Bulletin Description
PORT 1010 Basic Language Skills I
3 hours per week; 3 credits.
The first in a three-semester introductory sequence for beginners. Emphasis on basic social functions, simple conversation, readings, and writing. Introduction to the cultures where Portuguese is spoken.
Prerequisites: Open only to students with no prior experience with the language. All other students must take the Brooklyn College language placement test.
Goals
By the end of this course students will be able to:
- Talk about home duties and and leisure from their everyday life.
- Distinguish and conjugate verbs estar and
- Conjugate verbs in present tense.
- Talk about actions that occur in near future.
- Describe objects and actions from their university.
- Describe and talk about their families.
- Get in touch with contemporary music, films and literature from different Portuguese speaking countries.
Grading policies
The variety of skills and activities in this course –listening, speaking, reading, writing, grammar, culture, lab work, homework, group work, presentations- – will be reflected in our grading. Your final grade will be calculated in the following manner:
- Three major exams: 25%.
- Everyday homework assignments: 20%.
- Six compositions or written projects: 15%.
- Attendance, Class participation: 15%.
- Final exam 25%.
Further information about grading
All assignments must be submitted within the time frame. Unless otherwise instructed, neither activity will be accepted after pats due.
Personal issues? Don’t hesitate in reach out professor to talk with him. Past due activities will be handled case by case.
Attendance
The attendance policy in this class is strict: only three (3) class sessions may be missed without an added adverse impact on your grade. After your third absence your grade will be reduced by 2 points with each successive absence. Please let me know in advance of any circumstances that may prevent you from coming to class.
Brooklyn College Policies
“Academic dishonesty of any type, including cheating and plagiarism, is unacceptable at Brooklyn College. Cheating is any misrepresentation in academic work. Plagiarism is the representation of another person’s work, words or ideas as your own. Students should consult the Brooklyn College Student Handbook for a fuller, more specific discussion of related academic integrity standards. Faculty are encouraged to discuss with students the application of these standards to work in each course. Academic dishonesty is punishable by failure of the “test, examination, term paper, or other assignment on which cheating occurred” (Faculty Council, May 18, 1954). In addition, disciplinary proceedings in cases of academic dishonesty may result in penalties of admonition, warning, censure, disciplinary probation, restitution, suspension, expulsion, complaint to civil authorities, and ejection.”
“The Center for Student Disability Services (CSDS), located in 138 Roosevelt Hall, is committed to ensuring that students with disabilities enjoy an equal opportunity to participate in the classrooms, programs, and services that the college has to offer by facilitating the necessary accommodations. According to the Americans with Disabilities Act, no otherwise qualified person with a disability shall be denied a benefit or opportunity or be excluded from participation solely on the basis of that disability.”
UDL (Universal Design Learning)
Activities in this course have been designed to improve specific skills: reading, listening, speaking, and writing. That’s why some of them should be submitted as text, or as voice note. However, if any student prefers to submit them by other means, s/he can absolutely do.
Contact info and email communications
Class announcements and activities will be posted on Blackboard. Students are required to check Blackboard at least once before every class meeting. Any email communication with the instructor will be through the student’s Brooklyn College e-mail account. E-mails coming from other e-mail accounts will not be read. Students are thus encouraged to use their Brooklyn College e-mail account only and regularly check their email.
The instructor will try to answer all emails within 24-48 hours, Mon-Fri between 9 am and 5 pm.
Office hours
In order to help students to clarify doubts or questions regarding this class, there will be a weekly digital office hour. Every student interested in being advised by professor is supposed to arrange an appointment in advance. To do so, s/he needs to go to the link to Google Spreadsheet, select a schedule AND email professor to let him knowing it at least two days in advance.
Expectations for participation
In person sessions: All students are supposed to take part in discussions and activities. This is a crucial part of their grades and, most important, their learning.
Asynchronous activities: All students should make assignments within time frame stablished in every activity on Blackboard.
Past due activities won’t be accepted. If a student has a special issue s/he should contact professor asap so that they can fix it.
Expectations for the instructor
Professor is open to hear suggestions in all matters related to the course.
Students can expect from professor the chance to attend special needs by students themselves. To do so all they need to do is getting in touch with him through emails, chats, or office hours.
Students can expect respect to all of them. Although this course implies readings, movies and other materials regarding cultural aspects, all of them will be tried in an academic manner so professor is compromised to address them in a professional and respectful manner.
In regard with communication and ways to get in touch students can expect from professor to email them back within 24 hours.
In regard with office hours, students can expect two main things: on the one hand, professor can devote office hours to go in depth in some materials read or watched during the week, and on the other hand they can expect from professor to devote them to talk individually or in groups about specific concerns, doubts or special needs by students.
How to proceed with activities every week?
The schedule of activities has been designed for all students to be able to organize its time weekly. Although some lessons take place over two or three weeks, you can organize your time per week. The schedule above is better explained and detailed in the Schedule that is attached to this Syllabus.
It’s advisable to divide your time every week this way: time to read-watch materials previously to attend class, and time to take part in discussions on Blackboard. Finally, time to prepare your doubts and concerns so that we can together discuss them in class time.
In person and asynchronous
Despite this is an in-person course, there are some asynchronous components. It’s been thought that class time will be devoted to practice together, and for discussing any doubt or students’ concern.
On the other hand, assignments, groupworks, and discussions will take place on Blackboard.
Where activities and assignments take place?
Blackboard: Discussions and some groupwork assignments will take place on this platform.
Required tech
Since this course is in-person but has several asynchronous parts, all students are required to get some minimum tech items:
Either a computer or a telephone (both with internet connection).
Students may want to download Blackboard App on their cellphones or tablets so that they can get access to activities and assignments that held there.
Need tech help with Blackboard?
Don’t hesitate in getting in touch to Blackboard Help for Students desk whose link is in the dashboard of this Course’s Blackboard:
https://help.blackboard.com/Learn/Student?utm_medium=Learn&utm_c ampaign=Product_link&utm_content=Student?mode=view
Needed accounts to navigate the course
You need to have and maintain the following three accounts up to date:
- CUNYFIRST(With this you will be able to access to Blackboard).
Bonus – Portfolio
Those students that decide to build and share at the end of the semester the portfolios they may have built over the semester to set up their own way to learn, will be able to get a 5% that will get summed to their gradings. The way to do this will be explained in the first session, as it’s pointed out in the course’s schedule.
