SPNS 202: Spanish II
Fall 2015
Instructor: Alicia Gignoux
Email: alicia.gignoux@mso.umt.edu
Office: LA 439
Office hours: 4pm TWR
Course Description
The purpose of this course is to continue developing and improving proficiency in Spanish in all four
skills (listening, speaking, reading, and writing). While grammatical topics are covered, the importance of
using language for communicative purposes is emphasized along with writing essays, reading and
listening. Since acquisition cannot take place without input in the target language, instructors use
Spanish almost exclusively. Brief explanations of grammar are given in English. Please read the assigned
English grammar explanations very carefully before coming to class.
Learning Outcomes
The successful student will be able to:
1. Understand spoken and written Spanish in the context of common situations and in a basic and
more advanced range of grammatical structures and expressions, specifically, those emphasized
in the Así lo veo textbook and Film that is used with this program.
2. Produce comprehensible spoken and written Spanish, including short paragraphs and 1 to 2
page essays and brief verbal responses to a range of communication topics as well as a short
presentation. Read and interpret short cultural, literary and other texts in the course textbook.
Give a short presentation towards the end of the semester.
3. Acquire knowledge of the geography, culture and people of regions where Spanish is spoken, as
indicated by the cultural units provided in the text and other resources.
Class Materials
 Textbook: Leeser, VanPatten, Keating… [et al.] Así lo veo, Student Edition, 2011. Available at
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The Bookstore or on Amazon.
The instructor will provide students with copies from Manual de actividades for Así lo veo.
IMPORTANT: Due to University policy, you must use an official UM email account to contact your
instructor.
Recommended Materials
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Harrap’s Spanish English Dictionary or other dictionary
501 Spanish Verbs
Required Folder
Folder to organize class papers and handouts
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Grading
Exams and presentation:
Quizzes:
Homework and Essays:
Participation:
50% (Exams after every Unidad or Unit)
20% One for each lesson. This will also include
unannounced self-tests.
20% Written work, Textbook, handouts, folder and
more.
10% (incluyes preparing homework before coming to
class, attendance and in-class activities, interacting in
class, speaking Spanish, respectful behavior and more.)
Exam Policy
Only one missed exam is allowed if you contact the instructor prior to the exam with an acceptable
excuse. The final exam grade will be used to replace the excused exam at the end of the semester. There
will be no makeup exams. You may not miss the final exam. All electronic devices must be packed away
for the duration of the exam. Baseball caps or hats with visors cannot be worn for any of the exams.
Once graded, exams will be available for viewing and review during office hours. Students will not keep
their exams.
Quizzes
There will be several planned quizzes over the course of the semester. You may only have one day’s a
notice for quizzes posted under Tarea on the board. So, please study the material daily. No makeup
quizzes will be permitted, but if you miss a quiz for an acceptable excuse, the grade you receive on the
subsequent quiz will also apply to the one you missed. Please note that you may apply this policy only
once in the semester. In addition, there may be pop quizzes and self-quizzes to ensure that you study at
home and prepare for class. The pop and self-quizzes are also graded. Again, the grades for all quizzes
will be added to the quiz percentage of your grade. There will be no makeups for these. Important,
again, these will count toward your class quiz grade category. All electronic devices must be packed
away for the duration of all quizzes as well as during the class hour.
Homework
You will have homework to complete every night. Your instructor will post this daily. In addition to
spending time on new material, you should incorporate review on a regular basis. Please note that
University guidelines state that for every one hour spent in class, you should expect to spend two hours
on homework. This course is 4-credits and fast-paced, and your success in it will depend on your
consistent dedication to your work, both in and outside of class.
 Online Work: You will also have online homework. Google the words, Asi lo veo student learning
center, and use the student edition online. Each night you should complete all assignments due,
and also dedicate some of your study time to review. There are a variety of assignment types
online and they are designed to help you master the grammar and vocabulary we will be
studying this semester as well as review the context presented in the film. They are designed to
use the film and text to help you review and study the grammar, vocabulary and more in a
meaningful context.
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Written assignments to turn in: These will be announced in class under Tarea. They should be
hand-written, on loose leaf paper (no spiral fringe) and ready to hand in at the beginning of class
on the due date, unless otherwise specified. You will be expected to use the vocabulary and
grammatical structures that you have learned by the time of the assignment to complete these.
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Take on the challenge and be creative in expressing yourself with the language you know.
Ultimately, you will have much more success in a second language if you are able to engage fully
in this process. Please note that the use of online translators is prohibited. You are permitted to
use a dictionary or your book’s glossary. Wordreference.com is an excellent online dictionary.
Please note that you may not submit these via email. Important, do not use online translators.
Preparation, Participation and Attendance
1. Attendance: Arrive for class on time. Attendance will be recorded daily at the beginning of class.
More than five absences will result in a lower participation grade, as will late arrivals or early
departures and other participation related behavior mentioned above and below this sentence.
If you do miss a class, it is your responsibility to find out what you missed to keep up with the
class. Exchange contact information with at least two other classmates for this purpose.
Contact a classmate to find out what the homework for the day you missed.
2. Homework: Have homework already completed before class and be ready to discuss your work
with others. Unannounced spot checks of homework may be used in calculating your
participation grade. The instructor will walk around the room and ask you to show that you
have completed your work in the text on a regular basis. This will also be graded. If your
homework in the text or workbook pages is blank, you will receive a zero. If your work in the
text or workbook pages is complete, you will get credit. This will often be checked before we go
over the work together as a class.
3. Speak Spanish exclusively in class, even after finishing assigned activities.
4. Raise your hand often to respond to the instructor's questions or to offer ideas and opinions to
the entire class.
5. Participate actively in small group and pair discussions by presenting ideas and opinions.
6. Demonstrate an attentive, alert, and engaged attitude during class as well as respect for others
by contributing to a classroom atmosphere conducive to learning.
7. Electronics: Please mute your cell phone and keep it packed away during class. The use of cell
phones or other electronic devices during class without prior arrangement with your instructor
is unacceptable, and will result in a participation grade reduction.
Tutoring
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TRIO has free tutoring for those eligible. Visit http://www.umt.edu/triosss/eligibility.php for
more information, or go to their office in Lommasson Center, 180.
The Writing Center in LA 144 has free Spanish writing help with Tom Bateridge by appointment,
Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays 1 PM – 5 PM. www.umt.edu/writingcenter or call 2432470.
Some private tutors advertise on the MCLL bulletin board, on the southwest stairway, between
the 3rd and 4th office floors.
Academic honesty
All students must practice academic honesty. Academic misconduct is subject to an academic penalty
by the course instructor and/or a disciplinary sanction by the University. All students need to be familiar
with the Student Conduct Code. The Code is available for review online at
http://www.umt.edu/vpsa/policies/student_conduct.php
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Grading scale
*Be sure you know what grade you need for your major
Letter grade
Number grade
Letter grade
Number
grade
A
94-100
C
73-76
A90-93
C70-72
B+
87-89
D+
67-69
B
83-86
D
63-66
B80-82
D60-62
C+
77-79
F
0-59
*For CR/NCR grading option, you must earn a D- or above to receive credit.
Course withdrawal
September 21, 2015 is the last day to withdraw from the course with a partial refund. November 2, 2015
is the last day to withdraw without Dean’s signature and without notation of Pass/Fail status on
transcript. For a detailed listing of important University dates and deadlines, please visit
http://www.umt.edu/registrar/calendar.php
Students with disabilities
The University of Montana assures equal access to instruction through collaboration between students
with disabilities, instructors, and Disability Services for Students (DSS). If you think you may have a
disability adversely affecting your academic performance, and you have not already registered with DSS,
please contact DSS in Lommasson 154. I will work with you and DSS to provide an appropriate
accommodation.
A calendar will be provided soon. Important, the due dates and other dates for beginning chapters on
the calendar may change during the semester.
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