Course Description and Goals:
As a writing intensive course, Spanish 2096 helps students to develop composition skills
through a variety of analytical and creative assignments. To accomplish this goal, the course
reviews previously studied grammar topics and introduces additional verbal structures to
foster communicative accuracy. Students work on techniques to identify errors while
proactively learning to avoid similar mistakes. Despite the course’s emphasis on written
expression, other language skills are emphasized through practical means. Students will be
analyzing various texts assigned for reading. Likewise, listening engagement and oral
participation are also key components as manifested in follow-up discussions to analyze
content, structure, and aesthetics of the texts. These assignments will help students to expand
their vocabulary, improve spelling precision, and develop critical thinking while learning
another language. Spanish will be the target language for all activities related to the course.
This is a three-credit course meeting 2 or 3 times per week.
At the end of the semester, students should be able to write in Spanish at the Intermediate-
Mid level (ACTFL Rating Scale). According to the Department’s Outcomes Assessment
document, a writer at this level is able to write brief synopses and paraphrases, summaries,
and short compositions using present and future tenses with fair accuracy. Students may use
past verb forms, but not always with complete correction or with proper control. Students
may show good control of elementary vocabulary and some control of basic syntactic
patterns, but major errors still occur when expressing more complex thoughts. At this level,
students are able to use basic cohesive elements of discourse to full advantage (i.e., relative
constructions, pronouns, connectors, and the like). Though faulty, writing is comprehensibleto native speakers used to reading Spanish written by non-natives. Students are able to
express a few thoughts for which vocabulary is unknown via circumlocution, but may insert
syntactic patterns of their respective native-language when expressing ideas beyond current
level of linguistic competence (Appendix B. Written Expression in Spanish. 1.5-1.0).
Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to:
Write clearly and logically in various registers and writing situations
Communicate feelings, opinions, brief stories, arguments, and information in
writing
Construct a narrative
Correct their own work with greater accuracy
Plan their tasks by using pre-writing techniques: taking notes, focusing on
essential questions, brainstorming
Draw on an expanded vocabulary
Draw on a knowledge of grammar and structures solidified by practice and
correction
Conduct library research and be able to accordingly cite reference and sources