdraw students from the class.

Withdrawals 

It is the responsibility of each student to ensure that his or her name is removed from the rolls should they decide to withdraw from the class.  The instructor does, however, reserve the right to drop a student should he or she feel it is necessary.  If a student decides to withdraw, he or she should also verify that the withdrawal is recorded before the Final Withdrawal Date.  The Final Withdrawal Date for this semester is Monday, July 29th.The student is also strongly encouraged to keep any paperwork in case a problem arises.

Students are responsible for understanding the impact that withdrawal from a course may have on their financial aid, veterans’ benefits, and international student status.  Per state law, students enrolling for the first time in Fall 2007 or later at any public Texas college or university may not withdraw (receive a W) from more than six courses during their undergraduate college education. Some exemptions for good cause could allow a student to withdraw from a course without having it count toward this limit. Students are strongly encouraged to meet with an advisor when making decisions about course selection, course loads, and course withdrawals.

Missed or late work 

There will only be a possibility of a make-up late assignments due to a very unusual circumstances and only if the instructor is notified before deadline.

Required Textbook/Materials for Students:

Vistas, 7th ed., Supersite + Websam, Blanco, Vista Higher Learning, ISBN 13: 8220130919306 (digital access only but will give you everything you need for the course)

· This textbook is used in all four semesters of our Spanish program (1411/1412/2311/2312). 

· When you purchase the Supersite Access Code, it will be valid for 24 months. It is imperative to keep track of the Access Code. 

*** For students that still have active access to the 6th ed. Vistas Supersite + Websam, you can have access to the Vistas Supersite 7th ed. at no additional cost for the remainder of your 6th edition access. Just enroll in our course and section on the Vistas Supersite. Once you have enrolled in our course and section, you will see the below message if your 6th edition access is still active

Getting Started on the Supersite + Websam, 7th edition)

This link will give you access to information regarding the Vistas Supersite including, but not limited to:

• • creating an account,
  • enrolling in a course, and
  • redeeming an access code.

CALENDARIO

Please note that schedule changes may occur during the semester.  Any changes will be announced in class and posted as a Blackboard Announcement/email.

LESSON 1 (Monday, July 1st – Saturday, July 6th by 11:59PM)

LESSON 2 (Sunday, July 7th – Friday, July 12th by 11:59PM) 

LESSON 3 (Saturday, July 13th – Thursday, July 18th by 11:59PM)

LESSON 4 (Friday, July 19th – Wednesday, July 24th by 11:59PM)

LESSON 5 (Thursday, July 25th – Thursday, August 1st)

FOREIGN FILM, INTERVIEW, PARTICIPATION, AND FINAL EXAM: (Thursday, July 18th – Friday, August 2nd)

Discipline-Level Learning Outcomes for Spanish:

CRITICAL THINKING:

• utilize a variety of reading or listening strategies for comprehension.
• draw inferences from information that has been presented.
• synopsize and synthesize the information from passages heard or read.
• utilize language creatively to make it relevant their lives.
• make comparisons and find contrasts among the different Francophone cultures and their own and explain different values.
• mention implications and applications of information they have read or heard.

TEAMWORK (Interpersonal Skills):

• complete a variety of language-based activities working in pairs and small groups.
• demonstrate the ability to negotiate meaning to complete language-based activities.
• demonstrate the ability to work in groups to achieve a common goal.
• demonstrate the ability to consider different points of view and work effectively with others to support a shared purpose or goal.

SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY (Civic and Cultural Awareness):

• compare and contrast different perspectives on cultural issues, customs, and traditions after reading or listening to passages in the Spanish language.
• demonstrate some intercultural competence by correctly using formal and informal speech, changing registers as needed, and using gestures.
• mention some differences among the French-speaking countries.
• show awareness of current events in Spanish-speaking countries and analyze their implications.
• state ways that studying Spanish-speaking societies can help understand and improve their own society.
• explain the importance of knowledge of Hispanic culture for relationships between individuals, businesses, or nations.

PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY: 

• acquire effective language learning strategies for life-long learning.
• state how learning Spanish will be useful to them and improve their lives.
• name and investigate aspects of the Spanish language and culture of personal interest.
• explain the value of learning about other people and respecting  cultural differences.
• make appropriate decisions when interacting with people from different cultures.

COMMUNICATION (Written, Oral and Visual Communication):

• show effective written and spoken communication in Spanish at the appropriate level using a variety of strategies and adopting the appropriate type of speech.
• use listening strategies such as listening for the main idea and for specific details and asking for clarification.
• exhibit conceptual understanding and control of courtesy expressions and appropriate kinesics when speaking in Spanish.
• interpret and express ideas through written, oral and visual communication.