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Useful course links Take the quiz Textbook website (with exercises) Course schedule Dr. Jenkins' homepage Dalbor Table of Contents Ladefoged's Vowels and Consonants U. of Iowa Phonetics Flash Animation Project SIL IPA fonts Auraria library View Course reserves Typing accents on your computer UCD Modern Languages U. of Texas Map Collection

Note:  While students may print this page for reference, the official version of this syllabus is the current electronic version.  Please be aware that it is subject to change.

Prerequisites

    This is an upper-division course that requires upper-division standing.  It is strongly recommended that you have taken at least one other 3000-level course and received a grade of C or higher (the higher, the better). In terms of expression, linguistic ability cannot be an issue. All work and participation are expected to be completed in coherent, comprehensible Spanish.  The student must also be able to conduct a 30-minute interview in Spanish.

Introduction  

     This course has several goals.  First and foremost, it is aimed to help students recognize the phonetic elements of the Spanish language and improve pronunciation where necessary, especially in those areas where interference from English is common.  Second, it is designed to provide an introduction to basic linguistic principles, thus preparing students for further study in Spanish linguistics.  Finally, the course will help students gain a further appreciation for the diversity in pronunciation of the Spanish language throughout the world.

Grading

First exam	13%
Second exam	13%
Third exam	14%
Quizzes	10%
First project	10%
Second project	20%
Third project	20%

The grading scale for all Modern Languages courses (including this one) is as follows:
 

A	93% or better	B-	80-82.9	D+	67-69.9
A-	90-92.9	C+	77-79.9	D	63-66.9
B+	87-89.9	C	73-76.9	D-	60-62.9
B	83-86.9	C-	70-72.9	F	Below 60%

Quizzes

There will be a short, on-line quiz associated with each reading assignment.  Students are expected to complete this quiz before the class session for which the assignment is due.  Quizzes will be graded on a pass/fail basis (60% is passing).  The purpose for the quizzes is to help students come to class prepared to discuss the reading and to give students an idea as to some of the main points of the reading.  Do not ignore the quizzes!  Taking them is a great way to boost your grade, and skipping them is a sure-fire way to ruin it.

The link for taking the quizzes is at the top of this page under the "Useful course links" menu or through cuonline.

Note:  If you are enrolled in the course through Metro State, please let me know immediately ( I need your name, e-mail and SID), since you will not be able to access the quizzes until you have been entered into the UCD Blackboard system.

As many of the course materials are on-line, each student is required to maintain an active e-mail account for out-of-class communications.  Please make sure that the account you use is the one listed in our class Blackboard site (where you take the quizzes).  Failure to receive/read e-mails does not excuse the student from assignments or notifications given.

Attendance

Given the technical nature of this course, regular attendance is crucial.  Modern Languages Departmental policy states that any student who is absent from class more than 20% of the semester will receive an automatic failing grade (read: 'F') for the course, regardless of the reason for the absence.  Any student who misses more than six (6) classes will receive an 'F' for the semester.  This includes every day (including the first and last) of the semester, regardless of when the student enrolls in the course.  If you know that you cannot abide by this attendance policy, then you should not take this course.

Make-ups

Don't count on them.  Work is to be turned in on time and exams are to be taken on the scheduled date, not before or after.  Please make any travel/vacation/surgery plans for after finals week.  I know that emergencies exist.  If you are giving birth or having emergency surgery, let me know and I'm sure we can work something out.  In the event of an emergency, it is infinitely better for you to communicate with me as early as possible rather than to wait until the next class period.

Late Assignments

All work is to be submitted in class on the due date. After that, it's late. Problems with illness, computers, unsuccessful e-mail attempts, printers, girlfriends/boyfriends, cars, pets, etc. do not excuse the student from deadlines. Any assignment up to 24 hours late will be penalized ten percent. Any assignment 25-48 hours late will be penalized twenty-five percent. I will not accept assignments more than 48 hours late for any reason. I mean it.

Work not turned in with the class is not guaranteed to be graded or returned with the rest of the class assignments.

Incomplete grades for the semester are extremely rare and are only granted under strict (e.g. emergency medical) circumstances.

Projects

First Mid-term project:

Make a recording of yourself reading the paragraph on page 1 of the textbook for this class.  Divide the entire paragraph into syllables (transcribe it the way that you read it, NOT the way that the book tells you it should be).  Also, identify all semivowels and transcribe them accordingly.  Finally, identify (list) any areas in which you recognize the syllabification and vowel pronunciation as non-native or non-standard (don't just write "Suena muy gringo" or "hablo muy rápido"--Tell me what the specific problem is).  Turn in the recording with the paper, in CD (Windows media), standard or microcassette*.  As with all written assignments in this class, the paper and transcription must be typed, in Spanish, double-spaced, 12 point Times New Roman (or comparable equivalent) font, with one-inch margins (on all four sides).