Syllabus Spanish 452 - Fall 2008

Spanish 452: Advanced Spanish Writing Fall 2008 Thompson Hall 227 - TR 12:00-1:15 Office Hours TR 9:30-10:15 and by appointment

Prof. Roman-Mendoza (703) 993-1232 [email protected] Skype: e.roman.mendoza

Description This course is designed to help students improve writing skills in Spanish. Students will learn formal and stylistic concepts of the Spanish language, and will implement this knowledge through practice and exposure to different textual genres. With an interdisciplinary approach, this writing intensive course focuses on those fields that are useful for the future career of students of Spanish in the U.S. In addition, students will be able to develop their critical thought and their ability to put those thoughts into writing in Spanish. Writing exercises will be designed to promote a successful interaction of students in multilingual and multicultural environments. The course is structured in five blocks: Block 1, Frequent Doubts and Writing Techniques (concerning spelling, expression, and style); Block 2, Spanish for Professional Purposes; Block 3, Digital Literacy; Block 4, Spanish in Academia (including a review of formats for research papers); and, Block 5, Creative Writing Workshop. This course fulfills the writing requirement in the Spanish major (by completing five projects of 700-1000 words, ten journal entries of 500-800 words, and a portfolio introduction of 800 words). Objectives         

To develop different writing skills by implementing basic linguistic concepts To expand the students’ vocabulary and improve the use of advanced grammatical structures To provide students with tools and resources to solve common doubts (phonological, morphological, syntactic, lexical, and semantic) when they are writing in Spanish To improve the student’s ability to develop critical thinking in Spanish To become aware of the notions of audience and purpose To learn basic concepts for writing in Spanish in the online environment To know different writing styles in Spanish, with especial attention to the use of written Spanish in the U.S. To learn how to use the MLA style in research papers in Spanish and how compares with other “official” style guidelines To learn basic concepts of creative writing in Spanish

Required readings Real Academia Española. Diccionario panhispánico de dudas. Madrid: Santillana, 2005. [DPD] Available online: http://buscon.rae.es/dpdI/. Gibaldi, Joseph. MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. 6th ed. New York: MLA, 2003. [MLAH] Course Packet (links and sources available at Blackboard CE6 http://courses.gmu.edu). Grading The final grade will be computed as follows: Attendance and Participation Projects Wiki-based Class Journal Mini Quizzes Final Exam and Wiki-Based Portfolio

10% 25% 20% 15% 30%

General Rules for Assignments All written assignments must be in Spanish, and typed in 12-point black New Times Roman font, double-spaced and margins of 1 inch. All written assignments need to include punctuation and spelling in Spanish. Both hard and

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electronic copies in MS Word must be submitted by the proposed deadline. Electronic copies will be submitted via Blackboard CE6 and posted on the course wiki (http://span452fall2008.wikispaces.com) and written copies will be brought to class. More details about the wiki in class. Any assignment that does not follow these guidelines will be returned and counted as a late assignment. Late assignments will cause a reduction of 5% on the total grade of the assignment per day up to 3 days. No assignments will be accepted after the third day they are late. Technology: It is important to have and use an e-mail account, to access periodically Blackboard CE for updates and materials, and to participate on the course wiki. According to guidelines established by the University, each student is to access and use her/his GMU e-mail account when corresponding with the professor and with other students in a given course. Attendance and Participation Attendance is essential for this class. Each absence will result in a zero grade for participation for that day, and 0.5% will be deducted from the total grade for the class. Participation includes on-time attendance to all sessions (except for officially justified or extraordinary circumstances), active engagement with class readings and discussions, and a positive, respectful attitude towards classmates, instructor and materials. Please, do not eat while the class is in session. Projects Students will complete and submit 5 projects on the dates specified on the Class Calendar. Projects will have a minimum of 700 words and a maximum of 1000 words. They will follow the General Rules for Assignments. First, the instructor will explain the purpose and contents of the project. On the dates specified on the Class Calendar, students need to have posted the draft on the wiki, and bring to class a hard copy of the project and be ready to discuss it with classmates and the instructor. Drafts are mandatory and will count as 10% of the grade for each project. Projects will focus on improving writing and style in Spanish, and will depend on the block of the course that is being covered. Students will respond to specific assignments, avoiding summaries or repetition of ideas discussed in class. Students need to incorporate suggestions and corrections from classmates and the instructor during the discussion of drafts. The ability to summarize, correct one’s work, and to put critical thoughts into writing is essential for this class. Class Journal Students will keep a journal in Spanish. The journal has to be done on the course wiki and printed. Students will submit a new entry every first day of the week that the class convenes. Each entry will have a minimum of 500 words and a maximum of 800 words (please, include word count). Each entry will be corrected and returned to the student with suggestions for improvement. The last week of classes, students will submit a final version of the journal on their wiki portfolios. This final version must be also printed and must follow the General Rules for Assignments. This final version needs to include corrections based on the instructor’s suggestions during the semester, and have a minimum of 10 entries. Journal entries need to show that students are up to date with the contents of the class, and that they can relate them to their academic background, their career, or current affairs. Critical thinking and interconnection of ideas and disciplines are especially important in the journal. Some of the entries may respond to a specific task assigned by the instructor. The best entries are analytical, specific and to the point, avoiding summaries or repetition of ideas discussed in class. Drawings, pictures, movies, music, collages, or any other creative materials are welcome as part of the journal. Mini Quizzes There will be 3 mini quizzes. They will include short questions on the topics covered in previous sessions. The quizzes will cover main issues discussed in class, including the correction and analysis of texts of a variety of

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genres. Clarity and effectiveness of writing, the ability to summarize, self correction, style, and structure will be important. Final Exam And Wiki-Based Portfolio The final exam will include a writing exercise based on the blocks of the course. This exercise will have an interdisciplinary component and may refer to texts, cultural practices or any of the main concepts covered. A practical guide for the final exam will be distributed and discussed during the last week of classes. The day of the final, students will submit the final version of their wiki-based portfolio that must include all the class materials corrected. The portfolio needs to demonstrate the process of correction carried out by the student during the semester and include a 800-words introduction. This portfolio will be evaluated in conjunction with the final exam. Cheating and Plagiarism Cheating and plagiarism will not be tolerated in this class. Sources and materials need to be properly cited and acknowledged. All written work, including exams and outside of class assignments, must be done independently. There is no exception to this policy in this class. Please note that you are expected to work on your assignments on your own, and you should not have them written, reviewed or corrected by anybody else. Assignments may be sent to a plagiarism identification service. Students are expected to be familiar with and abide by the GMU Honor Code. Please consult the Honor code online for definitions and policies: http://jiju.gmu.edu/catalog/apolicies/honor.html). Any students who are not sure of any of the policies regarding independent work are responsible for requesting clarification from their instructor. Disability Support Services Any student with documented learning disabilities or other conditions that may affect academic performance should make sure this documentation is on file with the Office of Disability Support (SUB I, second floor; 9932474) . You might need and should talk with the professor to discuss reasonable accommodations.

Aug. 28

CLASS CALENDAR (Subject to modification) CLASS WORK CLASS PREPARATION WRITING AND STYLE: COMMON DOUBTS Introduction. Class rules. Internet sites. IT Read syllabus Skills. Written Spanish and self-correction Accent marks. Special cases DPD, ACENTO and TILDE

Sep. 2

Instructor will assign Project #1: Text correction. Use of punctuation marks. Special cases

DATES BLOCK 1 Aug. 26

Project #1: Discussion of first draft Journal Entry #1 due

Sep. 4

Knowing how to read improves your writing: Reading comprehension, taking notes.

DPD, SIGNOS ORTOGRÁFICOS (COMA; COMILLAS; CORCHETE; DOS PUNTOS; INTERROGACIÓN Y EXCLAMACIÓN (SIGNOS DE); PARÉNTESIS; PUNTO; PUNTOS SUSPENSIVOS; PUNTO Y COMA; RAYA; PUNTO; PUNTOS SUSPENSIVOS; PUNTO Y COMA; RAYA; APÓSTROFO; ASTERISCO; BARRA; DIÉRESIS; GUION). Reading 1

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Sep. 9

Final version of Project #1 due Discussion: What must be our attitude towards grammatical mistakes, foreign words, or bad punctuation? How to take notes

Reading 2

Sep. 11

Journal Entry #2 due Review: taking notes effectively and summarizing

BLOCK 2 Sep. 16

Mini Quiz #1 SPANISH FOR PROFESSIONAL PURPOSES How to write a CV depending on the Reading 3 addressee

Review of basic concepts and self correction

Sep. 18

Journal Entry #3 due Discussion of CV

Reading 4

Sep. 23

Instructor will assign Project #2: CV and cover letter Cover letters

Reading 5

Discussion of first draft of cover letter, Project #2

Sep. 25

Journal Entry #4 due Guest Speaker from Career Services

Reading 6

Final version of Project #2 due Sep. 30

BLOCK 3 Oct. 2 Oct. 7

Oct. 9 Oct. 14 Oct. 16

Other types of professional texts. Journal Entry #5 due Mini Quiz #2 DIGITAL LITERACY What is digital literacy? Collaborative writing Journal Entry #6 due Instructor will assign Project #3 Other types of “texts” – Sharing and commenting online. NO HAY CLASE Authorship on the Web

Reading 7 Reading 8

Reading 9

Reading 10

Discussion of first draft of Project #3

Oct. 21

Journal Entry #7 due Writing in social networks

BLOCK 4 Oct. 23

Final version of Project #3 due SPANISH IN ACADEMIA: RESEARCH PAPERS. MLA STYLE Evaluating sources, taking notes, outlines, MLAH, 3-7, 41-45, 46-56

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thesis Journal Entry #8 due

Oct. 28 Oct. 30

Instructor will assign Project #4: Bibliography, abstract and thesis How to write a good research paper. Text commentary vs. research paper Following the MLA style in Spanish: Exercises and common doubts

MLAH, 122-30 MLAH, 142-235

Journal Entry #9 due

Nov. 4

Discussion of first draft of Project #4 In-text citations

MLAH, 238-60 Correct draft of Project #4

Practice with EndNote software Project #4 due

BLOCK 5 Nov. 6

Mini Quiz #3 CREATIVE WRITING Literary genres: poetry

Reading 11: Read poems by several poets

Musical versions of poems Journal Entry #10 due

Nov. 11

Instructor will assign Project #5: Creative writing Literary Genres: short fiction

Nov. 13

Discussion of first draft of Project #5

Nov. 18

Discussion of first draft of Project #5

Nov. 20

Journal Entry #11 due Discussion: autobiography and literature Discuss first draft of Project #5 THANKSGIVING Project #5 due Journal Entry #12 due Final Exam and Portfolio

Nov. 25 Nov 27 Dec. 2 Dec. 4 Dec. 16

Reading 12: Horacio Quiroga’s “Decálogo del perfecto cuentista”, ; Reading 13 Reading 14 Reading 15: Jorge Luis Borges’s “El sur,”

FROM 10:30AM TO 1:15PM

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