SPANISH 202: SPRING 2013
Welcome to SPN 202 (Second Year Spanish II)! In this course you will continue to develop
communicative skills in Spanish and use those skills to expand your knowledge of the cultures of the
Spanish-speaking peoples of the world. SPN 202 is the fourth of a four-semester sequence of courses; it
may not be taken concurrently with any SPN 100-200 level course. This course is designed for students
who have (1) have successfully passed SPN 201 at MSU (or its equivalent elsewhere) or (2) placed
into SPN 202 due to prior coursework and/or experience with Spanish. Students who do not comply
with the aforementioned requisites risk being dropped by the Department of Romance and Classical
Studies after the Drop/Add Period has ended.
Why study another language?
Part of the purpose of a general education requirement is for students to challenge their own
preconceived personal and cultural frameworks, as well as to further their intellectual development and
personal growth. To this end, the study of a language beyond one’s native tongue pushes students to
communicate through different sounds, words, and structures, and it provides an opportunity to gain
deeper insight into the practices of one’s own and other cultures. Furthermore, empirical research in
recent years suggests that language learning is related to improved cognitive abilities such as attentional
control, memory, problem solving, and verbal and spatial abilities.
Why study Spanish?
In addition to the academic, cognitive, and social benefits to learning another language, there are unique
benefits to learning Spanish. For example, consider the following facts:
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Spanish is the official language of 21 countries, and there are more than 400 million native
speakers of Spanish, more than any other language in the world except for Mandarin Chinese.
Spanish has never been a “foreign language” in the United States. In fact, in the present day
states of Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas, Florida, as well as others,
Spanish was spoken for nearly a century before the first English-speaking settlers arrived in
Virginia and Massachusetts.
The United States has the second largest Spanish-speaking population in the world (after Mexico
and ahead of Spain, Colombia, and Argentina).
Doing Your Online Work
In this day and age, people multitask when they have a computer in front of them. With multiple
windows open, it is easy to get distracted when you have Facebook, IM, email, and other sites open.
However, doing your work for Spanish outside of class is serious business and you cannot afford to
work with such distractions. Thus, we strongly encourage you to:
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treat your online work seriously (you will be held responsible for the information and activities
you complete there; remember how much of your final grade depends on it);
close all non-Spanish related sites and media while you work to avoid the temptation of
distraction;
concentrate on your Spanish work while you do it outside of class.
Class Time
Instructors follow the policy of “no English in class” for themselves. That is, they will severely limit
their use of any language other than Spanish in class. It is up to you to seek clarification and raise your
hand if you don’t understand something. Within about one week, you should be familiar with the class
format and daily expectations. Furthermore, you are expected to come prepared, to participate and to
contribute, and in the process are expected to be respectful of your peers and assist in the establishment
and maintenance of a positive learning environment. Your instructor reserves the right to prohibit
behaviors that she or he deems inappropriate (e.g., eating during class and so forth).
Attendance/Class Performance
Learning Spanish involves both developing a mental representation of language as well as developing
skill. In order for skill to develop, you must attend class consistently and participate in the interactive
goal-oriented activities of each lesson.
Attendance and participation are important components of your final grade, and each day your instructor
will make a record regarding your attendance. If you miss class, you will be marked absent. In addition,
if you are ten minutes or more late to class, this is considered an absence. Likewise, if you leave early
without prior excuse, you will be marked as absent. (Missing 10 minutes of a 50 minute class is missing
20% of that class!) There is NO make-up for attendance.
Please note that your instructor reserves the right to:
a. deny entrance to any student arriving to class 10 minutes late or more, and
b. dismiss anyone from a given class whom the instructor deems as disruptive.
In both a and b, the student would be listed as “absent” for the day.
Students are allowed three "free" absences before their final grade is affected. Any absence after the
three freebies will cost you 1% of your final grade. Thus, if your final grade is 92% and you have one
absence beyond the three freebies, your final grade will be 91%. Thus, two such absences cost you 2%
of your final grade, three absences cost you 3% of your final grade, and so on. However, any student
who misses a total of fifteen (15) classes will automatically fail the course. Note that missing 15
classes is equivalent to missing 33% of the class! This is a very generous attendance policy and we will
make no exceptions to this policy.
Note that we do not excuse absences. This is for two reasons. The first is that our attendance policy is
rather generous as is. The second is that there is no work to makeup from class. That is, a student cannot
not make up “class performance” if the student isn’t there. The only absences to be excused are those
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that coincide with an exam or other announced assignment. See the section later on Missed
Exams/Missed Assignments.
Note also that persistent absences can affect your pop quiz grades significantly and it is our
experience that some students get a final grade one whole grade point lower due to pop quizzes and
absences (e.g., all of their other work is a 93% but because they missed pop quizzes and were absent, the
final grade recorded is an 83%. Thus, these students went from a 4.0 to a 3.0 final grade. Don’t let this
happen to you!)
All students are expected to abide by this class attendance policy.
Note: IT IS UP TO THE STUDENT TO MONITOR HIS OR HER ATTENDANCE. Do not
“guess” and “think” that you are OK. Do not think, “Well, I’ve only missed a couple of classes.” Very
often, what you think you’ve missed and what you’ve actually missed are not the same. It is up to you,
then, to be sure of your attendance record and verify it with your instructor periodically. Our suggestion
is to verify your attendance after every exam. We will not entertain challenges to attendance records
at the end of the semester.
Cell Phones and Electronic Devices
The use of cell phones and electronic devices is prohibited in class. All cell phones should be turned off
before the start of class (not set on “vibrate”, but turned OFF). If you have a medical or family
emergency and need to receive a call during class, you should inform your instructor before class.
Students who habitually use cell phones and electronic devices in class may be dismissed from class and
counted as being absent for the day (see above under Attendance/Class Performance). In order that the
University may notify students of a campus-wide emergency, either the instructor’s, or a designated
student’s cell phone will be set to vibrate during class.
Any student caught texting or using cell phones or other electronic devices during a quiz or exam will
automatically fail that quiz or exam. There are no exceptions to this policy.
Inquiries
If you have questions or concerns about your class, direct them first to your instructor. If this is not
possible, you may then make an appointment to see the Assistant Director of Spanish Language
Instruction, Mr. Walter Hopkins ([email protected]). Any problems or questions that the Assistant Director
cannot address will be referred to the Director, Prof. Bill VanPatten.
Required Course Materials
1. Enfoques. Curso intermedio de lengua española, Vista Higher Learning, Blanco & Colbert. 3rd Edition
with Supersite passcode and Web-SAM.
2. A current MSU email account.
3. Access to a computer and internet for both audio and video. (You will want head phones for
privacy!)
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Course Components & Grading Scale:
Students taking this course for on the CR/NC system (Credit/No Credit) must earn a minimum of 70%
(C-) in order to receive a grade of CR. Your final grade will be determined from the following
components:
Lesson Exams (5)
Homework
Pop quizzes
TOTAL
60%
25%
15%
100%
Grading Scale
100 – 93
92 – 85
84 – 80
79 – 75
74 – 70
69 – 65
64 – 60
= 4.0
= 3.5
= 3.0
= 2.5
= 2.0
= 1.5
= 1.0
MSU has no policy on rounding-up grades. However, it is the policy of the Spanish Basic Language
Program to round-up student grades when the grade is .50% or higher (e.g., 89.50% or higher = 90%;
89.49% = 89. Any issues with your final grade must be first addressed to your instructor. If you cannot
resolve the issue with your instructor, please contact the Assistant Director, Mr. Walter Hopkins.
Exams
There are no mid-term or final exams in this course. Instead, there are five lesson exams that correspond
with the textbook lessons 6-9 & 11. They are announced on the syllabus and will be held in the room
and class period in which class is held. No deviation of this schedule will be allowed. This means NO
early or late exams, even if the same instructor teaches the class. If you cannot take an announced exam
due to a documented emergency, written proof of the circumstances must be presented to the Assistant
Director no later than one week after you return to class. See the “Missed Exam /Missed Assignment”
section for details. There are no exceptions to this policy.
Sharing information about an exam with students from other sections of Spanish 202 if they have not yet
taken the exam is considered a violation of Academic Integrity and will be dealt with accordingly. It is
the responsibility of every MSU student to read and understand the university's policy on academic
integrity, which can be found on the website of the MSU's Office of Ombudsperson.
Missed Exams / Missed Assignments
Makeup of any work or exams completed in class as well as any missed online assignments must be
authorized by the Assistant Director or Director of the Spanish Basic Language Program. The student
must request to make-up the missed work within one week from the date of the absence by
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contacting Mr. Walter Hopkins ([email protected]). Work, family vacations, planned trips, social
events, or advanced appointments are not acceptable excuses.
Legitimate excused absences on the day of an exam or assignment due date include the following:
participation in a scheduled event as a member of a university-sponsored athletic/scholastic team;
religious holy days; a death in the immediate family; or serious illness. Other inquiries should be made
to the Assistant Director, Walter Hopkins ([email protected]).
Acceptable documentation must be provided in order for an exam to be made-up, or a homework
assignment handed in late. Examples of such documentation include: official note on MSU letterhead,
wedding invitation with your name on it, program from funeral, and so on. Medical excuses must be in
writing on physician’s letterhead and must include the date(s) the student could not attend class. For
religious holy days, students should speak with their instructor prior to missing class. Again, the
student must request to make-up the missed work and provide the appropriate documentation
within one week from the date of the absence. There are no exceptions to this policy. Please
understand that because of the number of students in the Spanish language program, we have to be firm
on this policy and we cannot entertain these requests at the end of the semester.
Students who arrive late to an exam will only be given the remaining exam time to complete the exam.
No listening comprehension sections will be repeated due to tardiness. If the tardiness is the result of an
excusable and documented situation, the student must see the Assistant Director immediately after the
exam.
Extra Credit
There are NO opportunities for extra credit in this course. The best way to improve your grade is to
complete all assignments on time, actively participate in class, and to ask for assistance from your
instructor during his or her office hours.
Monitoring Your Grade
As stated previously, it is up to students to monitor their own grades. If you have any questions about
how to do this through Angel, ask your instructor. As suggested, after taking one of the lesson exams,
students should examine their grades as well as their attendance records. Concerns or queries about a
grade should be made immediately. See also the policy above on making up missed work and exams.
Again, we do not entertain queries or petitions for missed work at the end of the semester unless they are
related to work immediately prior to the end of the semester. And we do not entertain petitions for
excused absences for the attendance grade. Please be mindful of your own progress in class.
E-mailing Your Instructor
Please use your MSU account when e-mailing your instructor. If you use a personal e-mail account (e.g.,
hotmail, yahoo, gmail) your instructor will not know whether the message is junk mail, and therefore,
may not respond. MSU e-mail is considered by the university to be official communication, and you
should therefore address your instructor appropriately (e.g., Dear Ms., Mr., Sr., etc.), sign your name,
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and use a respectful tone. Instructors will not respond to e-mails that do not address them directly,
and/or are not signed.
Americans with Disabilities Act
Students with disabilities needing academic accommodations should: 1) Register with and provide
documentation to the Resource Center for Persons with Disabilities (for information, visit
www.rcpd.msu.edu); and 2) Bring a letter to your instructor from the Center indicating that you need
academic accommodations no later than the second week of classes.
Academic Integrity
As stated above, it is the responsibility of the individual student to read and understand MSU's policy on
academic integrity. If a student is perceived to have violated university policy, that student will be
immediately reported to the office of the Director of Language Instruction, and appropriate procedures
will be followed. Possible violations of academic integrity include but are not limited to:
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furnishing information about exams and exam questions to another student without authorization
from the Office of Language Instruction;
any instance in which a student presents work for a course grade as his/her own work that is
performed in part or wholly by another person or persons.
Information about academic integrity can be found in the MSU website of the Office of the
Ombudsperson (www.msu.edu/~ombud/academic-integrity/index.html).
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SPANISH 202 COURSE CALENDAR
SPRING 2013
NOTE: All assignments and due dates are tentative. Pay close attention to the VHL Central website
that will give you the most current due dates for assignments.
EN CLASE
Activities based on these pages in
the textbook
HOMEWORK = TAREA
BEFORE CLASS watch corresponding
grammar tutorials and complete Web
Student Activity Manual (Web-SAM):
Workbook (WB), Lab Manual (LM),
Video Manual (VM), Textbook (TB), and
Practice
Semana I: 7-11 de enero
lunes 7
Introducción al curso
miércoles 9
viernes 11
Lección 6: La naturaleza
págs. 203 – 207
págs. 208 - 211
WB (CONTEXTOS): 1, 4-5
LM (CONTEXTOS): 1
VM: 2-4
Semana II: 14-18 de enero
lunes 14
págs. 216 – 219
miércoles 16 págs. 220 – 223
viernes 18
págs. 224 – 227
WB: 6.1 (1-3) & LM: 6.1 (3)
WB: 6.2 (1-2) & LB: 6.2 (1-2)
WB: 6.3 (1-5) & LM: 6.3 (1-2)
Semana III: 21-25 de enero
lunes 21
NO HAY CLASE – DÍA DE MLK JR.
miércoles 23 REPASO
Repasa tutorials
viernes 25
Examen 1 - Lección 6
Semana IV: 28 de enero – 1º de febrero
lunes 28
Lección 7: La tecnología y la
ciencia
págs. 244 – 247
miércoles 30 págs. 248 – 251
viernes 1
págs. 252 – 255
WB (CONTEXTOS): 1-4
LM (CONTEXTOS): 1-2
VM: 2-4
TB: 252-253
Video Flashcultura
Semana V: 4-8 de febrero
lunes 4
págs. 256 – 259
miércoles 6
págs. 260 – 261
viernes 8
págs. 262 – 265
WB: 7.1 (1-3) & LM: 7.1 (1-2)
WB: 7.2 (1-5) & LM: 7.2 (1)
WB: 7.3 (3-4) & LM: 7.3 (1)
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Semana VI: 11-15 de febrero
lunes 11
págs. 270 – 274
miércoles 13 REPASO
viernes 15
Examen 2 - Lección 7
TB: 272-273
Repasa tutorials
SemanaVII: 18-22 de febrero
lunes 18
Lección 8: La economía y el
trabajo
págs. 281 – 285
miércoles 20 págs. 286 – 289
viernes 22
págs. 290 – 293
WB (CONTEXTOS): 1-4
LM (CONTEXTOS): 1-2
VM: 2-4
TB: 290-291
Video Flashcultura
Semana VIII: 25 de febrero – 1º de marzo
lunes 25
págs. 294 – 297
miércoles 27 págs. 298 – 301
viernes 1
págs. 302 – 305
WB: 8.1 (1-3) & LM: 8.1 (2)
WB: 8.2 (1,3, 5) & LM: 8.2 (1-3)
WB: 8.3 (1-2) & LM: 8.3 (1-2)
VACACIONES DE PRIMAVERA – 4-8 DE MARZO – NO HAY CLASE
Semana IX: 11-15 de marzo
lunes 11
págs. 317 – 320
miércoles 13 REPASO
viernes 15
Examen 3 - Lección 8
TB: 318-319
Repasa tutorials
Semana X: 18-22 de marzo
lunes 18
Lección 9: La cultura popular y
los medios de comunicación
págs. 323 – 327
miércoles 20 págs. 328 – 331
viernes 22
págs. 336 – 337
WB (CONTEXTOS): 1-4
LM (CONTEXTOS): 1-2
VM: 2-4
WB: 9.1 (1-2, 4)
Semana XI: 25-29 de marzo
lunes 25
págs. 338 – 341
miércoles 27 págs. 342 – 343
viernes 29
págs. 355 – 358
WB: 9.2 (1-5) & LM: 9.2 (1-2)
WB: 9.3 (1-3, 6) & LM: 9.3 (1)
TB: 356-357
Semana XII: 1º-5 de abril
lunes 1
REPASO
miércoles 3
Examen 4 - Lección 9
viernes 5
TBA
Repasa tutorials
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Semana XIII: 8-12 de abril
lunes 8
TBA
miércoles 10 Lección 11: La política y la
religión
págs. 395 – 399
viernes 12
págs. 400 – 406
WB (CONTEXTOS): 1-4
LM (CONTEXTOS): 1
TB: 404 – 405
Semana XIV: 15-19 de abril
lunes 15
págs. 408 – 409
miércoles 17 págs. 410 – 413
viernes 19
págs. 414 – 417
WB: 11.1 (1-3) & LM: 11.1 (1-3)
WB: 11.2 (1-4) & LM: 11.2 (1,3)
WB: 11.3 (1-5) & LM: 11.3 (1-2)
Semana XV: 22-26 de abril
lunes 22
págs. 431 – 434
miércoles 24 REPASO
viernes 26
Examen 5: Lección 11
TB: 432-433
Repasa tutorials
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