SPANISH HSPST-115-01 / Fall 2018

SPANISH immersion 1
MWF 10:00-10:50
TTR 10:30-11:45

Prof. MARCELO CAROSI

mcarosi@hamilton.edu
Horas de oficina: MW 11:00-12:00 / T 2:30-3:30
Christian Johnson 401-A

Designed for exceptionally motivated beginning students who wish to accelerate their acquisition
of Spanish. Successful completion will place students into 130 or 135. Students who follow the
sequence through 135 may qualify for study abroad in one year. Language courses in the
department of Hispanic Studies at Hamilton College: HSPST 110, HSPST 115 (Spanish Immersion I),
HSPST 120, HSPST 130, HSPST 135 (Spanish Immersion II), HSPST 140, HSPST 200.

Course Description

Spanish 115 is an intensive beginning Spanish course which includes instruction and practice in
four language skills: listening, speaking, reading and writing. By the end of this course you will
master most crucial grammatical structures and be able to use them in several contexts, including
spontaneous conversation, reading and writing, and establish an awareness of Hispanic culture.

Thus, in this course students will:

1. Practice speaking and listening skills in the classroom setting and in small group work;
2. Improve writing skills through compositions that allow self-correction;
3. Improve reading comprehension skills as well as understanding of diverse Spanish-
speaking cultures through exposure to different types of reading materials and videos;
4. Practice different communicative functions using the associated grammatical structures:
• How to talk about habitual and ongoing events, by using the present tense of regular
and irregular verbs.
• How to express likes and dislikes by using the verb “gustar”
• How to narrate events in the past, by using the preterite and the imperfect tenses
• How to describe one’s daily routine, by using reflexive verbs
• How to avoid repetition or redundancy, using direct and indirect object pronouns
• How to make general statements, using the pronoun se
• How to make requests, using formal and informal commands
• How to discuss future and hypothetical events, using the future and the conditional
tenses
• How to express wishes, doubts, and opinions about events, using the subjunctive mood
• How to refer to recent events that affect the present time, using the present perfect.
Due to the intensive nature of the course, it is imperative to keep up with the daily assignments
and come prepared to class. ¡Bienvenidos al curso!

Course Materials
1. Textbook:
Puntos de Partida, 10th Ed., with Connect Plus Access. Available at bookstore, online.

2. Mc GrawHill Connect
This class requires technology access. Please be sure that your book comes with Connect Plus
Access, this way you will be able to complete and submit assignments, access an interactive online
version of the textbook, and access all media and study tools. By Monday, August 27th you will
have to set up an account with our textbook website. Please go to
http://connect.mheducation.com/ for further information.

3. Blackboard course site

This course has been designed blackboard. The page can be found at
https://blackboard.hamilton.edu/

Course Grade

Participation 14 %
4 exams
 20%
Homework
 10%
2 Cultural reports 4%
4 compositions
 10%
Children’s Book Project 10%
Oral presentation
 5%
Examen Oral 5%
TA session participation
 10%
Final exam 12%

Participation: In class we will do exercises, readings, and other various activities. Your active
participation in class promotes your own learning and that of your classmates, as well as making
up part of your final grade. The pages and exercises in the book assigned for each day must be
read and prepared before class. Read the pages and practice doing the exercises (but don't write
the answers in your book). Your class participation grade is based on how prepared you are for
class, how willing you are to volunteer answers, how well you answer when called on, and how
well you do group work. There is a balance to class participation; you should participate actively
but also allow others a chance to participate. Note that although class attendance is important, it
is not the same as class participation. Finally, must also attend the Spanish Table (La mesa de
español) four times during the course of the semester. You have a form at the end of this syllabus
to be signed by a professor at the Mesa. This activity counts as 4% of your final grade.
Exams: There will be 4 in-class exams during the semester. The exams will consist of a variety of
sections that will test your knowledge of grammar and vocabulary in context and include writing,
listening, and/or reading comprehension activities. No make-up tests will be given, so make sure
to attend class the day of each test. Note: For each test there will be a review sheet (handed over
by the professor) that approximates the format, which should be done at home and brought to
class with your questions the day before the exam.

Online Homework: These assignments are to be completed online at the Mc GrawHill Connect
website, you will need Internet access. The programa tells you what exercises are due and they
are due on the date they are listed BEFORE class time. You will be given unlimited attempts before
you submit the correct answer. Remember you are expected to be thoroughly familiar with the
material listed for each day BEFORE coming to class.

Cultural Reports: You will be also required to write two 1/2-page reports in Spanish on cultural
activities such as movies, lectures sponsored by one of the Spanish groups on campus, or an
activity with the Spanish Club or BLSU. These will be handed in one before Fall Recess and the
other before the end of the semester. You will be notified of upcoming events in class.

Compositions: Instructions will be uploaded on Blackboard.

Children´s Book Project: In groups of two, you will write and illustrate an original 10-page children’s
book in Spanish (3 sentences per page). More detailed instructions can be found on Blackboard. A
consultation with the Writing Center (Kirner-Johnson 152; jmambros@hamilton.edu) is a required
component of this assignment as one of their tutor will revise your work. Also, Mike Stuper at the
Language Center will need to meet with you to introduce you to the software required for getting
your book published.

Oral presentation: Each student will do a short oral presentation related to the topic of one of the
chapters or some aspect of Hispanic culture. We will schedule these presentations during the
second half of the course. You need to consult with the professor before preparing your
presentation. Also, a consultation with the Oral Communication Center (Kirner-Johnson 222;
oralcomm@hamilton.edu) is a required component of this assignment.

Examen oral: There will be one brief examen oral in Spanish held the final week of classes to assess
progress in your oral communication competence.

TA Session: In addition to our regular meetings, you will be meeting with your Teaching Assistant
once a week (meeting time to be arranged). You must attend the TA session just as you would the
sessions with the professor. The TA session will be dedicated to practicing the material covered in
the class during the week. You will receive a grade for your participation in the TA session. You are
allowed two absences without penalty, but starting with the third absence your final class grade
will go down by three points per absence.

Final exam: A final exam will be given during finals week. It will cover the material since the last
exam and selected aspects of all previous chapters. You will have three hours to complete the
exam; therefore it will be considerably longer than the other tests.
The final grade will be assigned according to the following scale:

100-93 A 76-73 C
92-90 A- 72-70 C-
89-87 B+ 69-67 D+
86-83 B 66-60 D
82-80 B- 59-0 F
79-77 C+
Attendance

The importance of daily attendance cannot be exaggerated: a major goal of the course is
spontaneous oral communication—a skill that can be best developed, particularly at the early
stages of adult language learning by active participation in the classroom. You should attend class
regularly. You are allowed a total of five (5) absences without penalty; for every additional
absence, three points will be deducted from your final grade.

The Honor Code

The Honor Code will be upheld in this class. All work that is handed in for a grade should have been
done without assistance, human or mechanical. Although I can't monitor your preparation for
class, it is to your utmost benefit to work through the exercises on your own. If you are planning
on working with a tutor, please let me know.

SOME ADVICE ON LEARNING A FOREIGN LANGUAGE

1. Use it! Take advantage of every opportunity to speak, hear, and read it, even talk to yourself
and think in Spanish. You're learning a skill and need to practice it. Sometimes that means making
mistakes, but you learn through your mistakes, and it's better to make them in practice than on
tests. Speaking is especially important for improving your language skills.

2. Develop good study habits! Study with full concentration, but for brief periods. Put tricky points
or vocabulary on cards to carry with you and take advantage of idle moments in your day to
practice Spanish.


3. Avoid translation. Although it may seem safer to translate, it becomes a trap: you develop no
real skill in Spanish, and it doubles your processing time which becomes a problem on timed tests
(and in real communicative situations!). Try to speak, hear, read, and write Spanish without
resorting to English -and it'll seem increasingly natural (and quicker) for you.
Accomodations: Hamilton College will make reasonable accommodations for students with properly documented disabilities. If you
are eligible to receive an accommodation(s) and would like to make a formal request for this course, please discuss it with me during
the first two weeks of class. You will need to provide Allen Harrison, Associate Dean of Students (Elihu Root House; 315.859. 4021)
with appropriate documentation of your disability.
La mesa de español

___________________________ asistió a la mesa el ____________ de _____________

(nombre del estudiante) (fecha) (mes)

_____________________________ (firma de profesor/a en la mesa)

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La mesa de español

___________________________ asistió a la mesa el ____________ de _____________

(nombre del estudiante) (fecha) (mes)

_____________________________ (firma de profesor/a en la mesa)

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La mesa de español

___________________________ asistió a la mesa el ____________ de _____________

(nombre del estudiante) (fecha) (mes)

_____________________________ (firma de profesor/a en la mesa)

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La mesa de español

___________________________ asistió a la mesa el ____________ de _____________

(nombre del estudiante) (fecha) (mes)

_____________________________ (firma de profesor/a en la mesa)

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