Course Description

SPAN*2000 is intended for students who have successfully completed SPAN*1110, students who have successfully completed Grade 12 Spanish or its equivalent, and native speakers of Spanish who wish to improve their understanding of Spanish grammar and their writing skills in Spanish. The course is designed to increase reading, comprehension, writing, and speaking skills in Spanish. It hopes to improve students’ grammar. Teaching and learning methods will include explanation, discussion, and application of new vocabulary and grammar constructs. Cultural content related to the Hispanic world will also be discussed. Students will work independently as well as in small groups in and out of the classroom to achieve the learning objectives of the course.

This course is planned as a face-to-face course.

Course Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, you should be able to:

• Demonstrate increased oral fluency in Spanish using a wide array of vocabulary.
• Demonstrate improved reading, writing, listening & comprehension skills in Spanish.
• Apply the grammatical structures studied to all forms of self-expression in Spanish.
• Formulate, express and support opinions on literary, social, and cultural course content related to the Hispanic world.

Lectures and discussion of grammar with practical application through readings, oral and written exercises, conversation, composition, and translation.

Reading and discussion of cultural, literary, and artistic selections in the textbook and online.

Assessment Details 

Mind Tap exercises and written assignments…………… (G 15+ W 10) .... 25%

Quality of the oral participation in class ……………….……………………………….…10%

2 group presentation on culture (2x6) ……………………………………………...………12%

3 vocabulary quizzes …………………(3x5=15) …………………………………………….…15%

2 Test (to be written during class time).……………… (11+15) ……………….…..26%

2 noticias to be presented in class ……………(2x6) ……………………………………12%

Detailed class schedule will be provided first week of classes.

Policy for late work: Deadlines for the Mind Tap will not be extended.  Work submitted late will carry a penalty of 5% a day.

Required Resources

Blitt Mary Ann, M. Casas and M. T. Copple. Exploraciones curso intermedio (5 chapters)

The remaining chapters of this book will be covered in SPAN2010 in the winter semester.

The package includes Mind Tap and e-book. Hard copy package is recommended.

University of Guelph Statement on Artificial Intelligence Systems, ChatGPT, Academic Integrity

Artificial intelligence (AI) systems are powerful tools that promise to revolutionize research, teaching and learning. In all three areas and in the future of work, there exist creative and forward-thinking opportunities for the use of AI. Many University of Guelph faculty, instructors, staff and students are currently looking at ethical uses of AI, including research through U of G’s Centre for Advancing Responsible and Ethical Artificial Intelligence (CARE-AI) [1].  

At the same time, the development of increasingly sophisticated AI systems such as ChatGPT poses potential threats to academic integrity. Unauthorized student use of AI systems undermines student learning, the achievement of learning outcomes and violates the University’s academic misconduct policies.

The University is committed to ensuring that the use of AI in teaching and learning complies with existing policies and regulations that govern academic and scholarly integrity. We continue to engage the University community, including students, as we work to refine academic integrity policies and their intersection with AI tools. We affirm the following:

1. Students’ work must reflect their unique intellectual capacity and demonstrate the application of critical thinking and problem solving. Unauthorized use of AI to complete assessments violates the fundamental intellectual purposes of the University and does not demonstrate student achievement of course learning outcomes.
2. Submission of materials completed by AI, without permission of the instructor, constitutes an offence under the University’s academic misconduct policies, either as a form of plagiarism or the use of unauthorized aids. 
3. Acceptable use of AI should be determined by the course instructor and may vary across disciplines, programs and types of assessments. In setting out course requirements and assessment criteria, the instructor should specify allowable uses of AI, if any, through the course outline and/or the learning management system (e.g., CourseLink). Clarity about the acceptable use of AI is critical for students and instructors. Students are responsible for appropriately referencing how and to what extent they have used AI in assessments in keeping with University and course requirements.

Faculty and instructors are encouraged to continue to develop modes of assessment that foster academic integrity [2] and assess learning outcomes. Where appropriate, this may include building into assessments requirements that students explain and provide evidence of the research and thought processes used in completing the assignment.

Ongoing information and education sessions on artificial intelligence and academic integrity will be available across the University.

Relevant academic integrity policies:

Undergraduate Calendar [3]
Associate Diploma Calendar [4]
Guelph-Humber Calendar [5]
Graduate Calendar [6]