Language Development:
As an advanced conversation course,
SPAN 295 is intended to further develop oral skills previously
learned in lower level courses; however, a substantial amount
of time will be devoted to acquiring a greater knowledge of practical
and technical vocabulary appropriate to the topic. Radio broadcasts
will provide further development of listening skills. News print
will be used for the development of reading skills. Likewise,
in addition to conversational development, written
assignments are necessary to ensure a sufficient preparation
for in-depth discussions.
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Organization and Approach:
Span 295 is organized in a two-fold
approach to encourage flexibility based on students interests
and needs as well as to ensure that students have a basic understanding
of current topics of significance throughout the Hispanic world.
1.) A portion of each week will
be dedicated to researching and reporting on broad categorical
issues assigned by the professor. (See the list below of Assigned
Topics.)
2.) For the other portion of
the week, there will not be an overriding topic. Instead,
you will report on current events that you deem significant in
the country or countries of your choosing.
In both cases, you may limit
your research to one specific Hispanic country throughout the
semester or you may choose to explore a variety of regions to
gain a broader view of Hispanic society. The flexible format
of the course is particularly important if you plan to study
abroad in the future and would like to begin learning more about
a specific country. Conversely, if you have not finalized your
study abroad plans, you are encouraged to explore as many countries
as possible.
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Assigned Topics:
Articles should deal with the
following topics. They should deal with Spanish-speaking countries
(including Spanish-speaking communities of the US). And they
should be recent. The term recent is relative, but it is assumed
that the topic itself is currently in the news, so you will want
to find the most recent addition to the discussion. In some cases,
however, you may have to find archived articles to familiarize
yourself with an issue. (Example: Chavez–Why was he in the news so
much during President Bush's recent visit to Latin America? To report on this, you may have to
go back and do some reading if you don't know who Chavez is
or why he's in the news.)
1.
International Politics
-- (among Hispanic nations and between
the Hispanic/non-Hispanic world)
- Immigration laws between
Brazil and Paraguay
-
The Iraqi war and Venezuela oil production
(Other topics may include, but
are not limited to, issues of sovereignty, border disputes, UN
sanctions, embargo, etc. It is permissible to occasionally report on a
Newspaper article in English if it originates in the target
country, such as Ticotimes.net)
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Assigned
Topics
2.
Domestic Politics: (political issues which originate in the Hispanic
country even though there may be international ramifications)
- Daniel Ortega and the
Nicaraguan Election returns
-
Castro's Health
(Other topics may include, but
are not limited to, political elections, taxation, public policy,
etc. By the end of the semester, you will be expected to know the chief
political leader from Hispanic countries that are prevalent
in the news and to identify the principal political topics
currently of interest for each.)
Note: sometimes it's hard to
distinguish domestic and international politics since a domestic
issue may (or will) have international ramifications. The distinguishing
factor lies with the point of view of the article.
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Assigned
Topics
3.
Economics,
Science,
and Technology
- What's the public opinion about
free trade agreements such as NAFTA, CAFTA, and Mercosur?
-
Mexico's international loans
(Others could include unemployment,
inflation, stock market, the nationalization of petroleum, scientific
discoveries, the state of technology etc.)
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Assigned
Topics
4.
Ecology
(topics of concern in the "natural" world in Hispanic
countries)
- Natural disasters:
Huricane season for 2007 prediction
-
Deforestation in Nicaragua
(others may include eco-tourism,
national parks, flora / fauna, etc.)
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Assigned
Topics
5.
Social Issues (who Hispanics are as a society)
- Colombia's problems with narco-economics
- Moroccan refugees in Spain
(Others may include medicine,
poverty, civil rights, human rights, living conditions, human
interests, censorship, religion, justice, legal issues, etc. By the end
of the semester, you should be able to identify and talk
about some of the overriding areas of concern for Hispanic
society. What are the moral, ethical, and societal
issues that occupy the Hispanic conscience? How are
the interrelated? In what ways are their solutions
complex? What are the obstacles to solutions?
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Assigned
Topics
6.
Leisure
(what are the topics that occupy Hispanic's free time)
Examples in Winter 2000
- "Fútbol: FIFA
World Cup 2006"
- "Almodóvar's latest
film plays in Washington"
(Others from sports, cinema or
"cartelera",
cooking, festivals, museum tours, music, people, TV, etc.. By the end of
the semester, you should be able to address how do Hispanics
spend their time, how do they occupy their lives outside
work, how do Hispanic pastimes differ from our own?)
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Assigned
Topics
7.
the Arts
Examples in Winter 2000
- "Spain announces this year's
prestigious Cervantes Award"
- "Nuestro Gabo": García
Márquez turns 80
(Art receives much more attention
in the Hispanic world than our Sunday ‘Book World' of the
Post. In some Newspapers, these sections will be listed as Culture, and are
distinguished from "Leisure" by their emphasis on high
Culture. What are these sections like? and what's currently of interest?
By the end of the semester, you should be able to address
how Hispanics express their identity, who are their
spokespeople, what are the manfestations of culture?)
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Weekly Activities:
To ensure the maximum exposure
to various skills, we will participate in a number of activities.
The following list is intended as a general outline of weekly
activities. I will make alterations to our normal routine as news events
dictate.
|
For
Monday's class: |
In
class on Monday |
- Browse the Lanic Newsroom for
any new themes or article under current themes
- Research and report on articles
from multiples sources from
one Hispanic country
of your choice.
(3 hours)
-
Submit Research exercises
- Enter vocabulary on spread sheet
|
- Discuss current events
-
View CNNenespañol broadcast coverage (or
live SCOLA broadcast)
-
Discuss TV broadcasts and Radio broadcast
|
|
For
Wednesday's class |
In Class
on Wednesday |
-
Browse "Temas más consultados" El Pais
-
Listen to
BBCmundo audio en vivo (or other listening
medium)
-
Research and report on articles
from one single source
(3 hours)
-
Submit Research exercises
- Enter vocabulary on spread sheet
|
- Discuss selected current events
-
Discuss in group "temas" from El Pais
-
Discuss BBC in group
-
View
SCOLA broadcast coverage from assigned country
(or CNNenespañol if SCOLA unavailable
) and when appropriate SCOLA insta-class
|
|
For
Friday's class |
In
class on Friday |
- Research
the week's assigned topics (follow the order of
assigned topics in the syllabus unless otherwise
directed)
- Submit Research exercises
-
Select
"image of the week"
- Enter vocabulary on spread sheet
|
- Discuss assigned topics,
individually or in assigned groups
-
Share
comments on "La semana por vistazo"
|
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Grading Policy: (Click on
each item for more details about expectations and procedures)
In-Class
Oral Grade.... 35
Research
Exercises... 30
Group Newsletter.........
5
Vocabulary
Journal..... 15
Oral Exam..................
15
Expectations for in-class performance:
SPAN 295 is a course dedicated to
the development of conversation skills. As such, you must be
prepared and willing to participate actively in discussions.
Remember, one-half of your grade is based on in-class performance.
The following is intended as a rough description of how grades
correspond to in-class performance.
A to B: = an active role; leads
or guides discussion; initiates conversations and questions;
can expound on topics; offers rebuttal; present for all class
discussions; researches topic thoroughly.
B to C: = a more passive role;
occasionally initiates discussion; responds well; is prepared
when called on, but only responds when called on; good knowledge
of topic but doesn't always relate topic beyond today's discussion;
present for all discussions; willing to converse but not always
able.
C to D: = passive participation;
typically interacts only when called upon; preparation lacking;
not always present; quality of conversation would indicate a
sub-performance in other 200-level classes.
F = oral deficiencies that would
prohibit the student from continuing in other 200-level courses;
excessive absences.
Research Exercises
The Research Exercises are intended to
guide you through your readings and prepare you for better discussion in
class. Fill out the electronic form for each newspaper article or
broadcast you have researched. The more information you input to
the Research Exercise, the more facility you will have to lead
discussion in class.
While you must
read for at least three hours per class, there is no
assigned number of articles to read; however, 20 to 30 minutes is a reasonable
amount time for an article of standard length (1500 words) so I would
expect to see at least six exercises per class.
Group
Newsletter
You and three
others in an assigned group will produce a "newsletter" type summary of
the semester's most prevalent stories. The three to four page
newsletter may be produced in Word (with appropriate formatting) or
HTML. Each entry must have an appropriate headline and a two to
three sentence "gloss" or summary. Either at the end or throughout
you must have a small number of images that serve as 'the semester in
review'. (See example in class)
Vocabulary Journal
Vocabulary building is essential
for oral proficiency. For each class period you are expected
to compile a list of new vocabulary terms and enter them on a
spread sheet. The spread sheet helps you organize and sort terms
in a number of ways (eg., Spanish-English, English-Spanish, etc.).
Although there is no minimum amount of words for each period,
you will be judged on the quantity and quality according to your
level. In addition to entering the term, you are expected to further
label entries in such a way that you can categorize and search the list
per type of entry: eg., modismo, grosería, variante, localismo (boricua),
técnico (bolsa), abreviatura (OPEP), repaso (old word you keep
forgetting...),
Your vocabulary
journal should include a separate sheet in which you provide
a daily log of your time spent for each class (eg., 180 min
reading, 45 vocabulary, etc)
Oral Exam
The oral exam consists of a individual
interview with the professor at the end of the semester. Exams
typically last for 20 to 30 minutes. You may be asked to expound
on our class findings, your own personal research, the assigned
topics, your choice of countries, etc. Grades are primarily assigned
based on oral proficiency in relation to the class material. Given the
nature and timing of the exam, the interview may be conducted during
week six.
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Last Updated on
05/14/2007
By Jeffrey C. Barnett
Washington and Lee
University
SPAN 295,
LA PRENSA,
is an intensive examination of the Hispanic press. Students will
research and report on significant issues of interest in newspapers,
radio, and television broadcasts from Spain and Spanish-American
countries. Primarily we will focus on current events in Hispanic
countries as reported in major newspapers available on the web. Although
ideally the majority of our time will be dedicated to oral
communication, the course content demands that you spend a significant
amount of time with technology (e.g., internet, spread sheets, research
exercise forms, etc.) Finally, the pre-requisite for SPAN 295 is one 200-level Spanish
course.