3201-001-Español para negocios                                      Otoño del 2012

MWF 10:00 – 11:00 am, COLE 1120                              Eastern Illinois University

Prof. Carlos C. Amaya                                                     Oficina: COLE 1230

Teléfono: 581-5217                                                             Horas de oficina:
E-mail: ccamaya@eiu.edu                                                  11:00 am – 12:00 pm LMV
www.ux1.eiu.edu/~ccamaya/cur.html

Required texts:
Doyle, Michael, T. Bruce Fryer y Ronald Cere. Éxito Comercial: Prácticas administrativas y contextos culturales.  5ª edición. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 2011.

Doyle, Michael, T. Bruce Fryer y Ronald Cere. Éxito comercial: cuaderno de correspondencia y documentos comerciales. 5ª edición. Chicago: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 2011

Recommended: The New World Spanish-English/English-Spanish Dictionary

Course Objectives and Description: This course focuses on the elements of vocabulary, protocol and style that are peculiar to commercial Spanish in speaking and writing.  Students will examine a wide range of materials (letters, job descriptions, advertisements, bank documents, import-export documents, etc.), practice oral business situations, and develop their ability to translate both from and to Spanish. A great deal of emphasis will be placed on vocabulary building.  No specialized knowledge of business in English is assumed.  Class meetings will consist mainly of class and group discussions based on readings, and internet searches made by the students.  Class will be conducted in Spanish.  Prerequisite Spanish 3000

Homework:  Written homework will be assigned every day to guide students through the text and to prepare them for class discussion.  Homework will be collected randomly, so all assignments must be completed in such a way that they may be turned in when requested (neatly typed out on a clean sheet of paper).  Homework is due during class when the instructor requests it (not after class and not in the instructor’s office or mailbox).  Since the homework is meant to prepare students for class activities, it is pointless to do the homework after the day it is assigned and discussed.  For this reason, no late homework assignments will be accepted without written, verifiable documentation from a medical professional.  To be fair to classmates and the instructor, there are no exceptions to this rule.

Class participation and preparation, absences: Preparation for class and class discussion are interdependent; an essential part of any course dealing with a foreign language is dialogue and discussion of the assigned texts.  It is crucial that you do all of the assignments at home to be able to participate actively in class.  Participation in class includes volunteering in class discussions, responding to questions, coming to class prepared, and being pivotal to completing group tasks.  Activities that negatively affect your participation grade include failing to contribute to class discussions, sitting passively during group work, arriving late, “popping out” during class, absence from class, and leaving early.  PLEASE NOTE: Because participation in class and group discussions is so important to the learning process, for each unexcused absence, 1 % will be deducted from the course grade at the end of the semester.

Presentations.  There will be several short presentations throughout the semester. Students will prepare 8-10 minute-presentations about assigned topics. Also, at the end of the semester, each student will do a long presentation of at least 10-15 minutes.  Students will prepare a creative, well-developed presentation of an assigned topic. Each student will receive an individual grade according to his or her presentation and preparation of the material.

Academic misconduct:  As stated in the EIU undergraduate catalogue, “it is assumed that students will honor the tradition of academic honesty”.  Academic honesty prohibits the following: cheating (the use of unauthorized materials, assistance, etc. during exams), plagiarism (to present ideas and statements of another person as own), and facilitating academic dishonesty (to help another student do any of the above).  With this in mind consider the following: all written work (including homework) must be your work.  You may not get any kind of help from an outside source—including but not limited to a tutor, computer spell checker, grammar checker, computer translator, internet, etc.—other than your instructor.  Any of these activities will be investigated and sanctions will be levied.  Any suspected breach of academic honesty will be dealt with according to the provisions outlined in the Student Conduct Code.

Withdrawals:  The last day to drop the course with an automatic “W” is Friday, November 2nd.

Evaluation Policy:  Students are expected to take all quizzes, tests, and exams at the appointed time.  Make-ups of announced and unannounced quizzes and exams will NOT be given except in the most extreme cases (verifiable illness, hospitalization, injury accident, etc).  Make-ups in these cases may be approved by the instructor ONLY when the student notifies him prior to or during the class period when the exam, etc. takes place or is due.  It is imperative that the students keep an accurate report of his/her grades attained in class.  Daily and active class participation is essential.

Evaluation Procedure

Unannounced Quizzes                          = 6 % (several will be given)
Homework                                            = 18% (only completed homework accepted)
Attendance and Class Participation      = 12%
Presentations                                         = 12% (short and long presentations)
Written Work                                        = 7 %
Exámenes (2 @ 15%)                           = 30%
Final Exam (1 @ 15%)                         = 15%
        Total                                                 100%
Grading Scale  (percent)            
A  = 90-100     B  = 80-89     C  = 70-79     D  = 60-69     F = 0-59
--One percent will be deducted from the attendance grade for every unexcused absence over 2 (only valid excuses are allowed: phone calls and e mails are not valid). There will not be extra-credit offered.
--No late work is accepted—work left at my mail box or under the door will not be graded.
--Use of cell phones is not allowed in class. You will be ask to the leave and marked absent if your professor catches you using it during class time.
**If you have a documented disability and wish to receive academic accommodations, please notify your instructor and contact the Office of Disability Services 581-6583 as soon as possible.

Horario de clases
Any change to the syllabus will be announced in class by the professor. It is the student responsibility to find out what changes, if any, have been made in class.

Agosto (TB: Text Book, NC: Negocios y Comercio)

Septiembre

Octubre

Noviembre

Diciembre

Final Exam on Tuesday, December 11, 10:15 – 12:15 pm