Hunter College Department of Romance Languages
Spanish 203.002 (2451)
Syllabus
FALL 2005
Prof. Marisa Russo-Aragonez
Email: mdrusso@hunter.cuny.edu
Office Hours: Sat. 9:30-10:00am/ 4:00-4:30 p.m. (HW 1342)
Overview:
This course will cover chapters 27 through 52 of Destinos (we will finish the
book). The class (as your syllabus mentions) is for students who have begun to
be able to make coherent (if not totally grammatically correct) sentences, are
comfortable with the present tense and have had practice using the past tense.
If you are registered for this class but feel that your level is either too low or too
high, please come speak with me or send me an email.
About Destinos:
DESTINOS is an innovative beginning Spanish program based on a 26-week
television series premiering on PBS in the fall of 1992. The 52 half-hour shows of
the series use the powerful appeal of a uniquely Hispanic genre -- the telenovela
(soap opera) -- to make language and culture come alive. The situation and
context of each episode introduce students to the basic structures, language
functions and vocabulary groups of Spanish that are then presented in the print
materials. (Most grammar explanations and exercises are in the workbook/study
guides.) This complete one-year course is designed to help students develop
communicative proficiency -- listening, speaking, reading, and writing -- as well
as cultural awareness in Spanish. The plot of DESTINOS is designed to engage
student viewers from the very beginning. A wealthy Mexican patriarch, nearing
the end of his life, reveals a secret he has kept from his family for many years.
His revelation leads to some important questions that must be answered before
he dies. Raquel Rodríguez, a Mexican-American lawyer, embarks on a search
for those answers, a search that takes her to Spain, Argentina, Puerto Rico, and
back to Mexico. Students and viewers can join in the search -- learning Spanish
and about the rich and diversified cultural context in which it is spoken throughout
the world.
Course Schedule.
Sep. 3
Lección 25 Reflexiones I
Repaso de los Episodios 1-18
Sep. 10
Lección 26 Reflexiones II
Repaso de los Episodios 19-24
Sep. 17
Lección 27 El rescate
Another Way to Talk About the Future
Lección 28 Atrapados
More About Talking About the Future
Sep. 24
Lección 29 ¡Se derrumbó!
Talking About What People Want Others to Do
Lección 30 Preocupaciones
Expressing Your Feelings About Something
Oct. 1
Lección 31 Medidas drásticas
Another Way to Talk About the Future
Lección 32 Ha habido un accidente
Telling Someone to Do Something
Oct. 8
Lección 33 Si supieras...
Telling Someone to Do Something
Lección 34 Éxito
Talking About What Someone Has Done
Oct. 15
Lección 35 Reunidos
Expressing Hope
Lección 36 ¿Qué estarán haciendo?
Repaso de los Episodios 27-35
Oct. 22
Lección 37 Llevando cuentas
Talking About What You Wanted Someone to Do
Lección 38 Ocultando la verdad
More About Talking About the Past
Oct. 29
Lección 39 La misma sonrisa
More About Talking About the Past
Lección 40 Entre la espada y la pared
Talking About What You Would Do
Nov. 5
Lección 41 Algo inesperado
Quoting What Someone Said
Lección 42 Yo invito
Expressing What Would Happen If...
Nov. 12
Lección 43 Seremos cuatro
Talking About What Had Happened Before
Lección 44 Una promesa y una sonrisa
More Talking About What Had Happened
Nov. 19
Lección 45 ¡Estoy harta!
Talking About What Someone Should Have Done
Lección 46 Las empanadas
Expressing If..., then...
Dec. 5
Lección 47 Tengo dudas
Expressing Relationships Between Events
Lección 48 Así fue (I)
Lección 49 Así fue (II)
Dec. 12
Lección 50 Así fue (III)
Lección 51 Así fue (IV)
Lección 52 Siempre lo amó
Review
Dec. 19: Final Exam
Eating/ Drinking Policy:
• Please, NO eating food or chewing gum in class (anything in your mouth
can obviously inhibit your pronunciation of the target language). You MAY
drink in class provided that you help us to prevent spills by only drinking
from containers with lids AND that you dispose of any trash when you are
finished.
Grading Policy:
• Quizzes/ tests: 10%
I will normally not give pop quizzes, however I reserve the right to do so.
Quizzes will be given periodically to assure class comprehension and
normally will be announced at least one class before the quiz date.
• Class participation will be calculated specifically in this way:
5% attendance, 5% in class presentations and 10% active class participation.
For all other components of the grading policy please see the syllabus.
Attendance Policy:
See syllabus for basic policy.
• Please note, if you are more than ten minutes late and we have begun the
first activity of the class, you will be considered absent, as your tardiness
is disruptive to the learning process.
Language Laboratory
• Students of Spanish 203 are required to use the Language Lab in room
209 west for at least two hours per week. I may assign extra time in the
lab if necessary.
• If you have not yet made yourself familiar with the lab, please attend one
of their orientation sessions which should take no more that 15 or 20
minutes. Before you are permitted to use the lab you must attend one of
these sessions.
Homework Policy:
• I shall typically assign homework on a regular basis. Please type all
assignments.
• Notices, changes to the class schedule, assignments etc. will all be
delivered through blackboard. (see blackboard below)
• I do not accept late homework.
• And please note that I do not check my email every day.
Major Exams:
• In addition to short quizzes (5-10min.), you will also have periodic tests
(20 min.) and three major exams (50 min.) in addition to the final exam.
• The quizzes will normally spot-check vocabulary, the tests will pertain to
each chapter and the exams will probably be a mesh of at least two
chapters.
• There are no make-up exams excepting extreme circumstances.
Blackboard:
• To log in to blackboard you will need access to your Hunter email account.
• If you have not yet accessed your email account at Hunter, now is a good
time to do so. If you do not plan to use your Hunter email account, then
you may forward your emails to the address of your choosing.
• Through blackboard you will have access to your class syllabus, a copy of
this cover letter, assignments and web resources.
• Please check blackboard on a regular basis.