Literary and Cultural Knowledge
Students develop a reasonable understanding of the ways of thinking (ideas, beliefs, attitudes, values, philosophies), the behavioral practices (patterns of social interactions), and the cultural products – both tangible and intangible (for example, art, history, literature, music) — of Hispanic societies.
There are two pathways by which this outcome can be fulfilled:
The student completes between two and six courses (depending on his or her choice of emphasis, as either in language and linguistics knowledge or literary and cultural knowledge) in Hispanic literature, culture or society. General areas to choose from are: literature, the social sciences (anthropology, geography, history, political systems), art history, music history, religion or other non-Spanish courses specific to Hispanic culture or society.
With prior approval and guidance from WLC faculty, the student may opt for a more individual pathway. He or she may choose to independently study, research and analyze four of the following areas as they are reflected in the civilization or national culture of the language chosen to study: architecture, dance, dress, fiction, healing processes, high art, issues of gender and racial equity, music, national history, poetry, political systems, popular art, religious beliefs, theater.
There are two pathways by which this outcome can be fulfilled:
The student completes between two and six courses (depending on his or her choice of emphasis, as either in language and linguistics knowledge or literary and cultural knowledge) in Hispanic literature, culture or society. General areas to choose from are: literature, the social sciences (anthropology, geography, history, political systems), art history, music history, religion or other non-Spanish courses specific to Hispanic culture or society.
With prior approval and guidance from WLC faculty, the student may opt for a more individual pathway. He or she may choose to independently study, research and analyze four of the following areas as they are reflected in the civilization or national culture of the language chosen to study: architecture, dance, dress, fiction, healing processes, high art, issues of gender and racial equity, music, national history, poetry, political systems, popular art, religious beliefs, theater.
Reflective Narrative
Under this criterion, I have completed the following courses: SPAN 304: Introduction to Hispanic Literature (Fall 2018), SPAN 306: Culture and Civilization of Spanish Latin America (Spring 2019), SPAN 322: Masterpieces of Hispanic Literature: Latin America & the Caribbean (Spring 2019), SPAN 330: Hispanic Testimonials (Spring 2019), SPAN 308: History and Culture of Aztlán: Southwest United States (Spring 2020) and SPAN 325: Hispanic Cinema (Spring 2020).
Literature and history are two essential components in the study of a language as they help to understand the historical events that have influenced the way of thinking, living and therefore the culture of a society. In humanities studies there is a great focus on presenting history not only in a narrative way but also through art, be it a poem, a song, a story, a painting, a film, a photograph, a book, among many other representations. In my history classes I learned about the civilization and culture of Latin America, Spain and the southwestern United States. In this way, I was able to establish a direct relationship in the development of these societies since most of them (Latin America) share historical periods such as the time of the indigenous civilizations, the conquest, colonialism, independence, revolutions and the modern day. The essay "Latin America" explores the idea of a union of this region that was General Simon Bolivar's most cherished dream. Undoubtedly, one of the most important aspects of history is that it is subject to an infinite number of interpretations since there is no accuracy in the recounting of events. This reflects that the history we know is partial and lends itself to manipulation by those who write, share and read it. I could perceive this in my historical perspective essay, "Mexican-American Historya (1846-1940): A Mexicano Perspective" where I rewrote the history of these two countries based on a book and two academic articles, with the purpose of narrating the facts based on my historical and personal perspective.
Literature is another way to describe, narrate, criticize or mock the historical events in a more subtle, eloquent, elegant or even exaggerated way. For example, in "Resistance to Power" I analyze the historical role of women using details from the story "The Little Doll" in order to identify the relationship of the plot to gender inequality in society. In addition, the history is presented from a variety of perspectives and linguistic records that make it unique and goes through many generations. Certainly, the linguistic diversity of Spanish makes it unique in the world, but at the same time challenging. I noticed this when I wrote "The Gaucho Liberty" where I analyzed the book "Don Segundo Sombra" by the Argentinean novelist and poet Ricardo Güiraldes, due to the regional expressions and vocabulary, the geography and the Argentinean culture. After completing this paper, I convinced myself that it is fundamental to have literary and cultural knowledge of all of Latin America and Spain. It is relevant to mention that in my classes I learned to analyze, criticize, compare and relate the most outstanding literary pieces of Latin American literature with critical thinking that I developed through the assignments, films and presentations of the courses. This is reflected in my literary testimony, "Legal Discrimination" which presents the story of Mexican immigrant Rosa who suffered sexual and mental exploitation in the United States. These issues are similar to those addressed in the film Roma (2018) which inspired us to conduct, "Roma (2018) Presentation" to show the labor exploitation of indigenous communities in this part of the world. In a few words, most of my literary knowledge and the development of the skills that entails it were acquired in my history and literature classes at CSUMB. Now, I am reading literary works in Spanish by Spanish writers, as well as short stories and poems in English as it is an area where I need to be more exposed to develop additional skills. Another goal is to learn French and read books in this language since it is essential to know a third language for graduate studies.
Overall, I was not challenged in any area of this MLO, because I have always enjoyed history and literature. I always read the literary pieces that were assigned and I sometimes ended up reading more because I enjoyed the style of the writer or the literary movement. As for history, I have always found it fascinating to learn about the events of the past because it helps to identify the origin of the current social problems. The similarity of the historical periods of Latin America attracted my attention, which has motivated me to write stories and poems about the events that happened in this region of the world. Finally, the classes that make up this MLO have made me grow personally because I am now more aware of what is happening in the world, specifically in the American continent and Spain. I am now a more conscious and demanding citizen with the politicians who represent me.
Literature and history are two essential components in the study of a language as they help to understand the historical events that have influenced the way of thinking, living and therefore the culture of a society. In humanities studies there is a great focus on presenting history not only in a narrative way but also through art, be it a poem, a song, a story, a painting, a film, a photograph, a book, among many other representations. In my history classes I learned about the civilization and culture of Latin America, Spain and the southwestern United States. In this way, I was able to establish a direct relationship in the development of these societies since most of them (Latin America) share historical periods such as the time of the indigenous civilizations, the conquest, colonialism, independence, revolutions and the modern day. The essay "Latin America" explores the idea of a union of this region that was General Simon Bolivar's most cherished dream. Undoubtedly, one of the most important aspects of history is that it is subject to an infinite number of interpretations since there is no accuracy in the recounting of events. This reflects that the history we know is partial and lends itself to manipulation by those who write, share and read it. I could perceive this in my historical perspective essay, "Mexican-American Historya (1846-1940): A Mexicano Perspective" where I rewrote the history of these two countries based on a book and two academic articles, with the purpose of narrating the facts based on my historical and personal perspective.
Literature is another way to describe, narrate, criticize or mock the historical events in a more subtle, eloquent, elegant or even exaggerated way. For example, in "Resistance to Power" I analyze the historical role of women using details from the story "The Little Doll" in order to identify the relationship of the plot to gender inequality in society. In addition, the history is presented from a variety of perspectives and linguistic records that make it unique and goes through many generations. Certainly, the linguistic diversity of Spanish makes it unique in the world, but at the same time challenging. I noticed this when I wrote "The Gaucho Liberty" where I analyzed the book "Don Segundo Sombra" by the Argentinean novelist and poet Ricardo Güiraldes, due to the regional expressions and vocabulary, the geography and the Argentinean culture. After completing this paper, I convinced myself that it is fundamental to have literary and cultural knowledge of all of Latin America and Spain. It is relevant to mention that in my classes I learned to analyze, criticize, compare and relate the most outstanding literary pieces of Latin American literature with critical thinking that I developed through the assignments, films and presentations of the courses. This is reflected in my literary testimony, "Legal Discrimination" which presents the story of Mexican immigrant Rosa who suffered sexual and mental exploitation in the United States. These issues are similar to those addressed in the film Roma (2018) which inspired us to conduct, "Roma (2018) Presentation" to show the labor exploitation of indigenous communities in this part of the world. In a few words, most of my literary knowledge and the development of the skills that entails it were acquired in my history and literature classes at CSUMB. Now, I am reading literary works in Spanish by Spanish writers, as well as short stories and poems in English as it is an area where I need to be more exposed to develop additional skills. Another goal is to learn French and read books in this language since it is essential to know a third language for graduate studies.
Overall, I was not challenged in any area of this MLO, because I have always enjoyed history and literature. I always read the literary pieces that were assigned and I sometimes ended up reading more because I enjoyed the style of the writer or the literary movement. As for history, I have always found it fascinating to learn about the events of the past because it helps to identify the origin of the current social problems. The similarity of the historical periods of Latin America attracted my attention, which has motivated me to write stories and poems about the events that happened in this region of the world. Finally, the classes that make up this MLO have made me grow personally because I am now more aware of what is happening in the world, specifically in the American continent and Spain. I am now a more conscious and demanding citizen with the politicians who represent me.
Assignments
SPAN 304: Resistance to Power
SPAN 306: Latin America
SPAN 308: Mexican-American Historya (1846 – 1940): A Mexicano Perspective
SPAN 322: The Gaucho’s Liberty
SPAN 325: Roma (2018) Presentation
SPAN 330: Legal Discrimination
SPAN 306: Latin America
SPAN 308: Mexican-American Historya (1846 – 1940): A Mexicano Perspective
SPAN 322: The Gaucho’s Liberty
SPAN 325: Roma (2018) Presentation
SPAN 330: Legal Discrimination