SPAN 335: Community Activism through Social Media Fall 2015 TR 12:00PM-1:15PM - Room: Aquia 346 Professor: Dr. Esperanza Román-Mendoza Telephone: 993-1232 Website: http://mason.gmu.edu/~eromanme/

Department of Modern and Classical Languages George Mason University Office: Aquia 346 Office hours: TR 1:30-2:30PM and by appointment E-mail: [email protected] Skype: e.roman.mendoza

COURSE DESCRIPTION Spanish 335 is designed to promote students' oral abilities in Spanish as well as their critical understanding of Latin American culture and society through the discussion and analysis of different social web-based sources. SPAN 335 will make extensive use of technology to support oral and written activities. Your grade will be determined as follows: Class participation Oral class presentations (daily) Final oral presentation

10% 15% 15%

Wikispaces individual page/FB Essays Final research project

15% 20% 25%

COURSE OBJECTIVES The aim of this course is to enable you to acquire new vocabulary, grammar structures and pragmatics in order to improve your conversational skills. Discussions and activities will be based on social activism as portrayed and carried out in social media (blogs, digital repositories, twitter, YouTube videos, digital newspapers discussions, etc.) and mass media in Latin America. COURSE MATERIALS  Materials and calendar will be posted on Wikispaces, as well as activities. Please check regularly the course calendar for specific information on activities and deadlines. (http://activismociudadano.wikispaces.com/)  Blackboard. Syllabus, announcements and materials will be accessible in the Blackboard course.  Facebook group. If all students agree to create a Facebook group, we will use it to share news and links.  Twitter account. This is an online tool in 140 characters. Our hashtag will be #335social  Please keep track of your login and password information for all these websites on a safe, accessible file. In-class participation This is primarily a conversation class and you must be present to participate. Attendance is crucial. No make-up work will be accepted for lost class time. Late assignments won’t be accepted, unless there is a medical reason or any other justified emergency. Check our class wiki for course materials, lesson plans and scheduled assignments. The attached tentative schedule does not contain details, as it is just an overview of the whole course. Short quizzes will be given in class unannounced. Oral daily presentations Students will present a report to the whole class every day about their readings, activities and online exchanges. No make up for missed classes. Final oral presentation Students will prepare a final oral presentation based on the investigative project. More details in class. Reflective essays Students will write 4 essays (500 words) on topics related to the discussions and readings. The essay will be written following a draft-peer review-final version revision process. Topics will be announced in class. Wikispace individual page Students will work in class and outside class in several written activities, in addition to the reflective essays. They will be stored and reviewed on each student’s individual Wikispace page. More details in class. Research project Students will prepare a research paper about one specific NGO or activist campaign. To this effect, students will be assigned an activist/mentor to follow during the length of the curse. Students will interview their activist mentors, 1

analyze their websites and other social media presence, study their strategies and campaigns. More details in class. Students will present every day in class the status of their investigations and will keep a journal on the course wiki. Horario Provisional Fecha Sept. 1

Sept. 3 Sept. 8

En clase Introducción al curso. Twitter. Wikispaces. Facebook. GoogleDocs Escribir presentación en Wiki Tema 0: Latinoamérica. Retos y oportunidades

Tarea

Compilar lista de temas de interés por países Radio Ambulante. http://radioambulante.org/ Leer Lectura 1. (pp. 103-117) Escribir resumen y una pregunta de discusión en la wiki Leer Lectura 1. (pp. 118-125) Resumen y pregunta en la wiki Ensayo 1 (borrador) Leer Lectura 1. (pp. 126-129) Resumen y pregunta en la wiki Ensayo 1 (versión final) Watch Documentary Reportero: http://www.pbs.org/pov/reportero/full.php#.VeHwnflVikq Leer Lectura 1. (pp. 129-146) Resumen y pregunta en la wiki Leer Lectura 2. Resumen y pregunta en la wiki Buscar info sobre Colombia. Actividades Ensayo 2 (borrador) Buscar info sobre campañas online de políticos famosos.

Sept. 10

Tema 1: Las condiciones que favorecen el activismo digital en América Latina. Tema 2: Barreras al activismo digital I

Sept. 15 Sept. 17

Barreras al activismo digital II Tema 3: Riesgos y desafíos del activismo digital

Sept. 22

Riesgos para activistas y periodistas.

Sept. 24

Tema 4: Consecuencias del activismo digital

Sept. 29

Tema 5a: Política I

Oct. 1 Oct. 6 Oct. 8 Oct. 13 Oct. 15

Casos prácticos: Colombia Tema 5b: Política II Casos prácticos: Ecuador NO HAY CLASE Tema 6: La educación

Oct. 20 Oct. 22

Casos prácticos: Chile Tema 7: La distribución de la tierra

Oct. 27 Oct. 29

Casos prácticos: Centroamérica Tema 8: Ecología

Nov. 3 Nov. 5

Casos prácticos: Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay Tema 9: Derechos sociales. La mujer

Nov. 10 Nov. 12

Casos prácticos: México Tema 10: Derechos sociales. Movimientos migratorios Casos prácticos: Tráfico de seres humanos en Centroamérica NO HAY CLASE. THANSGIVING Tema 11: Derechos sociales. Desarraigo y Leer Lectura 8. Podcast: Un mundo ideal. esperanza Preguntas para el protagonista del podcast Casos prácticos: Latinos en EE.UU. Buscar info sobre Latinos en EEUU Presentaciones orales Ensayo 4 (versión final) Presentaciones orales ENTREGAR EL PROYECTO FINAL DE 10:30 A 1:30

Nov. 17 Nov. 23 Dec. 1 Dec.3 Dec. 8 Dec. 10 Dec. 17

Ensayo 2 (versión final) Leer Lectura 3. Resumen y pregunta en la wiki Buscar info sobre Chile Leer Lectura 4. Resumen y otros problemas similares en Latinoamérica Ensayo 3 (borrador) Leer Lectura 5-Análisis de Página Web Crítica de diseño e impacto Ensayo 3 (versión final) Leer Lectura 6. Resumen y pregunta en la wiki Buscar info sobre México Leer Lectura 7. Documental Los invisibles Resumen. Qué te llamó más la atención. Ensayo 4 (borrador)

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STUDENT EXPECTATIONS Academic Integrity Students must be responsible for their own work, and students and faculty must take on the responsibility of dealing explicitly with violations. The tenet must be a foundation of our university culture. [See http://academicintegrity.gmu.edu/distance].

Honor Code Students must adhere to the guidelines of the George Mason University Honor Code [See http://oai.gmu.edu/themason-honor-code/].

MasonLive/Email (GMU Email) Students are responsible for the content of university communications sent to their George Mason University email account and are required to activate their account and check it regularly. All communication from the university, college, school, and program will be sent to students solely through their Mason email account. [See https://masonlivelogin.gmu.edu/login].

Patriot Pass Once you sign up for your Patriot Pass, your passwords will be synchronized, and you will use your Patriot Pass username and password to log in to the following systems: Blackboard, University Libraries, MasonLive, myMason, Patriot Web, Virtual Computing Lab, and WEMS. [See https://password.gmu.edu/index.jsp].

University Policies Students must follow the university policies. [See http://universitypolicy.gmu.edu and http://catalog.gmu.edu].

Responsible Use of Computing Students must follow the university policy for Responsible Use of Computing. [See http://universitypolicy.gmu.edu/policies/responsible-use-of-computing/].

University Calendar Check the GMU calendar at http://registrar.gmu.edu/calendars/.

Students with Disabilities Students with disabilities who seek accommodations in a course must be registered with the George Mason University Office of Disability Services (ODS) and inform their instructor, in writing, at the beginning of the semester [See http://ods.gmu.edu].

University Libraries University Libraries provides resources for distance students. [See http://library.gmu.edu/distance].

Writing Center The George Mason University Writing Center staff provides a variety of resources and services (e.g., tutoring, workshops, writing guides, handbooks) intended to support students as they work to construct and share knowledge through writing. [See http://writingcenter.gmu.edu]. You can now sign up for an Online Writing Lab (OWL) session just like you sign up for a face-to-face session in the Writing Center, which means YOU set the date and time of the appointment! Learn more about the Online Writing Lab (OWL) (found under Online Tutoring).

Counseling and Psychological Services The George Mason University Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) staff consists of professional counseling and clinical psychologists, social workers, and counselors who offer a wide range of services (e.g., individual and group counseling, workshops and outreach programs) to enhance students' personal experience and academic performance [See http://caps.gmu.edu]. 3

Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA), also known as the "Buckley Amendment," is a federal law that gives protection to student educational records and provides students with certain rights. [See http://registrar.gmu.edu/privacy].

IMPORTANT DATES First day of classes; last day to submit Domicile Reclassification Application; Payment Due Date; full semester waitlists removed

August 31

Labor Day, university closed

Sep 7

Last day to add classes—all individualized section forms due Last day to drop with no tuition penalty

Sep 8

Last day to drop with a 33% tuition penalty

Sep 15

Final Drop Deadline (67% tuition penalty)

Oct. 2

Midterm progress reporting period (100-200 level classes)—grades available via Patriot Web

September 28 October 23

Selective Withdrawal Period (undergraduate students only)

October 5 October 30

Columbus Day recess (Monday classes/labs meet Tuesday. Tuesday classes do not meet this week)

October 12

Incomplete work from Spring-Summer 2015 due to Instructor

October 30

Incomplete grade changes from Spring-Summer 2015 due to Registrar

Nov.6

Last day of classes

December 12

Exam Period (beginning at 7:30 a.m.)

Wed Dec14 – Wed Dec 21

Commencement and Degree Conferral Date

December 22

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