UNIVERSITY OF NORTH TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF SPANISH SPANISH 3030 READINDS IN SPANISH AMERICAN SHORT STORY COURSE SYLLABUS FALL 2016 Instructor: Dr. Esther Sánchez-Couto Office: Lang. 403B Office Hours: MW (1:00-1:50pm); F (12:00-12:50pm) and by appointment. E-mail: esther.sanchez-couto@unt.edu Course Description This course is an introductory journey through modern Spanish American short story. As we read this selection of texts, special attention will be given to the socio-historical context of Spanish America. During our class discussions we will comment on their meaning, analyze their construction and explore some cultural, political and aesthetic issues relevant to the texts. Students will be encouraged to formulate their own interpretation of the texts and present convincing reasons in support of their conclusions in both oral and written commentary. Course Objectives In this course you will be offered the opportunity to perfect your ability to read, speak and write in academic contexts. Not only you will expand your knowledge of Latin American short story, but you will also gain a better understanding of the specific terminology needed for a critical reading and analysis of literary texts. This course will promote independent research and it will help you to get more familiar with different aspects of the MLA conventions. Required Materials All required reading materials and assignments will be available in our course webpage in Blackboard. Grade distribution and Scale: PARTICIPATION 15% A 90-100 HOMEWORK AND PREPARATION 20% B 80-89.99 LITERARY ANALYSIS 15% C 70-79.99 THESIS AND ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY 15% D 60-69.99 FORMAL ORAL PRESENTATION 15% F 0-59.99 FINAL RESEARCH PAPER 20% GRADES WILL NOT BE CURVED 1
PARTICIPATION AND ATTENDANCE: (15%) Participation is a vital part of any language learning experience, so your active involvement is crucial to achieve the goals of this course. Attendance is mandatory but be aware that simple attendance, although essential to your success, does not guarantee a good participation grade. In order to be able to participate, you must have completed all homework assignments and readings for that day s class before every class meeting. As some of the grammatical, cultural and political issues in the text are complex, you may need to reread the materials several times to be prepared to discuss the topics in class offering analysis and interpretations. The participation grade is also influenced by: 1) coming to class on time and well prepared, 2) using Spanish to converse with classmates and instructor at all times, and 3) contributing in a significant way to ongoing discussions with courtesy and respect. You are allowed two free absences this semester, which you are encouraged to save for unavoidable circumstances. After the second absence, your final grade will be dropped 1% for each additional absence. Three tardies (arriving after ten minutes from the start of class time) equal one absence. Official written documentation is required for excused absences. Excused absences include the following: illnesses, deaths in the family, religious holidays, and university sponsored activities. For illnesses and deaths, you must provide documentation (physician s statement, obituary, etc.) the first day you return to class in order to be excused. Absences in observance of religious holidays are excused when you have notified your instructor in advance and in writing. For university sponsored activities, you must obtain authorized absence cards from the Dean of Students and present them to your instructor in order for your absences to be excused. As the Academic Integrity Policy demands that students do not engage in or tolerate acts of falsification, misrepresentation, or deception, all documentation is subject to verification by the Department of Spanish. HOMEWORK AND PREPARATION: 20% This class demands a serious commitment to complete different types of assignments before class; therefore, you should organize your agenda in accordance with this demand. This is reflected in the portion of the final grade that is assigned to Homework and Preparation (20%). Homework assignments will be completed online outside of class (Blackboard). Such assignments will include but are not limited to reading comprehension activities and literary analysis of the readings assigned for class. As some readings may be difficult to understand if a student does not have a solid grammatical foundation (specially those who come into Span 3030 directly from Span 2050 without taking any other 3000-level bridge course), all homework will be scored either 0 (No pass) or 1 (Pass). No late submissions will be accepted. LITERARY ANALYSIS: 15% As the first step towards your final paper, you will prepare a literary analysis of a short story that we have not studied in class. A list of options will be provided in Blackboard. To give you additional practice on this assignment, the form to complete the literary analysis will be the same as the one used for most homework assignments. See the grading criteria for this assignment in Blackboard. 2
THESIS AND ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY: 15% During the semester you will turn in one paragraph introducing your thesis statement on the research paper you plan to develop with an annotated bibliography. In the annotated bibliography you will review three academic articles or book chapters relevant to the topic you selected. At least one of these sources will need to be written in Spanish. Each entry should include the following components: a complete citation following the MLA style, a summary of the author s main concepts and conclusions, and a personal evaluation indicating the relevance of the article/chapter for your paper and your comments on the material. This assignment is intended to help you work in your research paper in a timely manner, to give you direct feedback on your progress developing a thesis, to provide you with additional practice on summarizing academic writings in Spanish, and compiling research projects. FORMAL ORAL PRESENTATION: 15% You will prepare one formal oral presentation (10 minutes) that reflects the literary work that you have investigated. The oral presentation is not to be read or memorized. You may use visual aids such as PowerPoint, posters, pictures, etc. You may provide in the PowerPoint or in a printed document a brief outline of your presentation to help you and your classmates to follow the presentation. You will need to be prepared to answer questions from the class about your research. Your presentation may be recorded for instructional purposes. FINAL RESEARCH PAPER: 20% The format of this 3-5 page document must follow MLA guidelines for research papers. It should be typed and double-spaced using Times New Roman, Font 12, with 1 margins according to MLA conventions. No hand written final papers will be accepted. You will also include a works cited page at the end of the paper. You may NOT receive help from another person. Also, you may NOT use online translations services when writing the paper. The use of any kind of translation device or the assistance of any individual is considered plagiarism. All sources of information used for the research paper should be cited according to the MLA conventions. OTHER CLASS POLICIES After the first day, all class activities, discussions and conversations will be conducted entirely in Spanish. Cell phones and laptops: Cell phones must be turn off and kept out of sight at all times during class meetings. Any unauthorized use of a cell phone or any electronic device in class will lower your participation grade. Make-up and Extra Credit: There will be no make-up assignments given at any time unless a written medical excuse or an official University activity excuse is provided. The student must be prepared to take the 3
missed assignment upon returning to class. Preexisting travel plans, family and/or social engagements are not considered valid excuses. No late homework assignments will be accepted. No extra credit is available for this class. On food and beverages in the classroom: You are not allowed to consume food in the classroom. You are, however, allowed to consume appropriate beverages only if the instructor gives his or her approval for doing so. ACADEMIC INTEGRITY POLICY Each student is required to adhere to the Academic Integrity Policy on all work submitted for the course. All work submitted for a grade must be your own. Violations of academic integrity include (but are not limited to) using online translation programs; obtaining help from any other individual(s) (friends, native speakers, former instructors, etc.); and copying from the Internet or another student s assignment. Tutors may NOT correct your course assignments, but they may provide you with general comments (e.g., You need to remember that most Spanish adjectives agree in gender and number with the nouns they modify ). The idea is that you must compose and write all the work that you are to submit. A tutor may also (1) help you understand the material as you work through it; (2) explain mistakes and corrections on returned assignments. The Department of Spanish has a list of available free resources for the students. For more information on UNT s Academic Integrity Policy, including breaches of the Policy (cheating, plagiarism, etc.), tutorials, and the recommended sanctions, please go to https://deanofstudents.unt.edu/academic-integrity STUDENT BEHAVIOR IN THE CLASSROOM Student behavior that interferes with an instructor s ability to conduct a class or other students' opportunity to learn is unacceptable and disruptive and will not be tolerated in any instructional forum at UNT. Students engaging in unacceptable behavior will be directed to leave the classroom and the instructor may refer the student to the Center for Student Rights and Responsibilities to consider whether the student's conduct violated the Code of Student Conduct. The university's expectations for student conduct apply to all instructional forums, including university and electronic classroom, labs, discussion groups, field trips, etc. The Code of Student Conduct can be found at www.unt.edu/csrr. STUDENT RESPONSIBILITIES In accordance to the Academic Integrity Policy, Students are expected to conduct themselves in a manner consistent with the University's status as an institution of higher education. In the class setting, students shall follow their instructors directions and observe all academic standards and requirements published in course syllabi and other course materials. It is the student s responsibility to attend to all class meetings and consult the class calendar for topics and assignments. If you miss a class, it is your responsibility to contact your classmates or instructor to ask about that class. If you do not understand an instruction or assignment is it your responsibility to ask your instructor. 4
DISABILITY ACCOMMODATION STATEMENT The University of North Texas makes reasonable academic accommodation for students with disabilities. Students seeking accommodation must first register with the Office of Disability Accommodation (ODA) to verify their eligibility. If a disability is verified, the ODA will provide you with an accommodation letter to be delivered to faculty to begin a private discussion regarding your specific needs in a course. You may request accommodations at any time, however, ODA notices of accommodation should be provided as early as possible in the semester to avoid any delay in implementation. Note that students must obtain a new letter of accommodation for every semester and must meet with each faculty member prior to implementation in each class. Students are strongly encouraged to deliver letters of reasonable accommodation during faculty office hours or by appointment. Faculty members have the authority to ask students to discuss such letters during their designated office hours to protect the privacy of the student. For additional information see the Office of Disability Accommodation website at http://www.unt.edu/oda. You may also contact them by phone at 940.565.4323. SPOT (Student Perceptions of Teaching) Student feedback is important and an essential part of participation in this course. The student evaluation of instruction is a requirement for all organized classes at UNT. The short SPOT survey will be made available online to provide you with an opportunity to evaluate how this course is taught. You will receive an email from "UNT SPOT Course Evaluations via IA System Notification" (no-reply@iasystem.org) with the survey link. Please look for the email in your UNT email inbox. Simply click on the link and complete your survey. Once you complete the survey you will receive a confirmation email that the survey has been submitted. For additional information, please visit the spot website at www.spot.unt.edu or email spot@unt.edu. COURSE CALENDAR This calendar is tentative; adjustments may be made depending on the needs of the class. Tarea is due one hour prior to class at 1:00pm (unless otherwise specified the tarea will be submitted in Blackboard). Agosto Lunes 29 Miércoles 31 INTRODUCCIÓN La literatura hispana en EE.UU Septiembre Lunes 5 LABOR DAY. NO HAY CLASE Miércoles 7 ZOO ISLAND Tomás Rivera (USA) 5
Lunes 12 Miércoles 14 Lunes 19 Miércoles 21 Lunes 26 Miércoles 28 Octubre Lunes 3 Oct. 7: last day to drop /withdraw with a grade of W. Miércoles 5 Lunes 10 Miércoles 12 Lunes 17 Miércoles 19 Lunes 24 Miércoles 26 La acentuación EL SENTADITO David Martín del Campo (México) EL RESCATE Gilda Host (Ecuador) LA SRTA LORENCIA Dorelia Barahona (Costa Rica) Spanglish y ortografía confusa NUEVA YORK Méndez Vides (Guatemala) CON LOS OJOS CERRADOS Reinaldo Arenas (Cuba) LA MUÑECA MENOR Rosario Ferré (Puerto Rico) MLA- cómo escribir una tesis y cómo desarrollar una bibliografía anotada. UN DÍA DE ESTOS García Márquez (Colombia) EL PIANO VIEJO Rómulo Gallegos (Venezuela) EL LENGUADO Mariela Sala (Perú) MLA- Obras citadas EL CINERO David Acebey (Bolivia) Actividades en Bb. ANÁLISIS LITERARIO PARA TRABAJO FINAL (Turnitin en Bb) TESIS Y BIBLIOGRAFÍA ANOTADA (Turnitin en Bb) 6
Lunes 31 Noviembre Miércoles 2 Lunes 7 Miércoles 9 Lunes 14 Miércoles 16 Lunes 21 CORAZONADA Mario Benedetti (Uruguay) DOS PALABRAS Isabel Allende (Chile) Letras endiabladas (s-c-z / j-g /h / b-v) EMMA ZUNZ Jorge Luis Borges (Argentina) LA NOCHE BOCA ARRIBA Julio Cortázar (Argentina) Selección de literatura indígena actual Registro académico y conectores gramaticales Nov. 24-27: Thanksgiving Miércoles 23 Lunes 28 Miércoles 30 Diciembre Lunes 5 Dec. 8: Last class day. Miércoles 7 (Pre-finals day) Viernes 9 TRABAJO DE INVESTIGACIÓN READING DAY FINAL PAPER IS DUE ON MONDAY, DECEMBER 12 AT 5PM (TURNITIN IN BLACKBOARD) 7