ESTHER CASTRO
OFFICE: AL 165
TEL: (619) 594-5001
E-Mail: esther.castro@mail.sdsu.edu
OFFICE HOURS:
W 3:30 - 4:30 p.m.
and by appointment
FINAL EXAM: Monday, May 9 from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
SAN DIEGO STATE UNIVERSITY
DEPARTMENT OF SPANISH AND PORTUGUESE.
SPANISH 307 SPRING 2016
COURSE DESCRIPTION: INTRODUCTION TO BUSINESS SPANISH
CHAPTERS 1-7
Sections
1
Schedule
23213
Time
11:00-11:50 a.m.
Days
Units
Meeting
Location
Bldg./Room
MWF
3
PSFA 318
Prerequisites: Spanish 301, 302, or 381 or 382
Terminology and forms of business correspondence and documents.
ÉXITO COMERCIAL, SPANISH 307 Custom Edition with
REQUIRED TEXT
AND MATERIALS
Prácticas administrativas y contextos culturales
(Cuaderno de Correspondencia, documentos y ejercicios
comerciales: Student Activities Manual Custom Edition for SDSU,
Chapters 1- 7)
Access Code for Premium Website (6TH Ed.) INCLUDED
By Doyle and Fryer CENGAGE Learning
Diccionario Inglés/Español y Español/Inglés
RAE (Real Academia Española): www.rae.es/
OBJECTIVES:
DESCRIPTION:
SPAN 307
Introduction to Commercial Spanish is designed to give beginning
students of Spanish a solid foundation in business vocabulary, basic
business and cultural concepts, and situational practice to conduct
business in Spanish by preparing documents and forms of business
correspondence.
Within the context of grammar review and the
development of greater cross-cultural awareness, it will help develop the
following language skills: speaking, listening comprehension, reading,
writing, and translation/interpretation.
This course will enhance the student’s ability to function effectively in an
increasingly important commercial language both in the U.S. and
abroad. It will provide you with a solid foundation in the vocabulary and
discourse related to the following business topics and functional areas:
the modern business office, economics, management, industry and
production, the stock market, banking, communications, and human
resources (the job application and hiring). Although Spanish 307 is not a
course in Spanish grammar, a review of problematic grammatical
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SPRING 2016
structures will be interwoven within the business context. The course
will also develop your geographic literacy and cultural understanding of
the Spanish-speaking world, as these are central to being able to conduct
business successfully in Spanish. The course, to be conducted in
Spanish, will also include translation/interpretation, a language skill
used frequently in the world of international business.
STUDENT
LEARNING
OUTCOMES:
By successfully completing this course, students will:





ATTENDANCE:
PARTICIPATION:
QUIZZES:
Identify key terms in business discourse, basic business, and
cultural concepts.
Contextualize situational practices necessary to be successful in
today’s Spanish-speaking business world.
Compare and contrast different structures in the Hispanic
business world.
Comunícate orally and in writing with a variety of audiences
including peers, native speakers, and experts in the business
field.
Identify and annotate various regional usages in the Spanishspeaking world.
Each student is expected to attend class regularly. However, occasions
do arrive during the course of the semester that prevent a student from
attending a particular class session. For this reason, each student is
allowed two (2) absences. The days may be used for sickness, trips,
weddings, funerals, interviews, or emergencies of any kind. After the
second absence is used, a penalty of 2.5% off the final course grade will
be incurred for each additional absence. Therefore, if, after calculating
your final semester grade, you have a 92% and you have four (4)
absences, your grade will drop to 87%. Since true emergencies do occur,
and important events do occasionally interfere with class time, you are
cautioned to be judicious about missing any days. Any excused
absences (including official college business, varsity athletics, college
sanctioned extra-curricular activities, etc.) must be arranged privately
with the instructor prior to the scheduled absence. As noted above, there
will be no make-up exams without prior approval.
Regular participation is an important aspect of this course and will
comprise 10% of your grade. All students are expected to be full
participants in all daily classroom activities and discussions.
Also, this grade will take into account your:
1) use of Spanish,
2) willingness to participate,
3) cooperation in group and pair work;
4) respect and attitude toward the class and your peers.
Since this is a 300-level Spanish course, it is expected that you will
speak Spanish 100% of the time in the classroom. This includes
greeting, and taking leave of your classmates, casual discussions before
and after class, etc. Likewise, the instruction will be entirely in Spanish.
Your use of Spanish (or lack thereof) will be a critical part of your
participation grade.
There will be a vocabulary quiz for every chapter. Quizzes may also be
related to the content of the course and your homework.
One letter grade will be deducted for each day that a business letter or
SPAN 307
2
SPRING 2016
HOMEWORK:
homework assignment is handed in late.
ORAL
PRESENTATIONS
AND INTERVIEW:
There will be three main oral presentations and a mock job interview
conducted in Spanish. Each student's performance (language skills,
ability to sell oneself as a candidate, professional attire/behavior) will
account for part of the final grade. In addition, all materials presented to
the class (charts, graphics) should be in Spanish without grammar or
spelling mistakes.
I. Peer/Self Presentation
II. Economic, financial and cultural
aspects of a Spanish-speaking Country
III. Professional Entrepreneurs (Group Presentation)
EXAMS:
EVALUATION:
There will be two (2) equally weighted (10% each) written exams
administered throughout the semester and a final exam. The exams may
include sections on any of the following: vocabulary, grammar, content of
assigned readings, cultural information, writing business letters, and
listening comprehension. There will be no make-up exams without prior
approval of the instructor. Exams are not curved. Final exam will be
comprehensive.
Participation (Attendance) …………………………..10%
Quizzes……………………………………………………10%
Homework………………………………………………..10%
Interview and Oral Presentations……………………20%
Class Work….……………………………………………10%
Exams……………………………………………………..20%
Final Exam……………………………………………….20%
GRADING SCALE:
A 100-93 A- 92-90
C 76-73
C- 72-70
B+ 89-87
B 86-83
B- 82-80
C+ 79-77
D+ 69-67
D 66-63
D- 62-60
F 59 and below
For class meetings, assignments, exams, and homework due, please refer to the attached
tentative class schedule.
The Department will make reasonable accommodations for persons with documented
disabilities. Instructors must receive a verification letter within the first week of classes.
Student Discipline/Academic and Non-Academic Misconduct:
Plagiarizing, cheating,
unauthorized collaborating on coursework, stealing course examination materials, falsifying
records or data and obstruction or disruption of the educational or administrative process, physical
abuse or threat of such abuse, theft, vandalism, hazing, sexual or racial harassment, possession of
controlled substances or weapons constitute violations relative to Title 5, California Code of
Regulations.
Violations will be documented in writing with the upper-division supervisor, and
University disciplinary action will be pursued.
¡Buena Suerte!
SPAN 307
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SPRING 2016