SPAN 155: INTERMEDIATE SPANISH FOR SPANISH SPEAKERS

This intermediate level course is designed for Spanish speakers and emphasizes reading comprehension, vocabulary building, and writing in a cultural context. The text includes readings that sample literature, history, geography, art, and music from a wide range of Spanish speaking countries. In addition to the multiple choice and true/false questions, the exams and quizzes provided each include an essay question, generally involving the cultural component of the course. Additionally, a written project that counts as 10% of the grade is required. The instructor’s questionnaire notes that this project is generally a critique of a novel written in Spanish by a recognized Hispanic writer. This course adequately reinforces the basic skills of written and oral communication, and appears to meet all of the requirements for its category within General Education.

This intermediate Spanish composition course is the first in a sequence of writing courses. The course is designed for non-native speakers of Spanish, preparing them for more advanced writing courses that they will share with native Spanish speakers. As stated on the syllabus, the main objectives of the course are to review basic grammar, to develop strategies for writing, and to improve fluency in writing. The provided exams clearly reinforce the principles of Spanish grammar and provide an opportunity for students to practice, and the instructor assess, their writing skills. Weekly compositions are submitted and students are given the option of revising the compositions once errors have been marked by the instructor. The instructor states in the questionnaire that intensive practice in composition is provided, both in class and outside of class. Based on the materials submitted, the G.E. Committee believes that this course meets the criteria for its section.

It should be noted that a very complete portfolio of materials was submitted for this course. The syllabus, in English, is very detailed and clearly described the requirements of the course. Course objectives are included, although assessable outcomes are not mentioned. The exams, while in Spanish, provide section headings in English that helped the reviewers to understand what was being tested in each section. Additionally, the instructor questionnaire is complete and informative. The concern expressed by the G.E. Committee during the previous review about the lack of assessable materials has clearly and adequately been addressed for this course.

SPAN 213: COMPOSITION FOR SPANISH SPEAKERS

This intermediate level Spanish composition course is equivalent to SPAN 212, but is designed to meet the special needs of students whose language skills were acquired in a Spanish speaking environment. The objectives of the course, as stated on the syllabus, are to review and/or supplement grammatical knowledge, augment vocabulary, and to study various types of writing. Eight compositions are required, some of which are completed in class and others outside of class. The instructor questionnaire states that sample compositions are read in class, and thoroughly analyzed by the students with the professor’s help. The exams test grammatical skills, require students to make corrections to brief compositions, and ask students to analyze short stories. The assignments for the course adequately reinforce the course objectives. Based on the submitted materials, the G.E. Committee believes that this course meets the criteria for its section. As soon as possible, the syllabus should contain a statement about assessable outcomes for the course.