SPA 201 - Intermediate Spanish I continues developing your knowledge of the Spanish language with emphasis on the development of proficiency in the following skills: reading, writing, listening, and speaking. This course also familiarizes you with the culture and customs of the Spanish-speaking world.

Entry Level Competencies: The prerequisite for this course is SPA 102 - Beginning Spanish II or equivalent.

Recommended Knowledge and Skills: Intermediate Spanish I, places emphasis on the continued development of proficiency in the following skills: reading, writing, listening, and speaking. This course also familiarizes students with the culture, customs and literature of the Spanish-speaking world.

If you do well in this course, you will be able to:

• Discriminate sounds through the use of the audio program CDs that accompanies their textbook and lab manual.
• Listen and speak Spanish through the use of communicative assignments via telephone and oral practical application.
• Compare and contrast their own culture with Latin American and Spanish cultures through selected readings and discussions via Blackboard web page assignments.
• Compose essays in Spanish demonstrating their knowledge of vocabulary and grammatical structures of the Spanish language.

The required textbook for this course is:

• Zayas-Bazán and Bacon.  Arriba!  Comunicación y Cultura, Textbook, Fourth Edition, Prentice Hall
• Zayas-Bazán and Bacon.  Arriba!  Comunicación y Cultura, Workbook/Lab Manual, Fourth Edition, Prentice Hall.
• Zayas-Bazán and Bacon.  Arriba!  Comunicación y Cultura, Audio Program CD to accompany the textbook, Fourth Edition, Prentice Hall.
• Zayas-Bazán and Bacon.  Arriba!  Comunicación y Cultura, Audio Program CD to accompany the Lab Manual, Fourth Edition, Prentice Hall.
• Companion website ¡Arriba!  Comunicación y Cultura: http://wps.prenhall.com/ml_zayas_arriba_4

Note: Prentice-Hall has prepared a ValuePak which contains all of the above at a discounted price.

The following materials are OPTIONAL but are highly recommended:

• Quick Grammar Guide to Spanish Grammar
• English-Spanish/Spanish-English dictionary

For information on how to order your textbooks, go to http://eli.nvcc.edu/books/

Your final grade is based on the following:

• Letter of Introduction (5%). This is your introduction to your course mates and your instructor.
• Index of Learning Styles (ILS) (5%).You need to answer this questionnaire and you need to reflect to find out if you are an online learner.
• Oral Assignments (15%).
• Written Assignments (20%). Written work submitted for a grade must be done independently. You are allowed to use your textbooks, dictionaries or the Internet, but you are NOT allowed to use other resources (i.e., tutors, spouses or Spanish speaking friends) when you write these Spanish essays. If you use sources other than your textbooks, these sources must be documented.
• Participation (10%). This component of your grade includes your participation in the discussion forums in the Discussion Board.
• Mid-term Oral Exam (10%). This exam includes listening and writing components.
• Mid-term Written Exam (10%). This exam includes listening, vocabulary, writing, and culture components.
• Final At-Home Oral Exam (10%). This exam will be graded based on comprehensibility, vocabulary, content, grammar, fluency and pronunciation. It will consist of the description of three pictures out of five provided by your instructor.
• Final Written Exam (15%).  This is a comprehensive exam.

There are three (3) online proctored exams in this course. You are expected to take three (3) of the exams at one of the NVCC campus Testing Centers and one (1) At-Home. Be sure to allow enough time to complete your exam before the Testing Center closes; Testing Centers have specific policies relating to the administration of ELI exams. You will need to take a photo ID, your NovaConnect empl ID number, and the appropriate Exam Pass when you go to the Testing Center.

For Testing Center locations, hours of operation and policies, click here.

For information on taking exams outside of the metropolitan area, click here.

I am here to help you succeed in this course. Occasionally questions or problems may arise. Here is how to contact me when they do:

E-mail : agonzalez@nvcc.edu
Telephone : (703) 323-3347
You may also call me to schedule a meeting in person at ELI. 

1. Use your web browser to connect to http://www.nvcc.edu/bbstart. Follow the directions to determine your email, Blackboard and VIVA account user names and passwords.
2. Access your email account and make sure you know how to use it; you will be required to use this account for all course-related email.
3. Log on to Blackboard at http://learn.vccs.edu.
4. Click on this course under "My Courses." Review the entire course to make sure you understand what will be required of you. Then start completing the assignments.

Please note that account generation takes approximately one week from the time of your paid registration. If you cannot log on after one week, contact the IT Help Desk. If you can log on to Blackboard, but your course isn't listed, please contact ELI or your instructor.