Course Description
This course is part of your Spanish language learning experience, and offers you the opportunity to interact in a personal way with members of the local Latino community, thereby enriching your understanding of Hispanic cultures and the Spanish language. It is intended to involve WLC Spanish majors with local Latino communities to experience real-life connections between their Spanish program education and everyday issues in the surrounding Latino communities. Students will become involved in community projects of importance and relevance that engage them in matters relative to justice, compassion, diversity and social responsibility, and help them become effective multicultural community builders. Taught in Spanish with bilingual material.
Reflective Narrative
This course is part of your Spanish language learning experience, and offers you the opportunity to interact in a personal way with members of the local Latino community, thereby enriching your understanding of Hispanic cultures and the Spanish language. It is intended to involve WLC Spanish majors with local Latino communities to experience real-life connections between their Spanish program education and everyday issues in the surrounding Latino communities. Students will become involved in community projects of importance and relevance that engage them in matters relative to justice, compassion, diversity and social responsibility, and help them become effective multicultural community builders. Taught in Spanish with bilingual material.
In SPAN 301S, I learned that knowledge should be used for the benefit of society, since it is the main purpose of obtaining an education. Throughout the semester, we read and analyzed the testimonies of the book "Words Were All We Had: Becoming Biliterate Against the Odds" by Maria de la Luz Reyes, to raise awareness about the lives of the Latinx immigrants and how they overcame social, economic and political obstacles they faced in the United States. After reading the life stories of the protagonists we were able to establish a relationship with our own experiences as immigrants. We also addressed our journey towards bilingualism and multiculturalism, two essential aspects in the life of an immigrant who aims to achieve the American Dream. Through a survey about linguistic and cultural identity, as well as the readings previously mentioned, I identified a sector of the Latinx community where there was a need for assistance, where I would apply my Spanish knowledge to close the existing gap. In my thirty hours of "Community Service," I helped students who were taking any level of Spanish, from learners to the Spanish major students of Hartnell College. The main purpose of the Spanish sessions was to improve communication skills in Spanish, both oral and written through grammar and literature lessons. Furthermore, students were encouraged to participate in extracurricular activities such as the Hartnell College Spanish Club in order to serve the community. Overall, I found that there is a major need for Spanish tutoring at Hartnell College as most students struggle with grammar, writing structure, and analyzing a literary work. At the end of the semester, I made a presentation about my responsibilities, observations, the fulfillment of my goals, and offered suggestions for addressing the needs of the site where I served. This class is related to my literature classes and to the CSUMB Spanish Club where we help our communities through cultural events that encouraged respect for linguistic and cultural diversity. This class is related to SPAN 330 and WLC 400.
In SPAN 301S, I learned that knowledge should be used for the benefit of society, since it is the main purpose of obtaining an education. Throughout the semester, we read and analyzed the testimonies of the book "Words Were All We Had: Becoming Biliterate Against the Odds" by Maria de la Luz Reyes, to raise awareness about the lives of the Latinx immigrants and how they overcame social, economic and political obstacles they faced in the United States. After reading the life stories of the protagonists we were able to establish a relationship with our own experiences as immigrants. We also addressed our journey towards bilingualism and multiculturalism, two essential aspects in the life of an immigrant who aims to achieve the American Dream. Through a survey about linguistic and cultural identity, as well as the readings previously mentioned, I identified a sector of the Latinx community where there was a need for assistance, where I would apply my Spanish knowledge to close the existing gap. In my thirty hours of "Community Service," I helped students who were taking any level of Spanish, from learners to the Spanish major students of Hartnell College. The main purpose of the Spanish sessions was to improve communication skills in Spanish, both oral and written through grammar and literature lessons. Furthermore, students were encouraged to participate in extracurricular activities such as the Hartnell College Spanish Club in order to serve the community. Overall, I found that there is a major need for Spanish tutoring at Hartnell College as most students struggle with grammar, writing structure, and analyzing a literary work. At the end of the semester, I made a presentation about my responsibilities, observations, the fulfillment of my goals, and offered suggestions for addressing the needs of the site where I served. This class is related to my literature classes and to the CSUMB Spanish Club where we help our communities through cultural events that encouraged respect for linguistic and cultural diversity. This class is related to SPAN 330 and WLC 400.