COURSE SYLLABUS Spanish 4309 Section 001 Medical Spanish for Health Professionals Fall 2016 BASIC INFORMATION 1. INSTRUCTOR: Dora G. Aranda Office: FLB 006 Email: dora.g.aranda@ttu.edu Office Hours: Mondays and Wednesdays 12-1 pm & by appointment. 2. COURSE DESCRIPTION: This course will be conducted primarily in SPANISH This course is designed to enhance oral and written communication in the medical field. Provide and allow students with grater interaction among medical service providers and their clientele. It will also make reference to health relate issues facing Hispanic communication. TTU Catalog Description: SPAN 4309 - Spanish Language Studies-Special Topics. 3 Semester Credit Hours. Prerequisites: 6 hours of SPAN courses at the 3000 level. Study of diverse topics such as medical or legal Spanish, Spanish on the Internet, etc. May be repeated once for credit with different content. Additional Description: The purpose of this course is to enhance the knowledge of Spanish of those who work in the medical/healthcare fields or intend to do so. It will provide the students with skills to better communicate with the ever-growing Spanish-speaking community of the United States in situations commonly encountered by medical professionals in the different areas of healthcare. 3. EXPECTED LEARNING OUTCOMES & THEIR ASSESSMENTS: Learning Outcome Students will understand and use basic medical and health-related terminology in Spanish. Assessment Students will have in class participation, homework, quizzes, and exams. 1
Students will utilize tools and techniques that will help them communicate effectively and more fluently in Spanish in a medical setting. Students will speak and write in Spanish about common health issues facing the Hispanic community. Students will have a daily evaluation of in class oral performance. Students will have written exams, oral exams, written assignments, and oral presentation(s). 4. CLASS MEETING TIME(S) & LOCATION(S): Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 10:00 to 10:50 am in the Foreign Languages Building Room 118. 5. TEXT(S) & OTHER REQUIRED MATERIALS/SUPPLIES: Equipment: Blackboard: Sign in to ttu.blackboard.com with your eraider name and password. There you will find class information and grades. Required Text(s): Rush, Patricia, and Patricia Houston. Spanish for Health Care. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2011. Print. ISBN-13: 978-0-205-69651-2 ISBN-10: 0-205-69651-1 Course calendar. Instructor will provide a printed copy of the tentative calendar during class. An electronic version will be available upon student s request. It contains deadlines, detailed information on the material to be covered in class with specific dates, homework and daily in-class activities. The student is responsible for reading it and keeping up with all due dates, including revised copies of the calendar. Recommended: a Spanish/English Medical Terminology dictionary.. IMPORTANT: Texas Tech University offers book loans to help you defray the cost of your books until you receive your financial aid. Therefore all students are expected to have their books on time. Please, visit the link below for more information. https://www.depts.ttu.edu/studentbusinessservices/loans/loaninfo.php 6. COURSE REQUIREMENTS Students will be expected to speak Spanish during class time (the goal is to keep English to less than 10%). Excessive use of English will negatively impact the final grade. Students are expected to arrive on time to class with their homework done and prepared for the scheduled activities/topics. This includes having read/worked on the material before it is covered in class. As stated in the Texas Tech Bulletin, students need to invest two hours outside of class for each one of lecture. It is recommended that the student take into consideration this estimate in order to succeed in this course. 2
Students are expected to take notes and bring the required materials every-time the class meets. Students must have these materials no later than the first class of the second week. Students will be expected to bring the required texts and materials to class, to be prepared to discuss the readings and the assignments and to actively contribute during small group and whole class activities. Students will be responsible for maintaining a polite and cordial attitude towards classmates and the professor in order to create a positive learning environment. Due to class time being limited, briefness is recommended when making questions or comments. If there is an issue the student would like to address in more detail, he/she is strongly encouraged to visit with the instructor during office hours or by appointment. Students must check their email and Blackboard regularly in order to keep up to date with information about the course including announcements and grades. 7. COURSE COMPONENTS AND WEIGHTS: Detailed information about assignments, projects, and assessments will be made available on Blackboard. Grading Policies Class Participation 10% Homework 15% Individual Presentation 10% Group Presentation 10% Quizzes (10 ) 20% Midterm 15% Final Exam 20% 8. GRADING SCALE: A+ = 97-100 B+ = 87-89.9 C+ = 77-79.9 D+ = 67-69.9 A = 93-96.9 B = 83-86.9 C = 73-76.9 D = 63-66.9 A- = 90-92.9 B- = 80-82.9 C- = 70-72.9 D- = 60-62.9 9. MAK UP WORK, EXTRA CREDIT, ACCESS TO GRADES: MAKE-UP POLICY Generally, no make-ups on any exams, quizzes or required class material for unexcused absences. Pursuant to a satisfactory excuse at the discretion of the professor and according to official University policy, students may have the opportunity to turn in required material extemporaneously; nevertheless, the professor reserves the right to deduct points from an extemporaneous document or to not accept it at all. It is the responsibility of the student to contact the professor in writing (email preferred) as soon as possible, but in any case, no later than three calendar days after the corresponding absence. Failure by the student to contact the professor within the aforementioned period may result in a 0 grade. Make up material may 3
differ in form (though not in substance) from the material administered on the original date. The professor reserves the right to not allow make-ups on missed quizzes or assignments due to an absence other than an Official University Approved Excuse. A missed quiz or assignment may therefore count as a 0. EXTRA CREDIT, ACCESS TO GRADES Extra credit opportunities may arise during the semester, they will be subject to the instructor s discretion. Records of grades will be kept on Blackboard. Please keep all graded work until final grades are posted. 10. COURSE CALENDAR: The course calendar will be handed out in class and is subject to change. It may also be available on Blackboard. 11. POLICIES: PARTICIPATION AND ATTENDANCE IN CLASS Attendance in addition to regular, voluntary, and active participation is vital to success, and is expected of all students. ABSENCES Attendance will be taken regularly. Students should inform the professor promptly if they anticipate being absent, or immediately after an unanticipated absence. Students will be expected to attend class every class day and arrive on time. Participation and attendance is imperative. Arriving late to the class is a distraction and demonstrates a lack of respect towards classmates, the professor, and towards the class in general. Arriving more than ten (10) minutes late constitutes a tardy; 3 tardies = 1 absence. 7 unexcused absences or more (as per university catalogue and departmental policy) may result in an automatic F. NO medical excuses will be accepted unless documented cases of chronic medical conditions under a doctor s care are presented to the instructor BEFORE the absences occur or documentation for hospitalization are presented to the instructor. PLEASE NOTE: It is the student s responsibility to reschedule any work missed due to an excused absence by communicating with the instructor, preferably before the absence takes place, presenting the verifying documentation, and then rescheduling the work missed in class. All documentation must be provided to the instructor within five business days. Students who miss evaluations due to official university travel or religious observances will be allowed to take a make-up version. 4
EXCUSED ABSENCES Excused absences for this course are: 1) well-documented absences due to chronic illness or hospitalization, 2) court appearances, (excluding actual jail time and/or arraignment during the semester), 3) funerals, 4) out of town job interviews/military drill, 5) official university travel and 6) attendance at scheduled religious observances covered by Texas House Bill 256. All documents need to be presented within 5 business days of the absence and are subject to verification. Any document, which is found to be altered, will be sent to the Office of Student Conduct. Any absence due to family gatherings, weddings and/or like events will count as missed classes and will be part of your overall absence count. Documented absences for occasional illnesses (illnesses that are not chronic) will be excused with respect to the participation grade, but NOT for the overall absence count. Any actual jail time and/or arraignment by the courts during the semester is not considered valid either for an excused absence or excused participation points. Illness: Verifiable documentation will be needed for absences due to illness. Absences related to serious illness or injury must first be reported to your associate dean of your college, who will then contact the instructor regarding a potential excusal of the absence. Absence Due to Religious Observance: A student who intends to observe a religious holy day should make that intention known in writing to the instructor prior to the absence. A student who is absent from classes for the observance of a religious holy day shall be allowed to take an examination or complete an assignment scheduled for that day within a reasonable time after the absence. Absence Due to University Approved Trips: Department chairpersons, directors, or others responsible for a student representing the university on officially approved trips should notify the student s instructors of the departure and return schedules in advance of the trip. The instructor so notified must not penalize the student, although the student is responsible for material missed. Students absent because of university business must be given the same privileges as other students (e.g., if other students are given the choice of dropping one of four tests, then students with excused absences must be given the same privilege). STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES Any student who may need an accommodation due to a disability, please make an appointment to see the instructor during office hours as early in the semester as possible. A letter from Student Disability Services authorizing your accommodations will be needed. Please note that instructors are not allowed to provide classroom accommodations to a student until appropriate verification from Student Disability Services has been provided. For additional information, you may contact the Student Disability Services: http://www.depts.ttu.edu/sds/ TTU RESOURCES FOR A SAFE CAMPUS Texas Tech University is dedicated to providing a safe and equitable learning environment for all students. Discrimination, sexual assault, and harassment are not tolerated by the university. You are encouraged to report any incidents to The Student Resolution Center: (806) 742-SAFE 5
(7233). The TTU Counseling Center (http://www.depts.ttu.edu/scc/) provides confidential support (806-742-3674) and the Voices of Hope Lubbock Rape Crisis Center has a 24-hour hotline: 806-763-RAPE (7273). For more information about support, reporting options, and other resources, go to: http://www.depts.ttu.edu/sexualviolence/ ACADEMIC HONESTY It is the aim of the faculty of Texas Tech University to foster a spirit of complete honesty and a high standard of integrity. The attempt of students to present as their own any work that they have not honestly performed is regarded by the faculty and administration as a serious offense and renders the offenders liable to serious consequences, possibly suspension. Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, cheating, plagiarism, collusion, falsifying academic records, misrepresenting facts, and any act designed to give unfair academic advantage to the student (such as, but not limited to, submission of essentially the same written assignment for two courses without the prior permission of the instructor) or the attempt to commit such an act. More information on Academic Integrity here: http://www.depts.ttu.edu/studentconduct/academicinteg.php CIVILITY IN THE CLASSROOM Students are expected to assist in maintaining a classroom environment that is conducive to learning. Students are also expected to respect and uphold the TTU Code of Student Conduct at all times. Help maintain a positive learning environment by arriving on time, silencing cellular phones and other electronic devices before arriving in class, and avoiding distracting behaviors. Any student whose behavior disturbs our learning environment may be asked to leave. For more details, please see the official TTU public information on the Code of Student Conduct, found at: http://www.depts.ttu.edu/studentjudicialprograms/conductcode.php. STUDENT USE OF PERSONAL TECHNOLOGY The use of a notebook computer or similar electronic or digital device in class is subject to the approval of the instructor. No personal electronic device should be used during quizzes, examinations or other testing or assessment situations without the authorization of the instructor. Authorized devices meant to be adaptive or assistive in nature, and which are incorporated as part of a documented disability or medical condition, are exempt from this policy. PLEASE NOTE If you have course concerns, you should: 1) First, talk with your instructor about any problems that you may have encountered. 2) If you cannot resolve the issue with the instructor, then please contact the area coordinator Dr. Jorge Zamora, jz.zamora@ttu.edu 3) If you still feel like you need more information after following the first two steps, then please visit with the Chair (Dr. Erin Collopy, erin.collopy@ttu.edu) or Associate Chair (Dr. Carmen Pereira-Muro, carmen.pereira@ttu.edu) of the Department. 6