Course syllabus

 

 

SPANISH 104/104G: Beginners' Spanish 1

SEMESTER 2, 2018

Points
15 points

Restriction
This course may not be taken if an equivalent or more advanced Spanish language acquisition course has been passed.

Enrolment in SPANISH 104/104G
By enrolling in SPANISH 104/104G, you are declaring that you have either no formal study of Spanish in New Zealand (e.g. NCEA, CIE, IB) or abroad, or no prior knowledge of Spanish (e.g. you are not from a Spanish-speaking background or have not lived in a Spanish-speaking country).

Please note that the University may cancel or change your enrolment in introductory language courses at any time if you have misrepresented your language ability.

(http://www.arts.auckland.ac.nz/en/for/current-students/undergraduate/enrolment/first-time-enrolment-in-language-courses.html)

 

 

Course Convenor

Wendy-Llyn Zaza, room 407, Arts 2
email:   w.zaza@auckland.ac.nz
ddi:       923 7144

Course Description

This course is for students who have no previous knowledge of the Spanish language, that is, true beginners. It helps them acquire basic linguistic structures and develop conversational competence. The four language skills - speaking, listening, reading and writing - and knowledge of the cultures and traditions of Spain and Spanish America are integrated into the four class hours per week. Language learning is reinforced through in-class practice, audiovisual activities, aural and reading comprehensions, homework assignments and independent work using a richly populated course website. Attendance at all lectures is strongly recommended in order to benefit from interactive activities which help develop communicative skills and ensure steady progress.

There is extensive exposure to Spanish in class so that students become acquainted with its sounds and rhythm and start building the vocabulary and grammar they need to express themselves in this language. We begin by learning how to greet people, introduce ourselves and provide basic personal information such as occupation, nationality and phone number. We journey through the Spanish-speaking world to discover how to talk about locations (e.g., the city and house where we live and the place where we work) and how to give and ask for directions to go from one place to another. We then learn to talk about the food we like and how to order it at a restaurant, how to describe the physical appearance of people as well as their personality and how to shop for clothing and describe what people are wearing. Lastly, we learn to narrate the activities of our daily routine and how to break away from it by making invitations to different types of social events.

Lessons are interactive, with opportunities for you to practice in pairs, small groups or the whole class. Attendance at all lectures is strongly recommended so that students can benefit from interactive activies which will help develop communicative skills and ensure steady progress.

Aims of SPANISH 104/104G

To give a solid grounding in the basic grammar and vocabulary of Spanish, enabling the student to hold a conversation on contemporary topics and provide for the necessities of daily life. Emphasis is on communicative competence: speaking, listening and reading comprehension, vocabulary acquisition, and writing in Spanish, focusing on the present tense. The rich cultures of the Hispanic world are studied in the context of language acquisition.

 

Prescribed Texts

Nuevo Ven 1. Libro del Alumno, with two CDs for audio practice 
Nuevo Ven 1. Workbook, with one CD for listening exercises.

Note: in SPAN 104/104G, we cover units 1-8.

 

Spanish 104/104G Website

The Spanish 104/104G website is a rich repository of electronic materials that will help you study and practice your Spanish.

Class material  —including powerpoint presentation, vocabulary lists, revision exercises, and access to the video and audio links that we use in class— is organised in modules for each of the 8 units covered in SPAN 104/104G.

Other features include homework assignments, custom-made quizzes, links to Spanish grammar sites and dictionaries, and information about course activities. You are encouraged to take advantage of all these resources. Using them on a regular basis will be of great help for your success in this course.

Please note that, in order to advance to the next unit, you must have achieved at least 22 out of 25 in the practice quizzes.

 

Lecture Times and Teaching Staff

Stream	Day/Time	Lecturer	Email Address	Office	Office Hour
1	TTh 12-2	Eduardo Piñeros	c-e.pineros@auckland.ac.nz	Arts 2-404A	T 3-4
2	TTh 9-11	Weeks 1-6: Eduardo Piñeros Weeks 7-12: Walescka Pino-Ojeda	c-e.pineros@auckland.ac.nz w.pino-ojeda@auckland.ac.nz	Arts 2-404A Arts 2-410	Th 3-4  T 2-3
3	TTh 3-5	Wendy-Llyn Zaza	w.zaza@auckland.ac.nz	Arts 2-407	T 5-6
4	TTh 3-5	Charlotte Butler	cbut308@aucklanduni.ac.nz	Arts 2-408	Th 5-6
5	TTh 11-1	Walescka Pino-Ojeda	w.pino-ojeda@auckland.ac.nz	Arts 2-410	Th 2-3

Please check SSO for class venues.

 

 Assessment Summary

Coursework	Final Examination
3 assignments @ 5% each                   15  2 in-class tests @ 10% each                20  2 on-line tests @ 2.5% each                  5  Oral test                                                20	Final written exam (2 hours)                40
Total                                                     60%	Total                                                      40%

Please note that, in order to be eligible to sit the oral test, you must have attended at least 80% of classes.

Final Examination

You must sit the final exam in order to pass this course. The final written exam schedule is publicised on the University website and should be consulted for any changes. The venue for the written exam will be posted by University Administration the afternoon prior to the day of the exam. Your final written exam is worth 40% of the final mark.

Workload and deadlines for submission of coursework

The University of Auckland's expectation is that students spend 10 hours per week on a 15-point course, including time in class, which for SPAN 104/104G is four hours per week, and personal study. Students should manage their academic workload and other commitments accordingly. Deadlines for coursework are set by course convenors and will be advertised in course material. You should submit your work on time. In extreme circumstances, such as illness, you may seek an extension but you may be required to provide supporting information before the assignment is due. Late assignments without a pre-approved extension may be penalised by loss of marks – check course information for details.

 

Submission of assignments, extensions and late penalties

• Unless indicated otherwise by the Course Convenor, hard copies of assignments should be posted in the appropriate assignment box at the Arts Assignment Centre, level 4, Social Sciences Building, before 4 pm on the due date.  Assignment boxes are cleared at 4 pm and any assignment handed in after 4 pm will not be date-stamped until the next working day.
• Penalties for lateness (see below) apply from 4pm on the due date for the submission of the hard copy.
• The Assignment Centre is not open in the weekends or on public holidays.

Extensions
In serious circumstances* beyond the student’s control (see below), s/he may request an extension from the person in charge of that section.

The request should

• be made by email to the course coordinator, is possible at least 2-3 days BEFORE the assignment due date
• provide an explanation of the circumstances
• be supported by a satisfactory medical certificate or other documentation.

• If an extension is granted, you will be given a new due date.  The completed assignment must be submitted on or before the new due date together with the medical certificate and other documentation.  If an assignment is submitted after the new due date, penalties for lateness apply as below.
• Only ONE extension can be granted to a student per assignment.
• Only in extreme circumstances will late requests for extensions be considered.

*Serious circumstances means sudden illness (in the case of in-class tests etc.) or mid/long-term illness (for assignments etc. done over a week or more). It does NOT mean time management difficulties, wanting to go on holiday, relatives visiting from overseas, computer breakdowns, etc.

Deadlines and penalties for late submission

• If an extension has not been granted, any work submitted after the due date will be treated as overdue and penalties will apply (see below). 
• The mark given to an overdue assignment will be reduced by 5 per cent of the total possible marks for that assignment for each day that it is late, up to 5 days. 
• Assignments which are due on Friday, or the day before a university holiday, but are not received until the next working day will be counted as TWO days late.
• Overdue assignments that are submitted more than five days late will not be marked; nor will assignments be marked if submitted after the assignment has been marked and returned.  Unmarked assignments will be held by the marker until the end of the semester, and in cases where the final grade for the student is borderline (D+), the marker may choose to award a minimal completion mark.  For this reason, it is better to hand in an assignment late than not at all.

Illness at test time

• When serious circumstances (e.g. sudden serious illness or a car accident) cause a student to miss an in-class test, it is expected that the student will notify the course coordinator at the earliest possible opportunity, if possible beforethe scheduled test takes place. 
• In the case of illness for a test, you mustalso obtain a form, “Notes of Consideration for Written Tests Application” from the Clocktower Information Centre (x88199/88378), Clocktower Building, 22 Princes St, complete it and hand it in within a week of the date of the scheduled test or exam. In the case of illness for a final exam, you must complete an SA49 form, obtainable from the Examinations Office (x87557).
• If the student or his/her representative makes no contact within five days of the scheduled test, a zero grade will be awarded for that piece of assessment. 
• Extreme cases will be judged on their own merits.  Documentation may be required.

 

Academic integrity 
The University of Auckland takes any form of academic dishonesty (e.g. plagiarism) extremely seriously and it is compulsory for all incoming students to complete a short academic integrity module: ignorance of the requirements will not be considered a defence in cases of academic misconduct.