IBERIAN CULTURE
Curse Syllabus - Summer 2017
Prof. Ager Gondra
E-mail: [email protected]
COURSE DESCRIPTION
In this course, the student will explore the diversity of the cultures and languages in the
Iberian Peninsula with a high emphasis in Spain. The core work for this course will
consist on readings, class discussions, quizzes, a final project and a presentation, and
field trips.
Textbook: Piemontese-Ramos, et al. (2004). España: Temas de cultura y civilización.
COURSE GOALS
The main objective of this course is to create awareness on the cultural and linguistic
diversity that exists in the Iberian Peninsula. In order to accomplish this, students will
learn about the cultures of contemporary Spain:
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
f)
their society,
their people,
their languages,
their gastronomy,
their festivals,
etc.
Additionally, students will have the opportunity to improve the four language skills:
a) speaking,
b) listening,
c) writing
d) reading.
COMPONENTS OF THE COURSE
Attendance and participation: Beginning with the 1st absence to the 2nd absence, all
students will lose 1 point from their final grade for each absence (see the table below).
Points are deducted for unexcused absences. If a student has a total of 3 unexcused
absences, the student will automatically fail the course. Excused absences are because
of documented illness or hospitalization. Arriving late may also result in an unexcused
absence. Arriving a few minutes late several times may be also counted as one
unexcused absence.
Number of unexcused absences
Points deducted from Final Grade
Coursesyllabus-1
1
1
2
2
3
Fail
Participation includes interacting in a positive and productive manner with other
students and the instructor in Spanish on a daily basis. To achieve the expected levels of
participation, the student must:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
come prepared to class each day.
greet classmates and your instructor in Spanish.
speak in Spanish during class.
ask questions, think about the materials covered in class and contribute to the
class.
help your classmates in Spanish.
listen to your instructor and classmates, focus on what they say, pay attention to
what they are telling you, and respond appropriately.
be respectful to the instructor and classmates.
leave the classroom saying goodbye in Spanish to your instructor and
classmates.
no use of cellphones, laptops, newspapers, outside materials, etc. except when
given permission. If a student is seen using a cellphone, he/she will be asked to
leave the classroom and it will count as an absence.
Homework: There will be homework on a daily basis. It will consist of questions about
the reading you have to do before class.
Project and presentation: In groups you will present an Autonomous Community
focusing on cultural and linguistic elements from that region. Each group has to write
in Spanish a 6 page-long paper. You can turn it in any time before the last day of class.
Please do not forget to cite the references. For more information refer to "Project
Guidelines".
Quizzes: There will be three short exams.
Exam: There will be one final exam the last day of class.
Field trips: There will be field trips, which you must attend.
Grading Criteria
ASSIGNMENT
Attendance and participation
Homework
Quizzes (3 x 5 points)
Project and Presentation
Exam
Field Trips
TOTAL
POINTS
20
40
15
10
10
5
100
Coursesyllabus-2
Grading Scale:
LETTER GRADE
A+
A
AB+
B
BC+
C
CD+
D
F
PERCENTAGE POINTS
100 - 97
96.9 - 93
92.9 - 90
89.9 - 87
86.9 - 83
82.9 - 80
79.9 - 77
76.9 - 73
72.9 - 70
69.9 - 67
66.9 - 60
<60
FOREWARNED IS FOREARMED
No make-up work will be accepted for missed/late assignments. No make-up
exams/quizzes will be given, unless there is a valid and documented excuse (see
attendance policy). If you know that you are not going to attend class the day an
assignment is due, e-mail it to me BEFORE class.
Academic dishonesty will not be tolerated in this course. All work submitted for the
course must be your own work or include proper citation. Any plagiarized, improperly
cited, or otherwise academically dishonest material will result in F in the course and
may be reported to the Academic Integrity Committee.
Coursesyllabus-3
This schedule is subject to change.
Week
Day
Topic
Reading
Monday Course introduction.
Homework due dates
Syllabus
Tuesday Capítulo 1: España y la
p. 12-15;19-27
Comunidad
Europea
Wednesday Capítulo 2: Comunidad de Madrid p. 31-35;42-49
2
p. 35: 1, 6, 10
p. 43: 1
Thursday Capítulo 2: Comunidad de Marid
p. 46: 2
p. 49: 1
Friday Capítulo 7: Comunidad Autónoma p. 139-157
p. 146: 3
de Castilla y León
p. 151: 4
p. 155: 9
Field Trip: San Millan de la Cogolla - Laguardia.
Saturday
Monday QUIZ #1
Capítulo 3: Comunidad Autónoma p. 53-67
de Galicia.
Tuesday
p. 53: para saber más 2
p. 56: 2, 9
p. 60: 3
Field Trip: Pamplona-San Fermin.
3
Wednesday Capítulo 3: Comunidad Autónoma Guest Speaker
de Galicia.
Thursday Capítulo 4: Comunidad Autónoma p. 74-75; 78-89
del País Vasco
Friday
Saturday
Capítulo 4: Comunidad Autónoma
del País Vasco
p. 65: 3
p. 67: 3, 10
p. 74-75: para saber más 1, 2
p. 80: 9
p. 82: 2
p. 86: 9
p. 92: 5
p. 93: 9
Field Trip: Gernika - Mundaka.
Coursesyllabus-4
Monday Presentación #1: Comunidad
Foral de
Navarra
Tuesday
4
QUIZ #2
Capítulo 10: Comunidad
Autónoma de
Catalunya
p. 210-220; 222- p. 216: 1, 8
229
p. 221: 6
p. 224: 8
p. 228: 2, 10
Wednesday Presentación #2: Comunidad
Valenciana
Thursday Presentación #3: Comunidad
Autónoma del
Principado de
Asturias
Friday Capítulo 6: Comunidad Autónoma p. 115-116; 122- p. 124: 1, 4, 6
de Aragón
138
p. 127: 7
p.132: 1
p. 135: 9
QUIZ #3
Presentación #4: Comunidad
Autónoma de
Castilla-La Mancha
Tuesday
Field Trip: San Sebastian
Monday
Wednesday Capítulo 9: Comunidad Autónoma p. 185-208
de Andalucía
5
Thursday Capítulo 9: Comunidad Autónoma
de Andalucía
Friday
FINAL EXAM
Coursesyllabus-5
p. 189: 2, 10
p. 193: 4, 5, 9
p. 196: 4
p. 197: 9
p. 199: 5, 6, 9
p. 203: 4,
p. 203: para saber más 3
p. 207: 6
Group Project - Guidelines
Presentation
15-20 minute presentation. You are encouraged to employ multimedia aids (e.g.,
YouTube, recordings, radio/TV clips, etc.); however, be sure that the content of your
presentation is not overwhelmed by your aids. The content of your presentation should
be an elaboration of what you choose to include on your handout.
Topics to be covered:
1. Introduction: a general presentation about the country/community.
2. People
3. Language(s)
4. Sociopolitical aspects
5. Art
6. Traditions/festivals
7. Gastronomy
8. Any other interesting information you want to share with your class
Q&A
Be prepared for 2 - 3 minutes of Q&A at the end of your presentation. As a presenter,
you are not expected to know answers to all questions on the fly; however, you should
be prepared to discuss the content of your presentation knowledgeably and to the best of
your ability. As an audience member, you are expected to be able to ask at least one
constructive question over the course of the semester.
Handout
You will develop a handout of no more than 2 pages (front and back) and provide
copies for your classmates, and one instructor copy. Remember to include your name
and the course number in a header or footer.
Sources
You will need to cite at least 3 to 4 distinct sources. Although you may use Wikipedia
as a reference, it may only account for 1 reference. It is recommended that you
corroborate your findings with established legitimate sources. Do not copy verbatim
from any source (unless a short, direct quote is necessary/preferred, in which case it
must be properly cited).
Paper
The paper has to be 6-pages long and written in Spanish. You can turn it in any time
before the last day of class. Please do not forget to cite the references.
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