SPAN 336: Topics for Proficiency: Spain as Portrayed in Social Media Spring 2011 TR 1:30AM-2:45AM - Room: AQ346 Professor:

Dr. Esperanza Romn-Mendoza Telephone: 993-1232 Website: http://mason.gmu.edu/~eromanme/

Department of Modern and Classical Languages George Mason University Office: AQ329 Office hours: T 12:30-1:20PM and by appointment E-mail: eromanme@gmu.edu Skype: e.roman.mendoza

Course description Spanish 336 is designed to promote students' oral abilities in Spanish as well as their critical understanding of Spanish culture through the discussion and analysis of different social web-based sources. SPAN 336 will make extensive use of technology to support oral and written activities. Your grade will be determined as follows: Class participation and preparation Oral class projects Forums and discussions Final group project Final oral interview based on your semester photo calendar 15% 15% 20% 25% 25%

Course objectives The aim of this course is to enable you to acquire new vocabulary, grammar structures and pragmatics in order to improve your conversational skills. Discussions and activities will be based on current events as they are portrayed in the social media (blogs, digital repositories, twitter, YouTube videos, digital newspapers discussions, etc.). Course materials Materials and calendar will be posted on Wikispaces, as well as activities. Please check regularly the course calendar for specific information on activities and deadlines. (http://span336sp11.wikispaces.com) Shuttercal account. This is an online tool to create calendars that will be used for your final individual project. (http://shuttercal.com/) Diigo account. This is an online tool to share resources. Students will get private accounts set up by the professor. GMU email account. Students must activate their GMU email accounts to receive important University information, including messages related to this class. Please keep track of your login and password information for all these websites on a safe, accessible file so you can retrieve it if you forget it.

In-class participation and preparation This is primarily a conversation class and you must be present to participate. Attendance is crucial. No make-up work will be accepted for lost class time. Late assignments wont be accepted, unless there is a medical reason or any other justified emergency. Check our class wiki for course materials, lesson plans and scheduled assignments (Calendario de tareas). The attached tentative schedule does not contain details, as it is just an overview of the whole course. Oral class projects As part of Spanish 336 you will be carrying out different oral assignments based on audiovisual (songs, videos and movies) and written information (readings) throughout the semester. On the days devoted to DEBATES, oral performance will be formally assessed, and grades will be used for this course category. Written forums and discussions As part of this course, you will be required to participate in the on-line forums and discussions that will be set up specifically for this course mainly on the course wiki. Topics of discussion will be determined according to the weekly news as they become available on TV. Audiovisual information for these assignments will be accessible via http://www.rtve.es/mediateca/videos/ (For news, look for Noticias, Telediario, Telediario en cuatro minutos) Make sure you watch the right video for the assignments. Videos on this website are not accessible after 10 days of having been broadcasted. The assignments designated as foros will be done at home and collected each day.

The discussions will be exercises that will be done in class. Final Group project Depending on enrollment, groups of 4 or 5 students will be working on a specific topic as portrayed on different social media. The final group presentation will consist of an oral debate among the members of the group and a written report. Sources used for this group project will be shared and commented through Diigo. More details in class. Semester photo calendar and final oral interview For each week, you will be required to post on your Shuttercal calendar (http://shuttercal.com/) at least two entries with pictures related to the topics discussed in class or to events that happened in Spain (or in the US but that were discussed in the Spanish media). Each picture will also have a comment explaining why you chose that picture. You also have to comment on your designated group members calendars at least once a week. The final oral interview will be based on the pictures and comments you made during the whole semester. Your global performance in the course will be also discussed. Directions on how to register for this service will be given during the first day of classes. Remember that you are not allowed to post copyrighted pictures and that all information you will post online on Shuttercal will be accessible by any Internet user, so use caution and common sense for all your online work with these and other tools. You are welcome to share your calendar with your peers and required to send the address to your instructor. OFFICE OF DISABILITY SERVICES If you are a student with a disability and you need academic accommodations, please see me and contact the Office of Disability Services (ODS) at 993-2474. All academic accommodations must be arranged through the ODS. http://ods.gmu.edu ACADEMIC INTEGRITY GMU is an Honor Code university; please see the University Catalog, http://academicintegrity.gmu.edu/honorcode/, for a full description of the code and the honor committee process. The principle of academic integrity is taken very seriously and violations are treated gravely. Academic integrity means essentially this: when you are responsible for a task, you will perform that task. When you rely on someone elses work in an aspect of the performance of that task, you will give full credit in the proper, accepted form. Another aspect of academic integrity is the free play of ideas. Vigorous discussion and debate are encouraged in this course, with the firm expectation that all aspects of the class will be conducted with civility and respect for differing ideas, perspectives, and traditions. When in doubt (of any kind) please ask for guidance and clarification. UNIVERSITY POLICIES The University Catalog, http://catalog.gmu.edu, is the central resource for university policies affecting student, faculty, and staff conduct in university affairs. You are responsible for being aware of all policies that affect you and your studies at GMU. OTHER USEFUL CAMPUS RESOURCES Writing Center: http://writingcenter.gmu.edu University Libraries Ask a Librarian: http://library.gmu.edu/mudge/IM/IMRef.html Career Services: http://careers.gmu.edu/ Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS): http://caps.gmu.edu All cell phones and electronic devices must be turned off and out of sight during class time.

SPAN 336 Spain as Portrayed in Social Media Spring 2011 (Tentative Schedule) Fecha Martes 25/1 Jueves 27/1 Martes 1/2 Jueves 3/2 Martes 8/2 Jueves 10/2 Martes 15/2 Jueves 17/2 Martes 22/2 Jueves 24/2 Martes 1/3 Jueves 3/3 Martes 8/3 Jueves 10/3 15/3-17/3 Martes 22/3 Jueves 24/3 Martes 29/3 Jueves 31/3 Martes 5/4 Jueves 7/4 Martes 12/4 Jueves 14/4 Martes 19/4 Jueves 21/4 Martes 26/4 Jueves 28/4 Martes 2/5 Jueves 5/5 Jueves 12/5 1:30 to 4:15 Identidad digital Discusin Noticias Semana VII 21-25/3 Relaciones con EE.UU. Discusin Noticias Semana VIII 28/3-1/4 Debate III Discusin Noticias Semana IX 4-8/4 Debate IV Discusin Noticias Semana X 11-15/4 Discusin pelcula Discusin pelcula Grupos I y II (Presentacin en grupo) Grupos III y IV (Presentacin en grupo) Grupos V y VI (Presentacin en grupo) Comentarios sobre las presentaciones Comentarios sobre las presentaciones Comentarios sobre las presentaciones Contenido Introduccin al curso Lengua y tecnologa Discusin Noticias Semana I 24-28/1 El lenguaje de los jvenes Discusin Noticias Semana II 30/1-4/2 Retos de la sociedad espaola Discusin Noticias Semana III 7-11/2 Debate I Discusin pelcula Discusin pelcula Discusin Noticias Semana IV 21-25/2 Preparacin trabajo en grupo Discusin Noticias Semana V 28/2-4/3 Debate II Discusin Noticias Semana VI 14-18/3 Mira Noticias 28/2-4/3. Escribe Foro V Mira Videos I Vacaciones de primavera Mira Noticias 14-18/3. Escribe Foro VI Lee Lectura V Mira Noticias 21-25/3. Escribe Foro VII Lee Lectura VI Mira Noticias 28/3-1/4. Escribe Foro VIII Escucha Canciones II Mira Noticias 4-8/4. Escribe Foro IX Mira Vdeos II Mira Noticias 11-15/4. Escribe Foro X Lee Lectura VII. Cine online Mira Noticias 21-25/2. Escribe Foro IV Lee Lectura I Mira Noticias 24-28/1. Escribe Foro I. Lee Lectura II Mira Noticias 30/1-4/2. Escribe Foro II Lee Lectura III Mira Noticias 7-11/2. Escribe Foro III Escucha Canciones I Lee Lectura IV. Cine online Tarea

Final individual interview with instructor