Course Detail

SPAN 201 Intermediate Spanish I

SPAN 201 IS Sec 4, Semester, University of Mississippi
[See UM Catalog for Description]

3 credit hours

Instructor Information:

Instructor name:
Gabriel Alexander Garrido

Gabriel Alexander Garrido was born in Venezuela. He is a native speaker of Spanish and speaks two other languages, English and German. He holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Industrial Engineering from Yacambú University (Venezuela) and a Master of Arts in Spanish from The University of Mississippi. In the year 2000, he left his home country with $200 in his pocket in search of a new life. The road led him to Vienna, Austria. After learning German by completing language courses at the University of Vienna, he worked as a full-time actor at the city’s famous Burgtheater (Imperial Theater) between 2002 and 2003. In 2004, he continued his life journey and landed in Melbourne, Australia, where he also became a citizen in 2010. That same year, he was admitted to The University of Mississippi, where he earned his MA with a 4.0 GPA. Several honor societies—Phi Kappa Phi, Omicron Delta Kappa, and Gamma Beta Phi, as well as the Spanish honor society Sigma Delta Pi—welcomed him as a member.

With a background both in Sciences and the Humanities, Mr. Garrido taught Spanish, Mathematics, and Science at an elementary school in Clarksdale, MS. In the year 2013, he began working as an Instructor of Spanish at The University of Mississippi. He has taught language courses in both the regular and the accelerated track. He is always looking for new methods and techniques to improve his teaching and gives yearly presentations at regional conferences and workshops. In 2018, he published his first literary work, titled “Ardilla” (Squirrel), a short theater play. He is currently working on his first book of poetry. Mr. Garrido recites Spanish-language poetry and publishes it online. He is the founder and administrator of the Spanish-language poetry site, La Taberna Poética, which, to this date, has more than 5,000 followers.

Contact Information:

If you have questions concerning the content of the course, you may contact the instructor directly using the email link in the "communications" tab. NOTE: Whenever sending email, please be sure to indicate your Course title and number in the subject line.

Course Description

Welcome to Spanish 201, Intermediate Spanish 1! This course is designed to continue your instruction in the language and culture of the Spanish-speaking world. Our main goal for you is to have you learn to communicate effectively in Spanish and develop knowledge and an appreciation for Hispanic cultures. In this course, you will continue to develop your Spanish communicative skills through extensive practice in reading, writing, speaking and listening. By the end of this class, you should be able to complete communicative tasks in Spanish using the communication strategies, grammar structures and vocabulary acquired during the semester, and understand and be able to talk about the diversity of the Spanish-speaking world.

This 4-unit Independent Study course will help you learn to communicate effectively in spoken and written Spanish through a variety of guided and open-ended activities, integrating cultural information delivered by Connect, an interactive online learning system. There will be machine-graded and instructor graded activities. You will have three (3) attempts to complete each activity. 

Textbook Information:

Textbook information will be provided upon enrollment in your iStudy course.

Course Objectives:

Welcome to Spanish 201, Intermediate Spanish I! This course is designed to continue your instruction in the language and culture of the Spanish-speaking world. Our main goal for you is to have you learn to communicate effectively in Spanish and develop knowledge and an appreciation for Hispanic cultures. In this course, you will continue to develop your Spanish communicative skills through extensive practice in reading, writing, speaking, and listening. By the end of this class, you should be able to complete intermediate communicative tasks in Spanish using the communication strategies, grammar structures and vocabulary acquired during the course, and understand and be able to talk about the diversity of the Spanish-speaking world.

This 4-unit Independent Study course will help you learn to communicate effectively in spoken and written Spanish through a variety of guided and open-ended activities, integrating cultural information delivered by Connect, an interactive online learning system. There will be machine-graded and instructor graded activities. You will have three (3) attempts to complete each activity. 

The goals of this course are based on the Standards for Foreign Language Learning in the 21st Century. These standards, often referred to as the 5 Cs, emphasize the following areas:

• Communication in Spanish
• Learning about different cultures in the Spanish speaking world
• Using language to make connections to other disciplines
• Comparing and contrasting languages and cultures to develop a deeper understanding about language
• Using the larger community as a way to experience and acquire knowledge about language

This course is the third in the sequence of courses in our Introductory Spanish Program; the first in the Intermediate level. Upon successfully completing this course, the next level in the sequence would be Span 202.

WHAT TO EXPECT IN THIS COURSE:
The keys to success in this class are generally the same as those in any other class. However, given the nature of online classes, students are responsible for covering a good deal of material on their own. Competency in the basic use of a computer is required to complete numerous independent web-based activities. The level of proficiency and the final grade attained will depend largely on what a student puts into his or her learning. Student success requires substantial commitment and proactivity. Students are expected to dedicate 12-15 hours of study per week to this class, thus, it is in students’ best interest NOT to wait until the last minute to complete assignments.

PREREQUISITES

Span 102, 121, or equivalent.

Course Outline:

This course consists of 4 instructional modules (or lessons).

You MUST complete the syllabus quiz as soon as you have access to your Blackboard course. This is mandatory to verify your attendance. *  NOTE: you must pass the Syllabus and Orientation Quiz for the course materials to appear on the Lessons page

Grading:

GRADING SCALE
90 - 100% = A
80 - 89% = B
70 - 79% = C
60 - 69% = D
Below 59% = F

FAILURE TO TAKE THE FINAL EXAM WILL RESULT IN FAILURE OF THE COURSE.

You must submit the lessons required to take the course exam(s). Lessons required but not submitted will receive a grade of zero. For the final exam, all coursework must be submitted and graded.