2006-2007 Syllabus Beginning (Intensive) Thai
FLTH 103-104

Texts:                 Maanii Readers and Spoken Thai for the Internet (student print-outs) - available on   www.seasite.niu.edu/thai.
Office hours:       W.& F. 3-4 pm.
                            Dr. Grant Olson, 101 Watson.
                            Tel. 753-6455
                            E-mail:   golson@niu.edu

Weekly Schedule

        Monday, Wednesday:      Reading and writing skills
        Tuesday, Thursday:        Practice in conversation and communication skills
        Friday:                          Quiz (slides/film/video)

Course Objectives

The objective of this course is to achieve proficiency in using spoken Thai in realistic situations and to read and write. Reading and writing exercises will be based on the Maanii Reader and Spoken Thai for the internet. The two sets of materials are to be printed out and practiced by each student on www.seasite.niu.edu/thai.

Language Lab

All students will be expected to spend a minimum of 2 hours per week in the language lab starting the second week of classes. Attendance is monitored by computer.  If you use SEAsite at home,  keep a record and e -mail me each week what lessons/pages you have done and the number of hours to  golson@niu.edu and piyathida1226@yahoo.com

Evaluation/Grading

During the course of the semester we will have weekly quizzes most Fridays covering materials up to that point. These near-weekly quizes will determine 50% of your overall final grade. (That is, each quiz will be 5% of your final grade, assuming there will be 10 weekly quizes.

QUIZES CANNOT BE MADE UP. IF YOU MISS ONLY ONE THE ENTIRE SEMESTER IT WILL NOT BE COUNTED; BEYOND THAT YOU WILL RECIEVE AN F FOR EACH PARTICULAR QUIZ YOU MISS.) Homework, class participation, and lab work will constitute 20% of your course grade, and 30% will be judged from your end-of-semester individual interview and final written exam.   At the end of the semester, each student will have a 1/2 hour
interview with the instructor to demonstrate his or her level of listening and speaking comprehension that has been practiced in class, at home, and in the language lab. The interview will be 1/2 of the final exam grade or 15% of your semester total.

Grading scale:     90-100:              A
                             80-89:               B
                             70-79:               C
                             60-69:               D
                             below 60:           F

Attendance

Daily attendance and active class participation is essential to skill learning, which is what learning a foreign language is. Class attendance will be recorded. You will have 5 days of unexcused absences.  Beyond that, you will need a written excuse from your doctor, parent, or advisor. Unexcused absences in excess of 5 days will result in a lowering of your final grade one full grade. Come and discuss your problems with me early. At least give me or the department a call (753-1501) to let us know what is happening.  This intensive language course, which means that the pace and performance expectations are twice as great as a normal 2-year 3-days-a-week course, such as Spanish or French. Your own motivation and hard work will be the keys to your success I do not give Incompletes.  Nor do I give make-up exams/quizes. There are too many (weekly) exams, and my teaching, committees, and research schedule is too full.

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