Course Description
This course presents a historical and cultural overview of Hispanic Latin America from its pre-Columbian origins to the present through works of literature, art, music, and video clips. Taught in Spanish.
Reflective Narrative
In SPAN 306, I learned that the fraternal nations of Latin America share several characteristics in their history, their customs and their people. For example, in this region of the world there were indigenous civilizations such as the Aztecs, the Incas and the Mayans. At the beginning of the 14th century, during the period of conquest and colonialism, most of these civilizations were exterminated by the European conquerors from Spain, England, France, Portugal and Holland where they established their empires. However, at the beginning of the 19th century, the Europeans' abuse of the Latin American people motivated them to fight to establish themselves as free and sovereign countries. After the independence period, the United States began to intervene in Latin American countries to protect their own interests. For this reason, I presented and produced an essay about U.S. interventionism in "América Latina" (Latin America) in order to show the historical influence of this country in one of the regions where natural resources were abundant. In this research, I discovered that the poverty that the United States has left in Latin America has inspired its citizens to immigrate to this country. Likewise, I conclude that the United States is one of the factors that unites Latin Americans. Finally, the union of the latinoamericanos is a result of their indigenous, European and mestizo origins. In regards to their cultural practices, most of them speak Spanish, the most prominent religion is Catholicism, and their personality and patriotism are unique characteristics in the world. Without a doubt, I learned a lot about the culture and civilization of the Spanish-speaking countries, which is essential for understanding the current issues that are often reflected in literature. This class is related to SPAN 304, SPAN 322 and SPAN 330.