II. Filipino (Tagalog) Language, Elementary II

BACKGROUND AND RATIONALE OF THE COURSE:

The Tagalog language course is offered to students who have primary basic skills of the language and will continue to acquire secondary basic skills for academic language proficiency, professional or personal use. This course will provide each student the opportunity to apply, practice and reinforce their current basic skills through short conversations and interactions, role-playing, workshops and in written form.

COURSE OBJECTIVES:

At the end of the course, each student should demonstrate confidence and efficiency in Tagalog language in its elementary, secondary level in the following communicative skills:

• a) initiating and responding to a conversation.
• b) handling limited communicative tasks and social situations.
• c) asking and answering questions in simple statements during face to face conversations.

Understanding sentence-length expressions referring to personal and social background and routine tasks such as getting meals, receiving simple instructions and directions.

• a) getting main ideas and information such as short paragraphs, news items and other simple authentic materials.
• b) interpreting and inferring meanings of vocabulary words based on content and background knowledge.

• filling out forms with biographical information.
• taking down dictation and simple notes based on spoken words.
• writing short and simple essays, simple letters and journals describing everyday personal experiences.

READINGS

1. Aspillera, Paraluman s. 1993. Basic Tagalog for Foreigners and Non-Tagalogs. Charles Tuttle Publishing Co.
2. Ramos, Teresita V. 1985. Conversational Tagalog. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press
3. Ramos, Teresita V. 1990. Modern Tagalog. Grammatical Explanations and Exercises for Non-Native Speakers. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press.

• Wolff, John U. et al. 1991. Pilipino through Self-Instruction. Part one to four. Cornell University Southeast Asia Program. (On reserve at Van Pelt Library)
• Ramos, Teresita V. et al (unpublished). Tagalog for Beginners (This book is only available from Instructor. Backup exercieses will be drawn from this.)

METHODOLOGY:

Lecture-discussion, role-playing, oral reading and singing, brainstroming and workshops (cooking and folk-dance). Use of audio and visula aids, and e-mail is also included. Tagalog will be the primary medium of communication with English as a secondary medium.

INDEPENDENT STUDY:

Learning any language needs a lot of preparation, practice, patience and commitment, and Tagalog is certainly not an exception. In order to acquire the needed skills, each student should prepare and do an independent study. This course meets 32 times this semester or a total of 64 hours. Sessions will mostly be student-centered and interactive. There is a need for each student to do independent/homework of a t least 40-50 hours to prepare and reinforce learning. Each student should be guided and expected to do specific tasks as follows:

• do assigned homework and projects.
• send e-mail in Tagalog (for questions, problems), at least twice a month
• listen to audio tapes once a week and submit 2 tapes of your own (five minutes) once a month.
• see 2 films in groups--feedback on the films should be in written form.
• read other Tagalog materials on your own.

PARTICIPANTS:

Graduates and undergraduates at the University of Pennsylvania, who passed Filipino Course, Elementary I and others who have the basic skills in the language, may attend this course. Auditors or observers are permitted but should have prior approval by the instructor. This credit course will also prepare those intending to take a language proficiency test.

GRADING POLICY:

• 25%--Recitation and group work.
• 25%--Submission of homework exercises.
• 25%--Exams and Quizzes.
• 15%--Final Project (Group Presentation).