Spanish 101, Fall 2014
Mon/Weds/Fri 8:00-8:50 (Palmer 205)
Thurs 11:00-11:50 (Evergreen 204)
Course #15805
Prof. Catherine Sundt
Office: Palmer 204, ext. 3652
sundtc@rhodes.edu
Office hrs: Mon/Weds/Thus/Fri 10-11, 1-2
Class Schedule
Chapter 1 (Aug 27-Sep 5)
- Introductions, greetings
- Days, months, seasons
- Alphabet and numbers
- Nouns and adjectives
- The verb “ser”
Sept 1: No class (Labor Day)
Chapter 2 (Sep 8-18)
- Telling time
- Questions, positive and negative sentences
- The verb “tener”
- Regular present-tense verbs
Test 1: Sept 19 (Chapters 1-2)
Chapter 3 (Sept 22-Oct 3)
- The verbs “estar,” “ir,” and “hacer”
- Possessive adjectives and word agreement
- Large numbers
- Expressions w/ tener
Chapter 4 (Oct 6-16)
- Adjectives and pronouns (direct object, personal “a”)
- Stem-changing verbs
- The verbs “poner,” “salir,” and “traer”
- “To know” - saber vs. conocer
Test 2: Oct 17 (Chapters 3-4)
No class Oct 20-21 (Fall Break)
Chapter 5 (Oct 22-31)
- Comparisons and superlatives
- Reflexive pronouns
- Present progressive
Chapter 6 (Nov 3-13)
- Indirect objects and object pronouns
- Gustar verbs
- The verbs “decir” and “dar”
- Regular preterit verbs
Test 3: Nov 14 (Chapters 5-6)
Chapter 7 (Nov 17-Dec 5)
- Irregular preterit verbs
- Positive and negative words
- Double object pronouns
No class Nov 26-28 (Thanksgiving)
December 8/10: Final exam review
Final exam: Saturday, Dec 13, 8:30-10:30 am (Palmer 205)
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Course information
Required text:
Zayas-Bazán, Bacon, and Nibert. ¡Arriba! Comunicación y cultura. 6th ed. Prentice Hall, 2012.
Suggested text:
Spanish-English dictionary
Objectives:
Spanish 101 is a beginner course designed to help students start communicating in Spanish and
understanding basic constructions. In a Spanish-only classroom environment, students will be introduced to
Spanish by means of the four major skill sets (reading, writing, speaking, and listening) with occasional
introductions to cultural and linguistic concepts. Upon successful completion of Spanish 101, students will
be eligible to enter Spanish 102,
Requirements:
Attendance and Participation: Daily attendance and participation are essential for language learning, and you
are therefore expected to come to class every day with your work completed, ready to engage with the
professor and the other students. Repeated absences will negatively affect your grade in this category, except
for extraordinary circumstances as determined by the Dean of Students. It is the policy of the Modern
Languages Department that attendance in no less than 90% of the course is essential for language learning.
Therefore, if a student misses ten or more classes for any combination of reasons (including illness,
travel, extracurricular activities, etc.), the student will fail the course. Additionally, participation in
class and group/pair activities counts for 20% of your final grade. Cell phones are not permitted in the
classroom, and laptops should not be used, as they are not necessary.
Homework: Homework will be listed on Moodle every week, and will be assigned in a variety of formats,
including readings, worksheets, short writing assignments and online activities. Not all homework will be
collected, but it is still expected that each student do the assigned work. Late homework will not be
accepted, although homework may be e-mailed to the professor before class if a student needs to be absent.
(This will only be allowed once per student.) Your work should be your own, and students should not
collaborate on homework.
Tests: There will be four tests; the first three will contain material from the chapters studied beforehand, but
the final exam will be comprehensive. Each test will include a vocabulary section, some listening and/or
reading comprehension, and short writing and grammar exercises. No make-up exams will be given unless
students make prior arrangements with me or an exception is granted by the Dean of Students.
Grade breakdown:
Participation/attendance
Homework and in-class assignments
Tests (3)
Final exam
Grading scale:
A
93-100
A90-92
B+
87-89
B
83-86
B80-82
C+
77-79
25%
30%
30%
15%
C
CD+
D
DF
73-76
70-72
67-69
63-66
60-62
0-59
Additional notes:
 A student who receives an “A” for participation is a student who never or rarely misses class, who
shows up on time, who participates actively and willingly, who only speaks in Spanish in the
classroom, and who makes genuine and helpful contributions to the classroom environment.
 Please ask me for help if you are unsure about assignments or instructions, if you feel that you are
lagging behind, if you want to know how to be a better participant in class, or if you need any other
kind of help. If you cannot attend my office hours, we can make other arrangements to meet.
 I honor any accommodations granted through the Office of Disability Services; please register with
them and be sure that your accommodations are on record (contact Melissa Butler ext. 3885 for
more info).
Recursos
Spanish accents (typing): http://www.studyspanish.com/accents/typing.htm
Spanish dictionary/conjugation: www.wordreference.com
Language reviews: www.studyspanish.com
Online activities: http://wps.prenhall.com/ml_zayas_arriba_6/
“Dos” and “Don’ts” for Language Learning
Do:
- Try to practice Spanish whenever you can, as soon as you can start forming sentences
- Listen to radio stations, TV shows, and movies in Spanish to see what words you can pick out
- Ask the professor to repeat something (“Repite, por favor”) or to go more slowly (“Más despacio, por favor”).
- Try to find other ways to say something if you don’t know how to express it in Spanish
- This process is called “circumlocution” – literally “talking around” something
- Instead of saying, “How do you say uncle?” you could ask “¿Quién es el hermano de mi padre?”
- Review concepts as they are introduced and keep current with homework and assignments
- Meet with the professor often – she has eight office hours a week that are often empty until test week
Don’t:
- Obsess over every rule when trying to speak – the language learning process is one of trial and error
- Make fun of other students for making mistakes
- Assume that if you don’t understand a concept, you can just figure it out later; language builds on itself
- Miss class regularly – you are not only harming your own language learning, but that of your fellow students
Professor Email Etiquette
1. Use your university email address, and always start your email with a greeting (not “Hey”).
2. Don’t expect your professors to answer emails after hours and on weekends. Most of us will, but we have families
and lives. More to the point, don’t email a question at midnight about an assignment that’s due at 8:00 am.
3. Please don’t ask “Did I miss anything today?” or “Did we do anything important today?”
4. If you missed class, don’t email your professor for a detailed summary of the day’s content. You are sending a 30second email that is asking them to take a half an hour of their time to rehash a lesson they already gave that day. Set
up a buddy system with a friend who can take notes for you, and if you are unclear on certain concepts, then ask the
professor for clarification.
5. Read the syllabus and check Moodle. The answer is often there.
6. Please send attachments as Word documents; this can be accomplished on Apple computers as well by saving a
Pages document as a Word document.
7. If you feel that your grade is lower than you would like it to be, that is an opportunity to meet with the professor. It
is unlikely that a grade will be changed retroactively, but the professor can go over previous mistakes and develop
strategies to do better on future test and assignments.
8. Use proper spelling and grammar. Never write in all caps or use text-speak.
9. If you are emailing to arrange a meeting, first check the professor’s office hours (on the syllabus) and if you are not
available during those times, suggest a couple of alternate times.
10. If you would like a response, please end your email with a question. If a student emails to inform a professor of
something (“I have to miss class on Friday,” “Here is the assignment for today”), the default response is nothing,
leading students to ask, “Did you get my email?” You can assume the professor did read your email, but if you would
like confirmation, please say so.
Classroom Agreement
The professor of this course recognizes the outstanding quality of Rhodes students and their
commitment to academic success. As such, she will do everything in her power to ensure that the students
have a positive learning experience; this includes grading and returning assignments quickly, being available
outside of class, not changing dates or adding assignments at the last minute, staying on topic within the
context of the classroom, and assigning scores objectively and fairly.
As such, I pledge, as a Rhodes student, to positively contribute to the classroom environment and
further my own academic success by doing the following:

I seek to understand the Spanish language and to use it in the classroom at all times.

I will make every effort to do my homework and assignments in a purposeful manner, and not rush
through them or use shortcuts. Use of online translators such as Google Translator and BabelFish
for any course assignments is extremely obvious, will be considered academic misconduct, and may
be submitted to the Honor Council. My work will be my own, because it is only through repeated
practice and trial/error that I will learn to express myself in Spanish, rather than just translating
English.

I will communicate any difficulties, confusions, issues, or problems to my professor quickly before
they negatively affect my grade or the classroom environment.

I understand that my attendance is essential for language learning, and I wish to participate actively
as a member of the Rhodes community. My absence and/or any disrespectful classroom activity
(texting, sleeping, etc.) will not only negatively affect my grade, but it also harms the academic
environment for my fellow students.

I will approach this course and its assignments with a positive attitude and a desire to communicate
and express myself in Spanish in a meaningful way.
Signed,
______________________________________________________ Date: ________________
Printed Name: ________________________________________________