SPAN 1411 - Beginning Spanish I Course Syllabus

SPAN 1411:

Description

Basic Spanish language skills in listening, speaking, reading and writing within a cultural framework. Students will acquire the vocabulary and grammatical structures necessary to communicate and comprehend at the beginner level.

Credits 4 Lecture Hours 3 Lab Hours 3
Extended Hours
0
Contact Hours
96
State Approval Code
16.0905.51 13
Instructor Name
Michele R. Whiddon
Semester/Year
Fall 2024
Meeting Time and Location
Office Hours M-F 9:05 - 9:50
Alternate Operations During Campus Closure

In the event of an emergency or announced campus closure due to a natural disaster or pandemic, it may be necessary for Panola College to move to altered operations. During this time, Panola College may opt to continue delivery of instruction through methods that include, but are not limited to: online learning management system (CANVAS), online conferencing, email messaging, and/or an alternate schedule. It is the responsibility of the student to monitor Panola College's website (www.panola.edu) for instructions about continuing courses remotely, CANVAS for each class for course-specific communication, and Panola College email for important general information.

Class Attendance

Regular and punctual attendance of classes and laboratories is required of all students. When a student has been ill or absent from class for approved extracurricular activities, he or she should be allowed, as far as possible, to make up for the missed work. If a student has not actively participated by the census date, they will be dropped by the instructor for non-attendance. This policy applies to courses that are in-person, online, hybrid, and hyflex.

Attendance in online courses is determined by submission of an assignment or participation in an activity. According to federal guidelines, simply logging into a distance learning course without participating in an academic assignment does not constitute attendance. Distance learning is defined as when a majority (more than 50%) of instruction occurs when the instructor and students are in separate physical locations. Students must engage in an academic activity prior to the course census date. 

When an instructor feels that a student has been absent to such a degree as to invalidate the learning experience, the instructor may recommend to the Vice President of Instruction that the student be withdrawn from the course. Instructors may seek to withdraw students for non-attendance after they have accumulated the following number of absences: 

Fall or spring semesters: 

3 or more class meeting times per week - 5 absences

2 class meeting times per week - 3 absences

1 class meeting per week -  2 absences

The student is responsible for seeing that he or she has been officially withdrawn from a class. A student who stops attendance in a class without officially withdrawing from that class will be given a failing grade; consequently, the student must follow official withdrawal procedures in the Admissions/Records Office.

Please note: Health Science and Cosmetology courses may require more stringent attendance policies based on their accreditation agencies. Please see the addendum and/or program handbook for further information concerning attendance.  

Pregnant/Parenting Policy

Panola College welcomes pregnant and parenting students as a part of the student body. This institution is committed to providing support and adaptations for a successful educational experience for pregnant and parenting students. Students experiencing a need for accommodations related to pregnancy or parenting will find a Pregnancy and Parenting Accommodations Request form in the Student Handbook or may request the form from the course instructor.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) Course Policy

No use of Generative AI permitted.

This option assumes that all work submitted by students will be generated by the students themselves, whether they are working individually or in groups. Students should not have another person or entity do the writing of any portion of an assignment, which includes hiring a person or a company to write assignments and/or using artificial intelligence (AI) tools like ChatGPT. Use of any AI-generated content in this course qualifies as academic dishonesty and violates Panola College’s standards of academic integrity.

Instructional Goals and Purposes

This course will emphasize the four language skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing, as well as an appreciation of Hispanic culture. To develop these skills to the best of the student’s ability, active participation by the student is required. This course is intended to teach basic vocabulary and grammar of beginning level Spanish.

Learning Outcomes

After studying all materials and resources presented in the course, the student will be able to:

  1. Engage in conversations using level-appropriate grammatical structures including narrating events that take place in the present and producing questions and responses on a variety of topics dealing with everyday life.
  2. Demonstrate understanding of level-appropriate spoken Spanish.
  3. Write simple sentences and organize them into short paragraphs.
  4. Read and comprehend level-appropriate texts.
  5. Identify and discuss traditions, customs and values of the Hispanic world.
  6. Compare and contrast the traditions, customs and values of the Hispanic world with characteristics of their own culture.
Course Content

Students in all sections of this course will learn the following content:

  1. vocabulary including cognates, family members, numbers, academic subjects, animals, days of the week, months of the year, telling time, clothing, interrogatives, seasons, colors, descriptive adjectives, etc.
  2. the verb ser
  3. articles and gender
  4. hay, estar and ir, present tense of regular verbs, subject pronouns
  5. personal a, adjective agreement
  6. saber and conocer, present tense of irregular verbs
  7. present tense of stem-changing verbs
  8. reflexive verbs, possession and adjectives
  9. demonstratives, more with ser and estar
Methods of Instruction/Course Format/Delivery

Instruction for this course will be achieved through the use of lecture, discussion, video, student presentations and Canvas.

Course Grade

The grade for this course will be based on study plans, quizzes, and exams. The final exam is comprehensive. Tests will be frequent and given at the end of each unit. Lecture counts 75% of the overall grade and lab counts 25%. (Study plans 25%, Quizzes 20%, Exams 30%, and Lab 25%).

Major Assignments/Assessments

The following items are assigned and assessed during the semester and used to calculate the student's final grade.
Other