MLO 3: Literary and Cultural Knowledge
Under this criterion, I have completed SPAN 304 Introduction to Hispanic Literature (Fall 2021), SPAN 336 LGTBQ+ Hispanic Experiences (Fall 2021), SPAN 325 Hispanic Cinema (Spring 2022), and SPAN 306 Culture/Civilization of Span Latin America (Fall 2022)
For MLO 3 I was able to learn different aspects of Latin America and the Caribbean culture through different forms of cultural production, such as by literature and film. Those materials helped me gain a better understanding of the political, economic, and racial situation of these regions. Several courses were particularly significant in the completion of this MLO. For instance, SPAN 336 was focused on the internal experiences of writers, filmmakers, and people belonging to the Latinx and Spanish society as part of the LGBTQ+ community and their acceptance into a machista society. By reading poems, and book chapters and watching documentaries and films, I analyzed the issues and complex reality the community goes through because of racism, prejudices, derogatory comments, and actions by their families during the 20th/21st centuries as well as their participation in social-political movements. For this class in particular, I completed an analysis of a film with a focus on gender, sexuality, political, and historical contexts. I examined the film, “Mujeres al borde de un ataque de nervios”, directed by Pedro Almodóvar. This film emphasizes a dramatic change in women’s roles by the end of the Spanish Civil War and the arrival of “La Movida Madrileña,”, in which the youth and the marginalized population started to show their cultural and ideological freedom but demonstrated mainly by artistic movements. Also, this film exposes many women’s stereotypes and the contempt for social norms established during Franco’s dictatorship to build a “better” and more modern Spanish society. This project demonstrated the stereotyping of women and how they were being included even more in the public sphere. On the other hand, SPAN 325 introduced me to the challenges in Latin America through the use of films. In this class, we did both presentations and a final essay. The presentations were made in groups, where a specific film was chosen to show the director's historical context, biographical information, and the different aesthetic approaches. Our group worked on the Colombian film María Full of Grace Presentation, where the “narcocultura” (narcoculture) that has been predominant in many television shows and film productions is shown. The film reflects on drug trafficking and “las mulas”(mules) that transport narcotics inside their bodies from Colombia to the United States, running the risk of dying or being detained by the authorities for some money that will help them improve their lives in Colombia. It also shows magical realism through real situations found in Colombia and the opportunity to get ahead with a new opportunity for the protagonist and her son. This class taught me to see the different perspectives of film production, analyze why these types of films are made, and look for the connection between reality, fantasy, and magical realism. Finally, I had the opportunity to learn my classmates' different perspectives and opinions in class discussions since each of us had a different interpretation of each film.These courses encouraged me to critically analyze the different circumstances of marginalized groups and regions besides, learning historical context through various literary genres and film productions. Each of these classes has allowed me to understand the adoption of certain beliefs and traditions in these communities.
For MLO 3 I was able to learn different aspects of Latin America and the Caribbean culture through different forms of cultural production, such as by literature and film. Those materials helped me gain a better understanding of the political, economic, and racial situation of these regions. Several courses were particularly significant in the completion of this MLO. For instance, SPAN 336 was focused on the internal experiences of writers, filmmakers, and people belonging to the Latinx and Spanish society as part of the LGBTQ+ community and their acceptance into a machista society. By reading poems, and book chapters and watching documentaries and films, I analyzed the issues and complex reality the community goes through because of racism, prejudices, derogatory comments, and actions by their families during the 20th/21st centuries as well as their participation in social-political movements. For this class in particular, I completed an analysis of a film with a focus on gender, sexuality, political, and historical contexts. I examined the film, “Mujeres al borde de un ataque de nervios”, directed by Pedro Almodóvar. This film emphasizes a dramatic change in women’s roles by the end of the Spanish Civil War and the arrival of “La Movida Madrileña,”, in which the youth and the marginalized population started to show their cultural and ideological freedom but demonstrated mainly by artistic movements. Also, this film exposes many women’s stereotypes and the contempt for social norms established during Franco’s dictatorship to build a “better” and more modern Spanish society. This project demonstrated the stereotyping of women and how they were being included even more in the public sphere. On the other hand, SPAN 325 introduced me to the challenges in Latin America through the use of films. In this class, we did both presentations and a final essay. The presentations were made in groups, where a specific film was chosen to show the director's historical context, biographical information, and the different aesthetic approaches. Our group worked on the Colombian film María Full of Grace Presentation, where the “narcocultura” (narcoculture) that has been predominant in many television shows and film productions is shown. The film reflects on drug trafficking and “las mulas”(mules) that transport narcotics inside their bodies from Colombia to the United States, running the risk of dying or being detained by the authorities for some money that will help them improve their lives in Colombia. It also shows magical realism through real situations found in Colombia and the opportunity to get ahead with a new opportunity for the protagonist and her son. This class taught me to see the different perspectives of film production, analyze why these types of films are made, and look for the connection between reality, fantasy, and magical realism. Finally, I had the opportunity to learn my classmates' different perspectives and opinions in class discussions since each of us had a different interpretation of each film.These courses encouraged me to critically analyze the different circumstances of marginalized groups and regions besides, learning historical context through various literary genres and film productions. Each of these classes has allowed me to understand the adoption of certain beliefs and traditions in these communities.