SPAN 302: Readings in Hispanic Literature for Advanced Spanish Speakers

NOTE: Read the syllabus very carefully. Reading it at least twice is highly recommended.

Course Description

The course is an intense review of Spanish grammar and an introduction to the study of Hispanic literature (poems, essays, short stories, plays, and novels). 

Before proceeding, review the criteria established by BYUI for student placement in second-language courses:

1. Have taken less than two years of high school Spanish: Take Spanish 101.
2. Have taken 2–3 years high school Spanish: Take Spanish 102.
3. Have taken 3.5–4 years high school Spanish: Take Spanish 201.
4. Served a Spanish-speaking mission: Take Spanish 302.
5. Learned Spanish growing up with Spanish-speaking parents, grandparents, etc. in the U.S., but not as your first or dominant language (heritage speaker): Take Spanish 302.
6. Learned Spanish as your first language in a Spanish-speaking country (true native speaker): Take Spanish 302.

Please be aware, however, that being placed in the course based on one of the above criteria 4, 5, or 6 does not guarantee success. Spanish 302 is a 300-level course. 300-level courses by definition are meant to be taken during one's junior year (100-level = freshman, 200-level = sophomore, 300-level = junior, 400-level = senior). That is because they require the excellent study techniques and habits that one is expected to develop during the previous 2 years of university studies, including a couple of writing classes. Also, the course is designed for students with a minimum Intermediate High Spanish skill level. If you have been place in the course based on one of the above criteria of 4 or 5, you may not have that skill level. Many returned missionaries and heritage speakers fall below it.

Course Learning Outcomes

In the course, you will do the following:

1. Develop an awareness of the mechanics of Spanish grammar, including learning the parts of speech (subjects, verbs, pronouns, etc.).
2. Increase your understanding and mastery of all Spanish verb tenses and moods, both in conjugation and application.
3. Increase your vocabulary from activities that will help in language production.
4. Begin to master tricky areas in Spanish—por versus para, preterite versus imperfect, subjunctive versus indicative etc.—which often hold English-speaking learners back in their command of Spanish.
5. Acquire a deeper awareness of, and appreciation for, the richness of Hispanic literature by reading a variety of works by authors from many different Spanish-speaking cultures and from different time periods.
6. Apply literary concepts to the readings to enhance your study of Hispanic literature.
7. Analyze in some depth many literary themes by making connections between the literary texts and life through close reading.
8. Acquire confidence in reading by sharpening and enhancing reading skills through extended reading practice.
9. Improve your Spanish and English writing and composition skills. 

Course Schedule

The course has been designed to follow a schedule in which you will complete more or less an equal amount of coursework for each week of the semester. You are expected to complete all of the learning activities the week they are assigned and in the order they are listed. Do not skip ahead without finishing an activity or ahead to another week's activities without finishing the prior week's activities (for example, you should complete all of W02 before beginning anything in W03).

Due dates and times for all assignments are found using the Course Calendar or the Course Summary that follows this syllabus. In this course, due dates and times will be strictly enforced. The due date and time for each week's activities and assessments is at the end of the week on Saturday, 11:59 p.m., (mountain time), except for the final week when the due date and time is midweek on Wednesday, 11:59 p.m. (mountain time). All activities and assessments are always open, allowing you to accelerate the course if you desire. 

The deans of the colleges at BYU-Idaho have determined that the average amount of time students will spend in quality study each week per credit hour is three to four hours. So, for a three-credit class, each week the deans expect you to spend an average of nine to twelve hours studying. This course will require at least nine hours of quality study time to complete all the learning activities assigned each week; this is the amount of time that you should expect to devote to this class if you want a passing (C) grade. A higher grade may require more study time, perhaps 12 or more hours per week. In this course, there is no "time off" for holidays. You should arrange your study schedule so that any holiday activities do not keep you from completing learning activities by their due dates and times. Remember, you can always work ahead of schedule.

Spanish 302 is a rigorous course. Do not think that because you have served a Spanish-speaking mission or because you are a heritage or even a native speaker that you can spend less than the prescribed minimum nine hours per week and earn a passing grade.

Required Materials

There is no required textbook for this course. All readings and other resources are available without additional cost here within the course or by linking to other internet sites. Since this is an online course, it is your responsibility to arrange to use a computer with internet access. The higher the speed you have for your internet access, the better. It is also your responsibility to make sure you have the word processing (including spell check and grammar check tools) required to complete the assignments.

Attendance at the instructor's weekly online (Zoom) office hour is entirely optional. It is neither expected nor required that you attend. Rarely will there be more than one or two classmates attending the office hour at the same time, but in order to participate when more than one classmate is attending, you may have to use a microphone and a set of earphones that will work with your computer. Directions for setting up your microphone and earphones are provided in the Course Introduction.

Graded Activities

You can see the percentage weight of each assignment group on the right side of this page.

Grammar Quizzes: After you have completed your study of each grammar lesson or conferencia (conferencia here means class), you will take a quiz to assess your ability to apply the concepts you have learned. You may take each grammar quiz twice, and your grade for the quiz will be the highest of the two attempts, but keep in mind that not all the questions will be the same on both attempts. Canvas randomly chooses questions from question banks. There are 25 grammar quizzes.

Grammar Exams: There are four grammar exams. Each will assess your ability to apply the concepts learned in several conferencias (or grammar unit) to your language use. For example, the exam for Grammar Unit 02 will assess your mastery of what is presented and practiced in Conferencias 8–11. Before each grammar exam, you may take a practice exam that has the same format and the same kinds of questions you will find in the exam. If you are not satisfied with your score on a grammar unit exam, you may take a second exam called a "second-try exam." Like the practice exams, each second-try exam has the same format and kinds of questions as the exam. You have until the last due date of the semester to take any or all of the second-try exams. Canvas will automatically choose the best of the two scores: either your score on the exam or your score on the second-try exam. Not all the grammar unit exams are equally weighted.

Grammar Discussion Board Posts: After each week of study of a grammar unit or part of a grammar unit, you will teach in a discussion board a grammar concept you have learned during your study. There are specific requirements for your post, and the points awarded for each post will be based on whether and how well you have met those requirements. 

Reading Quizzes: During the second half of the course, after you complete each reading assignment, you will take a quiz that will assess your understanding of the reading and the literary concepts you will be asked to apply to that reading. You have only one attempt at each of the 21 reading quizzes.

Reading Essays: During the second half of the course (Weeks 8–13), after you complete each week's assigned readings, you will write one or two 120–160-word essays based on the literary concepts applied to those readings, and you will post those essays to a discussion board for your classmates to read. There are specific requirements for these 9 essays, and your grade for each essay will be based on whether and how well you have met those requirements. 

Final Exam: The final exam will assess your understanding of the literary texts you will have read during the second half of the course and of the literary concepts you will have applied to your reading.

Surveys: You will complete two surveys at the end of each week's learning activities which will be a Self-Assessment Survey and a Lesson Evaluation Survey.

Other Graded Activities: During the first week of the course you will introduce yourself to your instructor and classmates, and you will create a plan for your success in the course. During the final week of the course you will write a letter of advice to students who take the course in the future.

Proctored Exams and Assessments

This course will use an online proctoring software called Proctorio. This makes it possible for students to take assessments and exams without a human proctor present. Proctored exams can be accessed like any other exam, once the software has been installed. Exams will be recorded by Proctorio and reviewed by the BYUI Testing Center. Any questionable exams will be forwarded to the instructor for further review.

For step-by-step instructions on Proctorio installation, please refer to Student Help: Proctorio in Canvas.

Grading

Grades will be based on a weighted percentage of the total number of points earned from exams, writing assignments, quizzes, and the other learning activities. Again, you will see to the right of this syllabus the weighted grading categories and their percentages. You may check your progress in the course at any time by accessing the grade book (Select "Grades" in the left-side menu). Please be aware that the final percentage given in the grade book will not be accurate until there is a grade for every graded activity. Canvas lets you enter "what-if" grades where grades have not yet been assigned, allowing you to see what your grade would be should you earn those grades you enter. 

Keep in mind that not all the grades for each assignment group will figure into the percentage grade for that group. For example, only the best 90% of the grammar quizzes determine your percentage for the grammar quizzes. The same is true for the grammar discussion boards, the reading quizzes, the reading discussion boards and the surveys. And because not all the activities in each group count toward your grade and because of the second-try grammar exams, do not ask the instructor to extend a due date. Those assigned activities that you neglect to complete (up to at least 10% of them) will be some of the ones that do not count toward your grade, and if you miss a grammar unit exam, your score on the second-try exam will be your score for the exam.

Some of the graded activities are automatically graded, and you will see the grade immediately upon completion of the activity (the grammar and reading quizzes,), but the grading for others of those activities, although partially automatically graded, is not complete until the instructor reviews and completes the grading of the activity (exams). Still other activities (grammar discussion board posts, reading essays and the surveys) must be graded entirely by the instructor. So make sure you give the instructor ample time to complete the grading of an assigned activity before you inquire about the grade for that activity.

In assigning final grades for this course, the instructor will use the BYU-Idaho Standard Grade Definition criteria listed below.

A: The grade of A represents outstanding understanding, application, and integration of subject material and extensive evidence of original thinking, skillful use of concepts, and ability to analyze and solve complex problems. It demonstrates diligent application of Learning Model principles, including initiative in serving other students.

B: The grade of B represents considerable and significant understanding, application, and incorporation of the material, which would prepare a student to be successful in next level courses, graduate school, or employment. The student participates in the Learning Model as applied in the course.

C: The grade of C represents sufficient understanding of subject matter. The student demonstrates minimal initiative. Sequenced courses could be attempted, but mastering new materials might prove challenging. The student participates marginally in the Learning Model.

D: The grade of D represents poor performance and initiative to learn, understand, and apply course materials. Retaking a course or remediation may be necessary to prepare for additional instruction in this subject matter.

F: The grade of F represents failure in the course.

Grading Scale:

The following grading percent scale will be used for all assignments, exams, and your final grade:

Letter Grade	Percentage Range
A	100%–93%
A-	92.99%–90%
B+	89.99%–87%
B	86.99%–83%
B-	82.99%–80%
C+	79.99%–77%
C	76.99%–73%
C-	72.99%–70%
D+	69.99%–67%
D	66.99%–63%
D-	62.99%–60%
F	59.99%–0%

Course Policies

In this class, our interactions with each other should be guided at all times by the following principles of personal honor.

• Personal honor is integrity in fulfilling commitments, responsibilities, and covenants.
• Personal honor begins with willing obedience and is fully developed when we consistently govern ourselves by true principles.
• Personal honor increases spiritual strength through the ministry of the Holy Ghost.
• Personal honor is central to every aspect of our lives, including the BYU-Idaho experience.
• Personal honor brings us joy and happiness; deepens our desire to love, serve, and lift others; and ultimately helps us to become more like the Savior.

You should make sure that you understand the above principles of personal honor. It is important for all class members to strive to follow these principles both in the completion of course requirements and in their associations with one another.If you have any questions about how Personal Honor is related to academic honesty or the university's dress and grooming standards, you may visit the University Standards web page (https://www.byui.edu/student-honor-office/ces-honor-codeLinks to an external site.) for more information.

Plagiarism includes knowingly representing, by paraphrase or direct quotation, the published or unpublished work of another person as one’s own in any academic exercise or activity without full and clear acknowledgement. It also includes the unacknowledged use of materials prepared by another person or agency engaged in the selling of term papers or other academic materials. Plagiarism is a violation of the Honor Code. Penalties for plagiarism are severe. These may  include probation, suspension, expulsion, withholding of transcripts, and  denial or revocation of degrees.

Important Note: Writing in English and then using an online translator to convert your English into Spanish will not help you improve your language skills and will be considered plagiarism. Use spell check and grammar check tools and online dictionaries to help you with words or phrases, but do not use programs that convert your writing from English to Spanish.

Brigham Young University-Idaho is committed to providing a working and learning atmosphere that accommodates qualified persons with disabilities. If you have a disability and require accommodations, please contact the Disability Services OfficeLinks to an external site. at (208) 496-9210 or visit their website and follow the Steps for Receiving AccommodationsLinks to an external site.. Reasonable academic accommodations are reviewed for all students who have qualified documented disabilities. Services are coordinated with students and instructors by the Disability Services Office.This course may require synchronous meetings. If you are currently registered with the Disability Services Office and need an interpreter or transcriber for these meetings, please contact the deaf and hard of hearing coordinator at (208) 496-9219.

Please read through the document called University PoliciesLinks to an external site.. It gives important information about the following topics:

• Student Honor
  • Academic Honesty
  • Student Conduct
    • Sexual Harassment
• Student with Disabilities
• Complaints and Grievances
• Copyright Notice

Go to the Student Resources module to review further resources and information.

Now that you have carefully read the syllabus (hopefully at least twice), review quickly the Course Summary that follows and then take the syllabus quiz.