I. Objectives of the course
1. To increase your
fluency in Spanish. All students will be encouraged to
speak Spanish to the best of their abilities at all times.
Some allowances and translations will be allowed for beginners,
but to a lesser, more appropriate extent for internediate and advanced students. Remember
that I will be monitoring your level of effort during the
course.
2. To enhance your cultural knowledge of the Dominican Republic.
This course will have you live with two host families, one in
Santo Domingo (the capital) and in the resort town of Punta
Cana. You will have the opportunity to experience many kinds of
Dominican life and social contexts: music, food, art, language,
folklore, religion, popular culture, sports, family life,
ecology, among many others.
II. Itinerary
For the complete daily itinerary, click on
this
link.
III.
Grading.
|
A.
Grade from Spanish
language class |
60%
|
|
B.
Journal |
20% |
|
C. Attendance and
participation in excursions and all course-related
activities |
20% |
A.
Grade from Spanish
language class (60%)
While in Punta Cana, students will be enrolled in
intensive Spanish classes. On the first day of class, each student
will complete a placement exam and will be placed at the beginning,
intermediate or advanced levels. Students will receive a grade for
their participation in this portion of the course.
B.
Journal (20%)
Each day of the course, students will be required
to make an entry in a journal. By the end of the course,
each student must have 23 entries, one
for each day of the course.
Beginning students may write their journal
entries in English until January 15. After this date, all
entries must be in Spanish (beginning students will have a
Spanish limit of 50 words). All English entries have a minimum
limit of 150 words. Those who write in Spanish will have a
lower minimum of 75 words per day for internediate students, 125
for advanced. There is no maximum. Until January 15,
you may decide which level best describes your abilities, but
remember, I will be checking up on this, and I know how much
Spanish you have taken (so don't try to be a beginner if you are
really intermediate). It's always best to try to push
yourself to do as much as possible in Spanish. Journals
will be graded on creativity and content.
You may write your entries electronically in a
blog, in a word document, or on Facebook, or in a notebook with
a pen. Photos and videos are most welcome. I
encourage you to take this assignment
seriously, but I also hope that you have fun with it,
organizing it as a kind of scrapbook of your adventure in the
Dominican Republic.
Do not get behind in writing your entries.
I will have you turn them in to me every few days.
C. Participation
and attendance (20%)
Another important part of your grade is based on your engagement in all
course activities. This course requires many hours of engagement
per day, between 7-10 hours per day (or more), in classes, excursions,
and other activities. I expect all of you to participate
enthusiastically in order to get a good grade in the course.
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