Office: Room 351, Group I
Office phone: 910-6469
Office Hours: Wednesday 2-5 p.m. or by appointment
Email: cbenavides@umassd.edu

Textbook:
–Saldo a Favor and accompanying Workbook (Manual de Actividades e Investigaciones)
-A bilingual dictionary is strongly recommended.

Course Description:
Spanish for correspondence, banking, administration, personnel, and publicity. Practice in business-related vocabulary and writing. Readings and selections on business-related and cultural topics for comprehension. Service learning project, in collaboration with the Community Economic Development Center (CEDC) of Southeastern Massachusetts.

Goals:
By the end of this course, students will be able to:

Use a variety of communicative strategies while engaging in conversations within the Hispanic cultural and business environment.

Understand the culture and values of the Hispanic world of business within the context of the U.S., Latin American and global economies.

Understand the similarities and contrasts between Hispanic culture and their own.

Use critical thinking and problem solving skills while reading authentic business-related materials in Spanish.

Understand the key elements of writing, including grammar and writing formulas, and apply that knowledge to create business-related documents in Spanish such as resumes, letters, reports and advertisements.

Understand basic public speaking techniques and apply them in oral presentations.

Assessment and Evaluation: The scores for all graded work are distributed as follows.

Service Learning Project
The class will participate in a project in collaboration with the Community Economic Development Center (CEDC) of Southeastern Massachusetts, whose central goal is to create a more just local economy by building bridges to resources, networks and cooperative action for low-income members of the community. The CEDC fulfills this mission by providing support in the following key areas:

1. Microenterprise development
2. Computer literacy and access for low-income residents
3. Grassroots community organization training and capacity building
4. Central American immigrant workers support services and advocacy
5. Affordable Housing Development feasibility and strategic planning

Through a business survey developed by the CEDC, the class will develop a project that, by gathering important information, will help fulfill the main goal as well as the functions of the CEDC, particularly (1) above, but also (2). The goals of this course will also be fulfilled by this project, especially the first three goals, all having to do with understanding the Hispanic business environment and culture (see page 1). For this project the class will be organized in six groups of five/six students each. The project involves the following components (The schedule for the project is incorporated in the syllabus below):

I. New Bedford Business Community Survey

1. Translation of survey by students, in groups.
2. Interviews of local business owners (or managers) of Hispanic or Hispanic-oriented businesses (using survey) by students. Each group will interview two businesses, for a total of twelve businesses surveyed (the businesses are located in New Bedford, MA).
3. Group report (minimum of three typed pages, in Spanish) based on business survey (summary of results and conclusions).
These reports will be shared with the CEDC. They should include the following:

a. A comparison of the two businesses interviewed based on the surveys. In what key points are the businesses similar and different?
b. Recommendations on how the CEDC can provide (further) assistance to these businesses
c. Suggestions for the businesses
d. Suggestions for the improvement of the business surveys

4. Peer evaluation of performance in group work throughout the project. Evaluation forms will be provided.

II. Individual report of lessons learned, reflection, and impressions (minimum of three typed pages, in Spanish). In these reports you should answer the following questions:

a. What did I learn through this project?
b. How has my understanding of Hispanic culture and business practices been affected or improved?
c. Will the lessons learned in this project be useful to me in the future (for example, academically, professionally)? How?

This project is worth 200 points (20% of the grade), distributed as follows:
Translation of business survey (40 pts.)
Peer evaluations (60 pts.)
Group Report (50 pts.)
Individual Report (50 pts.)

(See attachment with the Summary of Student Reports (Group and Individual))

Class Schedule: The tests and oral presentation will take place on the dates indicated on the class schedule. Likewise, all assignments need to be turned in on the dates indicated on the schedule. As far as chapters, class topics and activities go, their coverage in class will be flexible, depending on progress. At times we may jump ahead of schedule, at times we may fall behind schedule, and other times we may need to skip some material.

CLASS SCHEDULE