Span 461: Spanish Civilization and Culture R 4:30PM-7:10PM E122 and T227 Professor: Esperanza Román Mendoza Telephone: 993-1232 E-mail: eromanme

Department of Modern and Classical Languages George Mason University Office: Thompson 235A Office hours: TR 2:00-3:00PM and by appointment

• Course Description
• Objectives
• Materials and skills
• Attendance
• Assessment
• Tentative program
• Course Website

Course description

Span 461 has been designed for students who have completed 15 credit hours of instruction in Spanish (or can demonstrate an equivalent level of proficiency). Span 461 reviews the history of Spain from the prehistoric times to the present, covering Spanish achievements in literature and the arts as well.

Objectives

• To identify important names, dates and events in Spanish History.
• To write small essays on topics related to the Spanish Civilization and Culture.
• To consult on-line, printed and multimedia reference materials to find additional information on research themes.

Materials and Skills

• Kattán-Ibarra, J. Perspectivas culturales de España. Lincolnwood: NTC, 1995.
• Basic Internet skills (e-mail, WWW, etc.). If you are not familiarized with the Internet, UCIS and the university libraries offer free workshops on how to use PINE and other Internet-related applications.

Attendance

Class discussions, videos and activities provide the kind of interaction in Spanish that you cannot get at home. For this reason, there is no substitution for attendance. You are expected to attend all classes and be on time.

 If you arrive late you are being disruptive and you may also miss some important information given at the beginning which cannot be repeated every time a student is late. You are responsible for all material covered in class. Keep in mind that irregular attendance will severely affect your learning process and, consequently, your final grade in this course. In case of an emergency, you are expected to let your instructor know about it as soon as possible.

Assessment

The progress made by students in this class will be evaluated by the following criteria:

1. Class preparation and participation 15%
2. Forums: 20%
3. Press reviews 15%
4. Exams: 50%

1. Class preparation and participation

Participation means active involvement in the class. Students are encouraged to contribute in class discussions and are expected to speak only Spanish. The participation grade includes: 

1. your contribution in Spanish in regular class sessions, in group activities, and in electronic discussions;
2. the grades of the collected assignments and quizzes;
3. your cooperation and leadership in group and pair work, and
4. your respect and attitude towards your peers and the class.

In order for you to actively participate in class, you need to read in advance the material assigned for each class and do the activities assigned by the instructor. Assignments and quizzes will be collected every week. Late homework will not be graded.

2. Forums

Part of the class will be spent at the language computer lab (Thompson 227). Students will have the opportunity to watch videos on the Internet and to browse the WWW to look for information related to the topics covered in class. Specific essay questions will be assigned to each student. Answers will be submitted via the electronic forums in WebCT.

3. Press reviews

Every week, students will select an article from a Spanish newspaper, write a short summary and explain why the selected article is relevant to the topics covered in this course. Articles and comments will be kept in a portfolio and turned in on December 2, 1999. More details in class.

4. Written exams

There will be two written tests in this course. These exams will evaluate the student’s ability to identify important names, events and dates related to the Spanish Culture, and to write short essays on topics covered in class. The first exam will be administered on Thursday, October 14^th. The second exam will be administered on December 16^th from 4:30 to 7:15 pm.

 HONOR CODE: Collaboration is the best way to learn a language. You are encouraged to help each other and to make use of outside resources. Nevertheless, on assignments which are submitted for a grade, your work must be yours alone. Consult the GMU Honor Code for information.

Programa de la asignatura Span 461
2 de septiembre	1. Geografía de España Vídeo: Conozca España
9 de septiembre	2. De Iberia a la España visigoda Vídeo: Hispania, Provincia del Imperio
16 de septiembre	3. La España medieval Vídeo: Invasión Árabe
23 de septiembre	3. La España medieval Vídeo: Alfonso X
30 de septiembre	4. Descubrimiento de América Vídeo: Los Reyes Católicos
7 de octubre	5. El Imperio español en Europa: esplendor Vídeo: La Edad de Oro I
14 de octubre	PRIMER EXAMEN
21 de octubre	5. El imperio español en Europa: decadencia Vídeo: La Edad de Oro II
28 de octubre	6. La instauración del absolutismo y las guerras de independencia Vídeo: Cortes de Cádiz y Romanticismo I
4 de noviembre	7. España: de la restauración absolutista a la crisis de 1898 Vídeo: La Regenta
11 de noviembre	8. De Alfonso XIII a la era de Franco Vídeo: La Guerra Civil españóla
18 de noviembre	8. De Alfonso XIII a la era de Franco Vídeo: Picasso. Dalí
25 de noviembre	Thanksgiving
2 de diciembre	9. La España democrática Vídeo: La transición
9 de diciembre	11. Panorama político, social y económico y social de la nueva España Vídeo: España vista por El Mundo
16 de diciembre	SEGUNDO EXAMEN

Up-dated: September 99
Back to Prof. Roman's Web Site