PB 200: Elementary Portuguese

PB 200: Elementary Portuguese
Stephen Bocskay and Sophia Beal, Instructors
Spring 2008
Course Hour J & G: Tuesday and Thursday 1–2:20pm, Monday and Wednesday 2-2:50pm
Contact info:
[email protected]
[email protected]
Office phone number: 401-863-3411
Office Location: 159 George St (between Thayer and Brook Streets).
Office Hours: Sophie: Wed: 2:50-4:50pm
Stephen: TBA
Classroom: 116 Watson Institute (111 Thayer St, other classroom TBA)
Required Texts
Ponto de Encontro (textbook, DVD, and Student Activities Manual at Brown Bookstore)
O Pagador de Promessas (course packet at Allegra Print and Imagining on 102 Waterman St)
Course Description
POBS200 is the second semester of a 2-semester introduction to Portuguese. The goal of the
course is to develop students’ speaking, reading, listening, and writing skills in Portuguese and to
ground these skills within the cultural context of Portuguese-speaking countries. The course will
prepare students to take the advanced grammar and culture course POBS400 and will provide a
necessary base for students planning to study or work in a Portuguese-speaking country or
planning to use Portuguese in any other way. Toward the end of the semester, we will read
Brazilian playwright Dias Gomes’ play O Pagador de Promessas (“The Promise Payer”), which
we will analyze, perform scenes of, and discuss in depth in class. We will also watch a film of
this play. POBS100 is a prerequisite for this course. This is a full immersion course, therefore no
English will be spoken in class. Outside of class, you are welcome to speak with me in English.
Objectives
♦ Enhance your command of the four areas of the Portuguese language: speaking, reading,
listening, and writing
♦ Teach the Portuguese language within a cultural context, which provides you with basic
knowledge about the main parts of the world where Portuguese is spoken: Angola, Brazil, Cape
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Verde, East Timor, Goa, Guinea-Bissau, Macau, Mozambique, Portugal, and São Tomé e
Príncipe. We will also discuss the Portuguese-speaking communities in and around Providence.
On completion of the course, students should be able to:
♦ speak, read, listen to, and write basic Portuguese, using all verb tenses and a wide vocabulary
♦ have a basic command of Lusophone culture
Class preparation
You are expected to prepare the assigned pages in Ponto de Encontro in advance for each class,
which includes doing all of the reading, making sure you understand the grammar points (or are
prepared to ask questions about them), and that you do all of the exercises, except the audio ones.
We will spend a minimum amount of time on grammar explanations, so that we can focus
instead on activities geared towards actual language use.
Student Activity Manual (SAM)
The SAM will be collected twice. The units to be prepared are marked in the calendar along with
the dates. You should complete the section of the SAM that coincides with each class
assignment (indicated on calendar) before that class, so you’ll be prepared for class and so that
you don’t have a lot of work to do right before the SAM is due. Bring your SAM to class
because frequently we will go over the exercises in it.
Attendance
Attendance is required. You will be allowed 2 absences this term. After that your grade may be
affected. If you are sick, please provide a note from Health Services.
Grading
1. Attendance and Participation. Attendance and participation (active engagement during each
class) is an important part of your grade. Since we are primarily concerned with progress,
we have designed the grading system so as not to penalize a student who starts slowly but
keeps improving. By the same token, a few early high grades do not guarantee an A in
the course. In other words, you must finish strongly in order to receive a good grade. If
you come to class prepared and do your assignments regularly, you should have no
problem doing well.
2. Exams. Not including your final exam, you’ll have three exams during the semester: two
based on the grammar textbook and one based on O Pagador de Promessas. The tests are
clearly marked on your calendar and are a good way for you and me to assess your
progress.
3. Compositions. You will write two compositions this semester in Portuguese. The first
composition will be based on an issue or topic of your choice related to the Lusophone
world. The second composition will be a response essay to one of the films in the
Brazilian Film Festival that will be held at Brown from March 5rd to 9th. If you will not be
able to attend any of the festival films (they are free to all Brown students), please contact
us immediately. The compositions should be two pages, 12 point font, 1 inch margins,
double-spaced, using correct Portuguese spelling and accents.
4. Oral evaluations.
a. oral presentation: You will present your first composition orally. The oral
presentations will be an opportunity for you to share some of your interests in the
Lusophone world with the rest of the class and for you to learn about your classmates’
interests.
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b. graded discussion: In March, there will be a graded discussion on the Brazilian Film
Festival in which you will talk with one another about the films that you saw and ask
each other questions. You will be required to attend at least two films.
c. poetry recitation day: Also, this semester you will memorize a poem of your choice
in Portuguese and recite it to the class in April. The poem must be at least 10 lines long,
and it can be by one of the following authors: José Craveirinha, Noémia de Souza, Rui
Knopfi, Ondjaki, Ana Paula Ribeiro Tavares, Agostinho Neto, Amílcar Cabral, Baltasar
Lopes da Silva, Manuel Lopes, Chico Buarque, Francisco José Tenreiro, Carlos
Drummond de Andrade, João Cabral de Melo Neto, Alphonsus de Guimaraens, Cacaso,
Chacal, Manuel Bandeira, Mário de Andrade, Oswald de Andrade, Vinícius de Moraes,
Murilo Mendes, Ana Cristina César, Fernando Pessoa, Luís Vaz de Camões, Florbela
Espanca, Sophia de Mello Breyner Andresen, Eugénio de Andrade, or Dom Dinis. If you
have personal interest in another Lusophone poet and would prefer to memorize one of
his or her poems, you are welcome to do so as long as you check with us first. When you
recite your poem, you should also briefly tell us who the poet is (name, country, time
period...).
Grading breakdown
Grammar Exams ...........................................20%
O Pagador de Promessas Exam ....................15%
Compositions .................................................15%
Oral evaluations .............................................15%
Attendance and Participation .........................10%
Final Exam......................................................25%
(Total) ............................................................100%
Grades will be awarded according to the following scale:
94-100%.....................A
74-76%.......................C
90-93%.......................A70-73%.......................C87-89%.......................B+
67-69%.......................D+
84-86%.......................B
64-66%.......................D
80-83%.......................B60-63%.......................D77-79%.......................C+
59% or less.................F
Academic dishonesty
If you plagiarize on any assignment for this class, you will fail the course. If you have any
questions about proper citations of other’s work, please let me know.
Note
Please inform me if you have a disability or other condition that might require some modification
of any of these course procedures. You may speak with me after class or during office hours.
I look forward to an interesting and mutually rewarding semester!
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Calendar
23 January, Wednesday
Introduction
24 January, Thursday
L11: 400–409, complete SAM pages 251-255
28 January, Monday
L11: 410-416, complete SAM pages 256-258
29 January, Tuesday
L11: 417-425, complete SAM pages 259-262
30 January, Wednesday
L11: 425-433, complete SAM pages 263-270
31 January, Thursday
Activity for verb review, complete SAM pages 271-273
4 February, Monday
L12: 434-442, complete SAM pages 275-277
Composition 1: First draft due
5 February, Tuesday
L12: 443-452, complete SAM pages 277-282 [of all the days to
split up, this would be a good one]
6 February, Wednesday
L12: 452-461 [too much for 50 minutes], complete SAM pages
282-288
7 February, Thursday
Activity on the past subjunctive, complete SAM pages 287-292
11 February, Monday
L12: 461-467, complete SAM pages 292-298
12 February, Tuesday
L13: 468-476, complete SAM pages 299-304
13 February, Wednesday
L13: 476-489, complete SAM pages 304-312
14 February, Thursday
L13: 489-497, complete SAM pages 312-320
SAM L11, L12, and L13 due
18 February, Monday
No Class (Presidents’ Day)
19 February, Tuesday
No Class
20 February, Wednesday
QUIZ on L11, L12, and L13
21 February, Thursday
L14: 498-507, complete SAM pages 321-326
25 February, Monday
Oral presentations (5 minutes long), complete SAM pages 327-330
Composition 1: Final version due
26 February, Tuesday
Oral presentations (5 minutes long), complete SAM pages 331-334
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27 February, Wednesday
L14: 508-515, complete SAM pages 335-337
28 February, Thursday
L14: 516-525, complete SAM pages 338-343
3 March, Monday
L15: 526-535, complete SAM pages 345-348
4 March, Tuesday
L15: 535-544, complete SAM pages 349-351, complete SAM
pages 352-356
5 March, Wednesday
L15: 545-556, complete SAM pages 357-360
(Brazilian Film Festival begins)
6 March, Thursday
reading and writing activity, complete SAM pages 358-361
10 March, Monday
Graded discussion on the festival films, complete SAM pages 361366
11 March, Tuesday
Expansão gramatical: 557-564, complete SAM pages 366-372
12 March, Wednesday
Expansão gramatical: 565-571
1st draft of 2nd composition due
13 March, Thursday
Writing workshop correcting common errors in students’ 2nd
compositions
17 March, Monday
Apêndice I: 572-575
SAM L14, L15, and Expansão gramatical due
18 March, Tuesday
Apêndice II (revisão dos verbos): 576-585
quiz review
19 March, Wednesday
QUIZ on L14, L15, expansão gramatical, Apêndices I & II
20 March, Thursday
grammar review based in quiz results
24 March–March 30th
Spring break
31 March, Monday
Final draft of 2nd composition due
O Pagador de Promessas, Ato I, Quadro I
1 April, Tuesday
O Pagador de Promessas, Ato I, Quadro I
2 April, Wednesday
O Pagador de Promessas, Ato I, Quadro I
3 April, Thursday
O Pagador de Promessas, Ato I, Quadro II
7 April, Monday
O Pagador de Promessas, Ato I, Quadro II
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8 April, Tuesday
O Pagador de Promessas, Ato I, Quadro II
9 April, Wednesday
O Pagador de Promessas, Ato II, Quadro I
10 April, Thursday
Poetry Recitation Day
14 April, Monday
O Pagador de Promessas, Ato II, Quadro I
15 April, Tuesday
O Pagador de Promessas, Ato II, Quadro I
16 April, Wednesday
O Pagador de Promessas, Ato II, Quadro II
17 April, Thursday
O Pagador de Promessas, Ato II, Quadro II
21 April, Monday
O Pagador de Promessas, Ato II, Quadro II
22 April, Tuesday
O Pagador de Promessas, Ato III
23 April, Wednesday
O Pagador de Promessas, Ato III
24 April, Thursday
Filme: O Pagador de Promessas
28 April, Monday
Filme: O Pagador de Promessas
29 April, Tuesday
Discussion about the film and the play (exam review)
30 April, Wednesday
EXAM on O Pagador de Promessas
1 May, Thursday
Final exam review
5 May, Monday
FINAL EXAM
6 May, Tuesday
Last class (you’ll receive your graded Final Exam in class)
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