Interpretive, Interpersonal, and Presentational Modes of Communication
Exploring Culture
In this course we had several Discussion Boards, and a select few of those helped me better understand hispanic culture. In one of our discussion boards we had to watch a video on how some people in hispanic countries greet each other. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GWaBQ-ZUm-c
In another Discussion Board we read about study abroad and spanish universities.
https://www.expatica.com/es/education/higher-education/study-in-spain-101452/
For both assignments we became acquainted with features of hispanic culture and related it back to our own. For example, personal space is very different in America than in Brazil: a fact that can even be seen in the countries architecture and ways of greeting. In Brazilian cities, or favelas, people live in closer contact with each other than in American cities. In addition, across the hispanic world it is common to greet with two besos, something rare in America.
Engaging in Communities
During the course I found the Discussion Boards particularly useful for engaging in community. I wasn’t expecting it to actually be useful, but I particularly enjoyed the conversation about studying abroad because a lot of my classmates had the same anxieties about it as me.
In addition, the last Discussion Board we did where everyone shared who they respected was very touching because a lot of people chose family members and we included a couple sentences in spanish and then english
Interpersonal Communication
During this semester I visited the border of Mexico while visiting a friends family in Arizona. There, I was able to have face to face conversations. One was with an artists who spoke English and Spanish. I can vividly recall him saying “this whole town exists for you, the tourists. you are safe here.” Although the conversation was brief, If I could go back I would have tried to talk more and fully in Spanish.
In addition to this we had the assignment of having zoom conversations with a conversation partner.
This is a clip from a conversation I had with my conversation partner this semester. In this conversation we are both able to introduce ourselves and ask how each other are doing. This is something that at the beginning of the semester we stumbled over a bit, but this clip is from one of our later meetings and we have gotten the hang of introductions quite well.
Presentational Speaking
Throughout the semester we had to give oral presentations and discussions that tested our speaking skills.
In this clip, I am presenting a project where I discuss my life and school campus. I am able to give a presentation efficiently, although it is not to an audience. I sometimes struggle with public speaking, so while I did well in this project I would like to improve my spanish speaking skills in front of people.
Presentational Writing
Throughout the semester we had written aspects of the Proyectos which helped improve presentational writing. Such as the following, in which we were supposed to describe someone we admired:
Anthony Bourdain es creativo y escribe mucho libros. Tambien, Anthony es muy inteligente, lo sé porque cita libros en el programa. Anthony creó el programa de televisión de viajes: Parts Unknown. En el programo, Anthony es muy honesto y compasivo. Sé que Anthony es muy aventurero porque la programa de televisión
This was particularly helpful because it was a way to test out the materials I had been learning in the modules, and put it to use in the written form. Sometimes I struggled with not being sure If what I was saying made sense in Spanish, but as the semester progressed I became more and more confident.
Interpretive Listening
Throughout the semester we were asked to listen to clips on contrasena or on blackboard quizzes and then interpret them. Outside of the class I watched some Spanish language TV shows on Netflix, such as the popular series Narcos: Mexico. Below is a clip about the show.
One of the things that was difficult about using the show to better my Spanish speaking skills was that in the show they speak Mexican Spanish and in the class we don’t really learn a lot of informal Spanish or dialectal words, which were the kinds of words I was picking up the most on while watching the show. The spanish in the show was a lot more realistic than what we were learning in the course and I became aware of that through watching it and listening.
Interpretive Reading
Throughout the semester we read articles about universities for a discussion board, read about students across the hispanic world on contrasena. Below is a copy of an article I read on my own time outside of the class.
I was able to read this article about Trump possibly testing positive for Covid before a election debate and follow along relatively easy. Using intuition and guessing, reading between the lines, I was able to infer the meaning of the article. It was helpful that the article had numerous cognates, such as : rupublicano, presedencia, revelaciones, candidatos debían presentar, etc.
Citations
How to Cheek Kiss – YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iwe5KDJYxTM.
“Study in Spain.” Expatica, 29 Dec. 2020, https://www.expatica.com/es/education/higher-education/study-in-spain-101452/.
Narcos: Mexico Trailer (2018) Netflix – Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BoDrQ8JktVg.
Sánchez-Vallejo, María Antonia. “Donald Trump Dio Positivo En Covid Días Antes Del Primer Debate Electoral Con Joe Biden y Lo Ocultó.” El País, 1 Dec. 2021, https://elpais.com/internacional/2021-12-01/donald-trump-dio-positivo-en-covid-dias-antes-del-primer-debate-electoral-con-joe-biden-y-lo-oculto.html.