SUFFOLK COUNTY COMMUNITY COLLEGE
SPECIAL TOPICS COURSE PROPOSAL FORM
ORIGINATING CAMPUS: ( X ) Ammerman ( ) Eastern
( ) Grant
Date Submitted to Campus Dean: _____02/09_____
To meet the ideals of Suffolk County Community College, new courses should, if appropriate,
consider issues arising from elements of cultural diversity in areas of textbook choice,
selection of library and audio-visual materials, and teaching methodology.
CAMPUS DEAN E-MAILS ENTIRE PROPOSAL PACKET TO THE COLLEGE
CURRICULUM COMMITTEE CHAIR AS A WORD DOCUMENT UPON ITS
APPROVAL.
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________
PROCEDURES
1. Instructor downloads and drafts proposal and syllabus from Special Topics link on the
Curriculum Website
2. Proposer sends the files (proposal and syllabus) electronically to the Academic Chair for
distribution and support from Academic Department.
3. Academic Chair initials the proposal upon approval and electronically forwards file and
syllabus to the Campus Dean.
4. Upon approval, the Campus Dean initials the proposal and electronically forwards file and
syllabus to the College Curriculum Committee Chair for posting on the Curriculum Website.
5. The College Curriculum Chair will electronically forward the files (including syllabus) to the
College Associate Dean for Curriculum and Assessment.
____________________________________________________________
_______________
Proposed by
M.Nieves Alonso-Almagro
Date of Proposal
02/18/09
Department/Discipline
Foreign Languages/Spanish
Course # SPN 295
I.
Course
Spanish for Fluent Speakers II
RELATIONSHIP TO STUDENTS
A.
*Credit Hours 3
Contact Hours 45___
Lecture Hours_____
Lab/Studio Hours_____
*See Curriculum Website for Credit/Contact Hours Formula.
II.
B.
Class Size: 28
C.
Course Fees
Lab Fees__NO___
Course Fees___NO__
RELATIONSHIP TO MASTER SCHEDULE
A.
**Proposed Semesters Course will run:
Fall_(2009)___
Winter_(yr.)____ Spring_(yr.)____
Summer_(yr.)____
B.
**Projected Termination Date
Fall_ ( 2010 )____ Winter_(yr.)____
Summer_(yr.)____
Spring_(yr.)____
**Special Topics courses may run for only two semesters. Upon the completion of the
second semester, the
course must be withdrawn from the schedule unless it has
been re-approved as a Special Topics course or
approved as a permanent
course. Under no circumstances may a Special Topics course run for more than four
semesters.
III.
Rationale for Course:
SPN 295: This course is designed for those students who have basic
proficiency in Spanish but still lack the mastery of reading
comprehension skills as well as the ability to correctly express
thoughts and ideas in personal and professional writing. Studies have
shown that the linguistic needs of fluent/bilingual Spanish speakers
are not met when they are included in general language courses
geared for the non-native speakers of Spanish. We hope to be able to
offer the Spanish Heritage Speakers attending Suffolk Community
College the opportunity to be truly bilingual and thus, be an integral
part of our region’s valuable resources. At the present time there is
only a lower intermediate course at Suffolk County Community
College which offers formal training that addresses the specific needs
of this student population (SPN 125). SPN 295 will continue to build
their linguistic competence in all language skills- comprehension,
speaking, reading and writing.
IV.
Description of Course:
SPN 295: This course is an upper-intermediate course for students
who are fluent speakers of Spanish. It is designed to meet the special
linguistic needs of students of Hispanic background born or educated
in the United States, who speak Spanish at home and want to improve
their formal knowledge of the language. In addition, the course aims
to provide those students with cultural insights/materials about the
diverse Hispanic world that is part of their heritage.
The course the second half of a sequence initiated with SP125
(Spanish for Spanish Speakers), where students were formally
instructed in Spanish for the first time. It emphasizes the mastery of
writing, reading and oral communication skills, with particular
attention given to the issues of interference of English, code
switching, vocabulary building, orthography and reading
comprehension. Students will write compositions, make oral
presentations and read materials of a cultural/literary nature,
emphasizing the relationship between the culture of the United States
and Hispanic culture. Prerequisite: SPN 125 or equivalent knowledge
of Spanish resulting from circumstances that include, but are not
limited to the following: time lived or spent in a Spanish speaking
country, extensive use of Spanish in personal/professional situations.
V.
Approvals
Department Approval Lois Mignone________
Date__2/18/09____________
Academic Chair
Campus Dean Approval William F. Connors, Jr
Date_2/18/09
Campus Dean
SPECIAL TOPICS • COURSE SYLLABUS
I.
Course Number and Title:
II.
Description of Course:
III.
Course Objectives:
(What should students learn as a result of taking this course and how will they
demonstrate that
learning?)
Upon completion of this course students will:
IV.
Required Texts and Materials:
(List textbooks, newspapers, journals, Internet resources, CD-ROMS, Videos,
other teaching materials
to be used in the course.)
V.
Assessment of Student Learning:
(Describe assessment measures, i.e., instruments that measure the
attainment of course objectives.)
VI.
Weekly Outline of Topics and Assignments:
SUFFOLK COUNTY COMMUNITY COLLEGE
COLLEGE COURSE SYLLABUS FOR
SP 295: SPANISH FOR FLUENT SPEAKERS II
I.
Course Title: Spanish for Fluent Speakers II
II.
Catalog Description: Special Topic
Upper-Intermediate Spanish course for fluent speakers of Spanish designed to
meet the special linguistic needs of Spanish Heritage speakers who want to
improve their formal knowledge of Spanish. This course is also targeted toward
students of other backgrounds who are fluent in Spanish due to personal/
professional circumstances but lack any formal instruction. Given in Spanish.
Prerequisite: SPN 125, fulfillment of equivalent high school placement
requirement or departmental approval.
III.
Goals:
Students will be able to:
 improve command of spoken Spanish by correcting those errors common to
Heritage Speakers.
 write Spanish more coherently using correct patterns of standard grammar
and syntax.
 read Spanish with improved comprehension
 develop professional/academic writing skills in Spanish.
 expand their functional vocabulary, in particular, the language of the Hispanic
professional/academic world.
 promote a better understanding of the diversity of the Hispanic cultures in the
USA and abroad
 enhance comprehension and appreciation of the diversity and commonality of
the Hispanic heritage from historic, social, political and artistic points of
view
IV.
Outcome Behaviors:
To successfully complete this course the students will be able to:
 use a variety of communicative strategies while engaging in conversations
within the Hispanic cultural/academic/professional environment
 understand the cultures and values of the Hispanic world within the context of
the U.S. and Latin America
 assess the context of production of linguistic exchanges and command the
different linguistic registers used depending on the context
 use critical thinking and problem solving skills while reading authentic
materials in Spanish
 understand the key elements of writing, including grammar and writing
formulas, and apply that knowledge to a wide range of texts in Spanish such
as literary, journalistic, academic, technical and business related texts
 understand basic public speaking techniques and apply them in oral
presentations.
V.
Programs that Require this Course:*
Spanish/FL is required in all Liberal Arts curricula except 103, General
Studies, where it may be used to fulfill the Humanities requirement.
*Students in the International Studies Program are advised to add
written work from this course to their electronic portfolio
VI . Major Topics Required with Approximate Times for Each Major Topic:*
(not necessarily in chronological sequence)








introductions (1 hours)
Spanish grammar contrasted with English grammar (8 hours)
US Latino History and Culture (8 hours)
academic writing in Spanish-punctuation norms (8 hours)
Linguistic phenomena: code switching, anglicisms, cognates and false
cognates, voseo, influence of native American languages (3 hours)
linguistic registers in Spanish (4 hours)
Reading comprehension- Literary texts (8 hours)
Spanish varieties and their pronunciation characteristics (5 hours)
*Times shown reflect the total time allotted to a topic over the course of a
semester; they are not reflective of any one particular class session. The
remaining class time is spent engaged in the analysis of text portions,
reading comprehension questions and grammar review and exercises.
Special Topics Course Proposal Form
a. Prerequisite(s) to this Course:
SPN 125, fulfillment of equivalent high school placement requirement or departmental
approval.
b. Course(s) that Require this Course as a Prerequisite:
NONE
c. External Jurisdiction:
NONE
VIII.
Textbook and Class Materials:*

Textbook
Carreira, Maria; Geoffrion-Vinci, Michelle. !Sí se puede! : Un Curso Transicional para
Hispanohablantes. 2008, Houghton Mifflin.
Carreira, Maria; Geoffrion-Vinci, Michelle. !Sí se puede! : Activities Manual. 2008, Houghton Mifflin.

Web Page:
http://college.cengage.com/languages/spanish/carreira/si_se_puede/1e/student_
home.html
*Any combination of the above or substitute reading selections, left
to the discretion of the instructor.
IX.
Optional Topics:*
*substitute selections, left to the discretion of the instructor.
X.
Evaluation of Student Performance:

Quizzes
30%

Homework/class prep
20%

Class participation
20%
ALL FORMS MUST BE SUBMITTED ELECTRONICALLY
9/2006
Special Topics Course Proposal Form
 Cultural Portfolio
15%

XI.
Class presentation
15%
Class schedule:
Twice per week in 1 hour and 15 minute sessions.
ALL FORMS MUST BE SUBMITTED ELECTRONICALLY
9/2006