SPANISH 1110-2120 COURSE GUIDE and FAQs


Course Web Sites:

Your instructor will maintain communication through your course website on Individual sections are also on Canvas at: learn.nmsu.edu – be sure to activate your MyNMSU account in order to have access to the Canvas course.

Important Contact Information:

Prof. Jeff Longwell, Coordinator–Breland RM 206 – email: [email protected]
Please contact him for general questions and concerns about the course.
        
PLEASE ASK YOUR INSTRUCTOR FOR THEIR CONTACT INFORMATION IF THEY HAVE NOT ALREADY GIVEN IT TO YOU.

Required Materials: Textbook indicated on course calendar
Recommended: A bilingual dictionary (español/inglés, inglés/español) 
¡¡¡IMPORTANT!!!  Specific course calendars, grading components and attendance policy for individual courses are available in your CANVAS course and will be handed out on the first day of classes.  

Is this the right class for you? 

Spanish 1110 and 1120 are the first two courses in the four-course sequence (1110, 1120, 2110, 2120) which fulfills the Departmental Language Requirement for many departments in the College of Arts and Sciences. Students who enroll in Spanish 1110 will need a “C” or better in order to proceed to Spanish 1120.  Likewise, students in 1120 will need a “C” or better in order to move on to Spanish 2110. The minimum standard for an S grade in a course taught through the College of Arts and Sciences (which includes all Spanish courses) is also a “C”.   If this is your first Spanish class at NMSU, you are required to take the Spanish Placement Exam. 

The Spanish Placement Exam may be taken online from your home or any of the computer labs click HERE. 

The free test will do an excellent job for recommending the right Spanish course for you. When you are finished, read carefully the evaluation at the end of the test. If you have any questions, call the Language office at 646-3408. There is no time limit for the test. 

Spanish 1110 IS recommended for students that: 
  1.  Have never had Spanish before, or
  2.  Have placed into Spanish 1110 by taking the Spanish Placement Exam (please show your Exam results to your instructor), or 
  3.  Have had one semester in high school,
  4.  Had Spanish in middle school or a long time ago.

Spanish 1110 IS NOT recommended for students that:
  1. Have had more than one semester of Spanish in high school.  If you have had more than this, please take the Spanish Placement Exam and/or move on to Spanish 1120, or
  2. Have lived for an extended period of time in a Spanish-speaking country, or
  3. Have received credit for college-level Spanish via the AP test or some other exam that offers college credit, or
  4. Grew up around other Spanish-speakers (grandparents, parents, etc.), or
  5. Grew up speaking Spanish.

Spanish 1120 IS recommended for students that:
  1. Have successfully completed Spanish 1110 at NMSU (with a C or better) or an equivalent course at another university or community college, or
  2. Have placed into Spanish 1120 by taking the Spanish Placement Exam, or
  3. Have had one year of high school Spanish

Spanish 1120 IS NOT recommended for students that:
  1. Have had more than one year of Spanish in high school.  If you have had more than this, please take the Spanish Placement Exam and/or move on to Spanish 2110, or
  2. Did not successfully complete Spanish 1110 at NMSU (with a C or better) or an equivalent course at another university or community college, or
  3. Have lived for an extended period of time in a Spanish-speaking country, or
  4. Grew up around other Spanish-speakers (grandparents, parents, etc.), or
  5. Grew up speaking Spanish.

Spanish 2110 IS recommended for students that: 
  1. Have successfully completed Spanish 1120 at NMSU (with a C or better) or an equivalent course at another university or community college, or
  2. Have placed into Spanish 211 by taking the Spanish Placement Exam (please show your Exam results to your instructor), or 
  3. Have had two years of Spanish in high school.
  4. Grew up around other Spanish-speakers (grandparents, parents, etc.), or
  5. Grew up speaking Spanish and there are no Spanish for Heritage Language learner (1210, 1220, 2210, 318 or 319) classes available.

Spanish 2110 IS NOT recommended for students that:
  1. Have had more than two years of Spanish in high school.  If you have had more than this, please take the Spanish Placement Exam and/or move on to Spanish 212, or
  2. Have lived for an extended period of time in a Spanish-speaking country, or
  3. Have received credit for college-level Spanish via the AP test or some other exam that offers college credit.

Spanish 2120 IS recommended for students that:
  1. Have successfully completed Spanish 2110 at NMSU (with a C or better) or an equivalent course at another university or community college, or
  2. Have placed into Spanish 2120 by taking the Spanish Placement Exam, or
  3. Have had more than two years of high school Spanish
  4. Grew up around other Spanish-speakers (grandparents, parents, etc.), or
  5. Grew up speaking Spanish and there are no Spanish for Heritage Language learner (1210, 1220, 2210, 318 or 319) classes available.

Spanish 2120 IS NOT recommended for students that:
  1. Have had more than two years of Spanish in high school.  If you have had more than this, please take the Spanish Placement Exam, or
  2. Did not successfully complete Spanish 2110 at NMSU (with a C or better) or an equivalent course at another university or community college, or
  3. Have lived for an extended period of time in a Spanish-speaking country

Spanish Courses for Heritage Language Speakers

Spanish 1110, 1120, 2110, and 2120 are not recommended for those who have learned Spanish at home or in a setting in which Spanish is the dominant language (unless there are no Spanish for Heritage Language learner, like 1210, 1220, 2210, 318 or 319) classes available, because there is a better, faster and easier way to learn to read, write, and speak professionally in Spanish if you grew up in a family where Spanish was spoken. Please take the Spanish Placement Test to find out your appropriate level (see previous section).  If you have questions about this procedure or placement in general, it would be helpful to contact the Non-native Speakers Program Coordinator, Professor Jeff Longwell. 

What will I be able to do after this course?

Spanish 1110, 1120, 2110, and 2120 are designed to develop basic proficiency in oral and written Spanish. This course is designed to teach Spanish in a communicative or natural way—that means we will learn by doing and participating in Spanish. Your instructor won’t speak English in the classroom, nor will he/she spend long sessions discussing grammar. He or she is, however, available to answer any questions (in English or Spanish) after class, during office hours, in the language lab, or by appointment.  Come to class every day with an open mind toward learning about, and in Spanish, and this class will be one of your most exciting and successful ones. Pay particular attention to the sections on the Exam Review Guides called the Preguntas Personales, these are the basics of the course. 

Zoom and Camera Use if courses are carried our via Zoom

​One of the goals of our course is to establish a good base for a learning community. A strong learning community enhances our overall learning experience and enables us to connect with each other and learn and in a variety of ways. Since our course will be held using live synchronous zoom sessions, we will have the following expectations for those sessions. Students are always encouraged to have their web cameras turned on, when possible, to facilitate learning in the community (like putting faces with names, and allowing for reading non-verbal cues, etc.). Here are some instances where the camera is not necessary: when the instructor, or other students, are making presentations using slides or pictures; when we are watching a video together, etc. Due to the nature of our course, there are certain activities in class that will function better when having your camera turned on in Zoom makes for a more engaging experience for all involved: break-out room sessions when working in groups, individual meetings with either classmates or the instructor.

It is understood that this is not always possible, due to circumstances that are sometimes beyond our control, to have cameras turned on. If you are unable to have your camera turned on, please let the instructor know via a private chat message in Zoom, an email in Canvas outside of class, or some other means that explains the circumstances and reasons for having your camera off, your instructor will be mindful of all these types of circumstances. If your camera is off, you are encouraged to show your presence in the learning community in some manner by: making sure to upload a profile picture in Zoom (something besides just your name on the screen), participating activity in the chat when it is appropriate, and/or ensuring that you are actively participating with your microphone when possible and appropriate. Please remember that part of what you get out of the course (and the instructor and other students) depends on how you decide to engage with the course (and the instructor and other students).

Since our class does have scheduled meeting times and there is an attendance portion for our learning community section of the final grade, the Zoom sessions will not be recorded.

Absences and Makeup Exams  

Please see the Course Calendar and Attendance Policy handout for specific details.

Plagiarism/Copying/Cheating

All work presented in this course must be solely the product of the individual student. Copying, cheating, or handing in identical work on any assignments will be considered academic misconduct and will result in appropriate administrative action.  Important: Seeking help from a Native Speaker of Spanish on a composition and copying another’s workbook exercises are both considered cheating, and will be treated as academic misconduct according to the procedures listed in the student handbook.  Sharing answers from the on-line quizzes is also considered as cheating.

Tutoring Assistance

Paid tutors are available through Student Support Services (646-1336). There is free tutoring available at the Zuhl Library.  Also, students may consult with any of the instructors at the Language Lab located at Breland 170B. 


Classroom Courtesy and the In-class Participation Component of the Grade
  
You will be expected to show common courtesy to your instructor and fellow students while in class, both of which will enhance your learning experience.  This includes not yelling or disrupting the class in any way.  Arriving late is an interruption to the flow of the class and we ask that if you do arrive late, that you please make every effort to enter with as little interruption as possible.

A student that WILL receive all the points allotted for the in-class participation component of the grade will:
  1. always arrive on-time (or early) to class
  2. always has some format of the book in class in order to complete work in class. If the electronic version is used, student must have a way to access it by phone, tablet, or lap top.  Students using other students' books in class will be considered un-prepared for class.
  3. always have homework and other assignments completed before class and turn them in when due as the instructor assigns them or as they are indicated in the course calendar, this includes on-line assignments
  4. NOT work on homework during class
  5. participate willingly and voluntarily when called upon by the instructor
  6. participate in groups during class
  7. be courteous to other students and the instructor including respecting ideas and opinions of others
  8. include appropriate materials in oral and written presentations - maintaining a PG-13 level of images, and other content.

The Participation Component of the grade is a subjective portion of the grade and is left to the instructor to decide on the total number of points awarded to a student while taking into consideration the previously mentioned items.  

On-line Participation Component:   

Since our courses involve a significant amount of work online, the online work is just as important as coming to class.  A student that WILL receive all the points allotted for the on-line participation component of the grade will:

  1. check in regularly on the days the course is on-line by visiting the instructor in his/her virtual office hours or in the Language Lab and/or by participating in any activities/assignments the instructor may post on-line for the class
  2. complete all the online activities/assignments given by the instructor.  This includes, but is not limited to, the online work done in MySpanishLab, recommended chat or Skype/Canvas Conference sessions, and others.
  3. complete all the online work assigned.  Points will be deducted for assignments NOT completed.
  4. be courteous to other students and the instructor in on-line discussions, and all types of on-line communication.