MLO 3: Literary and Cultural Knowledge
The student develops 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 cultures.
- 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.
Major Learning Outcome 3 is met through a combination of courses that helped develop the understanding for Spanish based cultures throughout the world. By completing this MLO I feel like I have developed a well-rounded cultural understanding behind some of the history, literature, music and art. This MLO was met by taking several different courses of Literary and Cultural knowledge, which include History/Politics of Latin America, Masterpieces of Latin American Literature, Latin-American Women Writers and The art of the Aztec Empire. In the course, The History/Politics of Latin America valuable information was introduced dealing with the understanding and evolution of countries in Latin America. Much of the content emphasized the importance that revolts played in revolutionizing the systems of government in place as well as breaking free from Spanish control. A common denominator that became apparent was that the majority of the countries went through similar methods for achieving independence. I believe the information and material provided in this course helped students gain a better understanding of the violent Latin-American history, but also allowed students to understand how through revolt independence was achieved. The overall goal of this class was to introduce the students to historical and cultural history of the Spanish speaking countries, by doing this; the course fulfilled the Major Learning Outcome 3, and exposed students to the evolution of the Latin American continent. In the course Masterpieces of Latin American Literature course students had the opportunity to further understand how contemporary literature came to be as a result of classic literature. The quality of the classical pieces introduced throughout this course was exquisite, and instrumental in understanding how they influenced contemporary writers. Much of the material introduced helped portray the Latin American countries through a contextual immersion, which allowed for a subjective interpretation of the issues at hand. This course fulfilled the requirements laid out by the Major Learning Outcome 3, which encompasses the Literary and Cultural knowledge outcome. At the end of this course I felt like I had the ability to understand the meaning and motives behind some of the pieces that were dealt throughout the course. This understanding of material dealt in class gave me and other students the confidence to analyze material with unbiased prejudice. Another course that was important in the understanding of Latin-American literature was Latin-American Women Writers. Taught by Dr. Zielina, this course focused on Latin American Women Writers and it explored cultural, historical and social issues that manifested themselves through literature. Much of what I learned from the course was introduced through the reading of several shorty stories and novels; the material learned from these sources was then discussed extensively throughout the semester. The material introduced helped me broaden my understanding for the Woman struggle in the Latin American continent. This course also fulfilled Major Learning Outcome 3, through this fulfillment students were immersed in the learning and refining their analyzing skills dealing with Latin American Literature. This course was instrumental in introducing new concepts for analyzing and taught us how to be proficiently critical of Literature. The course placed and emphasis on analyzing and using material that has reputable sources, through this emphasis, students also learned how to be critical of other material dealing with the analysis of a story or book. The art of the Aztec Empire was a course which helped shed light on a peculiar but intriguing society known as the Mexica, also commonly referred to as the Aztecs. Dr. Mendoza, the professor of the course, was extremely knowledgeable on the subject of Aztec origins and introduced, with specific detail, the myths that the Aztec people held as being true. I especially enjoyed the enthusiasm of the professor when presenting on the topics of poetry and mythology, which played an important role in Aztec society. I must say, this course improved the students’ knowledge when it comes to perceiving Aztec rituals and traditions, for a few reasons. One reason is that many individuals, including myself, had a preconceived notion of knowing what Aztec society must have been like, in many cases the notions being incorrect. Many of us believed that the Aztec were people strictly devoted to human sacrifice and violent activities, but we soon learned that there was more to their practices than religious sacrifice. One vehicle for understanding Aztec rituals and behaviors was introduced through poetry, which allowed us to gain a clearer understanding of the mind sets and mentality of the society under Aztec rule. Much of the focus of the class was aimed towards understanding the ritualistic meaning behind activities and worships. This course also fulfilled Major Learning Outcome 3, which covers the Cultural knowledge portion of the outcome. Through this course students were given the opportunity to learn about a society that played an important role in the development of Central America. This importance carries over to modern day society as a result of the influence that the Mexican culture has on the world. This influence is seen in many aspects of modern day society through, for example, the culinary arts, rituals and expansion of diverse communities.
Here are several links providing evidence for material completed towards this MLO: History and politics of Latin America l Masterpieces of Latin American Literature l Latin American Women Writers
l The art of the Aztec Empire
Here are several links providing evidence for material completed towards this MLO: History and politics of Latin America l Masterpieces of Latin American Literature l Latin American Women Writers
l The art of the Aztec Empire