La Casa Hispana
Modern Language Program
Gregory College House
Spanish 180 – Fall 2015
Email: Lina M. Hernández [email protected]
La Casa Hispana is an opportunity for students to earn collage credit while practicing their
Spanish and learning about Spanish, Latin American and Latino culture in an informal
environment.
Requirements and contents
Casa Hispana offers events 2 nights per week throughout the semester, except during holidays
and finals. It also offers a film series of 6 films that will be screened every other Sunday during
the semester. That equals a total of 33 events. Students who choose to participate in Casa
Hispana for credit will accumulate points for each event that they attend. Film screening
attendance is mandatory. Weekly events are worth 1 point and film screenings are worth 2
points. Students must accumulate a minimum of 39 points to receive an A in the course.
This semester’s film series will be a selection of documentaries from Latin America and Spain
focusing on different forms of social activism. Amongst other topics, we will be exploring issues
like ecological struggles; migration and displacement; feminism and queer sexualities;
collective organizations and activism; and critical race theories and cultural productions. Aside
from the film screenings, these topics will also guide the discussion in one of our weekly events
and helps us find creative ways to continue exploring these issues through a more quotidian
approach.
This semester we are also starting a collaboration between our students in Casa Hispana and
the Spanish program run by Mighty Writers, an organization that works with children around
Philadelphia promoting creative writing workshops. Our intention is to create bonds between
students from the Mexican community in the Italian Market and our own Casa Hispana
students through a penpal. More information to come, but you can visit www.mightywriters.org
to learn more about this great initiative.
Aside from film discussions and the penpal program, weekly events can also include outings
around the neighborhood, cooking sessions, cultural events in and around campus. Students
are encouraged to suggest any other event or activity they find can contribute to a further
understanding of Spanish, Latin American, and Latino cultures.
In addition to attendance to each of the events, we will consider each student’s participation
when determining his or her grade for the course. Arrangements can be made to make up for
missing events.
The encounters are conducted in Spanish. When you can’t think of the exact word you want in
Spanish, try to find another way to express your ideas without slipping into English. All
mistakes are allowed; our main goal is to help you feel comfortable with the language and to
use it as a communicational tool, but also as a gateway to a broad cultural spectrum.
Good class participation means: being on time, prepared, and engaged; no cell-phone use
during class; speaking Spanish as soon as you step into the classroom even to address your
classmates; participating actively by answering/asking questions; working well in pairs or
small groups; taking initiatives and using your creativity and curiosity to foster a collaborative
environment; showing enthusiasm and respect towards other students; and feeling comfortable
expressing new ideas, suggestions, or advice to make this experience better for all of us
involved.
Your participation grade is lowered if: you are late to class, you are attentive but not at all
active, and/or you are disruptive to the class.
Grading criteria
A= 39 or more A- =37-38 B+= 35-36 B= 33-34 B-= 31-32 C= 30 F= 29 and below
What do these letters mean?
A
Student is on time, speaks Spanish from the moment class begins, participates actively
in class, is cooperative with classmates, works well in pairs and small groups, extends the
activity or converses in Spanish if his/her small group finishes the exercise early, seeks to take
risks (does not always answer with a simple yes/no but tries to use more challenging structures
and vocabulary). Student develops ideas to advance discussions and supports arguments with
examples.
Note! This student may make errors when speaking, but he/she also makes a concerted effort to
challenge him/herself and correct errors.
AStudent is on time, speaks Spanish from the moment class begins, is attentive,
participates an adequate amount of time, sometimes volunteers but usually waits for the
teacher’s cue, works well in pairs, but needs to push him/herself to use a richer vocabulary and
more challenging structures when speaking. Student develops ideas and offers supporting
details, but on an occasional basis.
B
Student’s participation is irregular for one or more of the following reasons: student is
attentive but speaks little, either in front of the class or in paired and group activities; student
sometimes breaks into English so that the task may be completed with greater ease; student
tries to ask questions in Spanish (when reminded) but often resorts to English to facilitate the
communication.
C
Student’s participation is irregular for one or more of the following reasons: student is
more than 10 minutes late; student sits quietly or resorts to English; whenever a student
finishes a group activity and has a free moment, he/she strikes up conversations in English
with classmates; student speaks out inappropriately.
F
Student is disruptive, rarely participates, is always on the phone, or student is absent
for most events.
You are not graded on your personality. Talkative students will not automatically receive A
grades for contributing in class, especially if they show no concern for the quality of their
contributions. Nor is participation dominating the class and interfering with the performance
of others. Similarly, students who do not like to speak in front of the class are not penalized as
long as they participate actively in small group and paired activities.
Each student is responsible for keeping track of the number of points that he or she has
accumulated, as to not fall behind in the course. We will notify everyone in early October of his
or her mid-term point total.
Students who arrive 15 minutes late to an event will not receive the point for that event.
Attendance will be recorded at all events.
Registering for the course
Each student interested in receiving academic credit for participation should notify Lina or our
house dean, Chris Donovan, as soon as possible to secure permit from the Romance Language
Department. Then, once granted the permit, YOU MUST REGISTER for the course onf the
PennInTouch Portal. Casa Hispana is listed as SPAN 180: Spanish Conversation. A
prerequisite for participation for credit is to be a resident in Gregory College House. If you have
trouble registering because you have already reached your credit limit, you must contact your
pre major or major advisor to change your credit limit.
Schedule Overview
Please check your email regularly for additional information sent via de Casa Hispana listserv.
Events might be cancelled at the last minute due to GA’s academic obligations. Additional
events not on the syllabus may be added to make up for cancellations. Other extra credit events
may be available. You will receive an email about any events not listed.
August 26 – December 8, 2015
Day
Every other Sunday
Event
Film screening
Monday
Wednesday
Dinner
Coffee Hour
Location
Class of ’25 or Van
Pelt Film Lounge
Locations may vary
Greenhouse (may
vary)
Time
5-7:30 pm
7-8 pm
8-9 pm
-Dinners are opportunities for students to engage in Spanish conversation with classmates in a
less structured environment.
-Coffee hours are structured events designed to help students build skills and vocabulary
necessary to improve their Spanish conversation abilities.
-The dinner after the Film Screening will be devoted to further exploring the social/political
issue of the week.
-Film screening attendance is MANDATORY
Date
W 8.26
M 8.31
W. 9.2
M. 9.7
W. 9.9
M. 9.14
W. 9.16
S. 9. 20
M. 9.21
W. 9.23
M. 9.28
W. 9.30
S.10.4
M.10.5
W.10.7
Event
Info Session
Dinner
Coffee hour
LABOR DAY
CANCELLED
Dinner
Coffee hour
Film
Dinner
Coffee hour
Dinner
Coffee hour
Film
Dinner
Coffee hour
Location
TBA
Greenhouse
Greenhouse
TBA
Greenhouse
Greenhouse
TBA
Greenhouse
Time
8 pm
7 pm
8 pm
Points
0
1
1
7 pm
8 pm
5 pm
7 pm
8 pm
7 pm
8 pm
5 pm
7 pm
8 pm
1
1
2
1
1
1
1
2
1
1
M.10.12
W.10.14
S.10.18
M.10.19
W.10.21
M.10.26
W.10.28
S.11.1
M.11.2
W.11.4
M.11.9
W. 11.11
S.11.15
M.11.16
W.11.18
M.11.23
W.11.25
M.11.30
W.12.2
S.12.6
M.12.7
Dinner
Coffee hour
Film
Dinner
Coffee hour
Dinner
Coffee hour
Film
Dinner
Coffee hour
Dinner
Coffee hour
Film
Dinner
Coffee hour
Dinner
Coffee hour
Dinner
Coffee hour
Film
Dinner
Greenhouse
TBA
Greenhouse
TBA
Greenhouse
Greenhouse
TBA
Greenhouse
Greenhouse
Greenhouse
TBA
7 pm
8 pm
5 pm
7 pm
8 pm
7 pm
8 pm
5 pm
7 pm
8 pm
7 pm
7 pm
5 pm
7 pm
8 pm
7 pm
8 pm
7 pm
8 pm
5 pm
7 pm
1
1
2
1
1
1
1
2
1
1
1
1
2
1
1
1
1
1
1
2
1