Interpretive, Interpersonal, and Presentational Modes of Communication
brief description of products and practices that helped you gain understanding of cultural perspectives. You are talking about your growth of understanding.
In class, each Contraseña unit included a section called “Exploración Cultural,” (“Cultural Exploration“ in English), which was a look into the practices of the Spanish-speaking world, helping us to better understand the culture as well as discover how it relates to our own. Each unit’s Exploracion Cultural section is broken down into 3 more sub-sections called “Preparar, Aplicar, and Investigar.”
- Preparar – Read about the topic for this section (Exploración Cultural) of the unit
- Aplicar – opportunity to test your knowledge and cultural understanding based on your retention of the Preparar section.
- Investigar – perform an internet search related to the unit topic and compare the results to the US. These searches are done primarily in Spanish, although at times we did do them in English in order to compare the results.
1 – Social networks, 2 – Formality,
Vocabulary was related to the lesson (EXAMPLE).
questions to help you process your reflections:
- In what way did these products and practices help you better understand values and attitudes in the Hispanic culture as well as your own?
- Football – cultural importance attached to ____________
- sense of belonging to a group
- Food and celebrations – the tie between them in Hispanic/Latin families and communities
- Clothing – availability & traditions
- Football – cultural importance attached to ____________
- How did these products and practices challenge your worldview?
- What challenges did these perspectives reveal to you?
- Language itself can bridge the gap of socio-cultural barriers. When I watch a movie in Spanish with English subtitles, or vice versa, I notice small translations that are changed because of a lack of shared idiomatic meaning between the languages. For example, recently I watched a show on Netflix (originally filmed in English) that used the phrase “wild goose chase,” which in English-speaking countries we understand to mean a useless search. The translation was exactly that….”búsqueda inútil” or “useless search” in English. Instead of using the literal translation, the meaning itself was translated.
- How did it cause you to work through a stereotype or misconception you had and cause you to view the world from a different perspective? Use specific examples.