This course was primarily an intensive conversation based learning to strengthen our linguistic and cultural proficiency in verbal communication. Throughout the semester, our lessons in class were based on assignments in our online book in VHL; they mainly focused on grammar and expanding our cross-cultural understanding by analyzing pieces of literature and short films which challenged us to address complex and diverse issues. At the end of every unit, we were assessed to reflect on our growth and demonstrate our comprehension of the topic by participating in a graded-group discussion. For this matter, it was significant to be prepared and ready to actively participate in our in-class discussions in order to enhance our skills of the language.

The Five Units

Each topic from these five units encouraged us to think critically in order to form rational conclusions. At first, some of the topics were hard to dissect due to an issue with our language capability; however, our assignments were designed to help us with the process of successfully communicating the subject matter by providing vocabulary and grammatical practices to support the formation of our sentences. Therefore, at the end of every unit, it was evident that my language proficiency has been developed due to my visible gained ability to openly convey my thoughts without any major issues during our in-class discussions.

Unit 1: ¿Realidad o fantasía?

The purpose of this unit was to learn how to distinguish the difference between fantasy and reality by analyzing the power of the imagination in order to have a better understanding of our reality.

Cortometraje: Viaje a Marte

The theme of this film was one of my favorites because it emphasizes the importance of imagination in child development because it boosts not only their cognitive development, but also their social and emotional skills which are essential life skills that they can bring into their adulthood. Our in-class discussion made us reflect back to our childhood activities which gave me a better understanding of the impact of those activities to my identity. One of the best parts of our discussions was discovering new insights that I can apply to my own life.

Lectura

This article was not one of my favorites; on the other hand, it was memorable to me because discussing the story in class taught me how to properly read a short story written in Spanish. Since it was the first short story that we read in class, our professor noted that when it comes to Hispanic literature, the most important part of the story is not so much the ending, but process of getting to the ending such as paying attention to the conflicts in detail that changed the perspective of the protagonist. This was a great advice that I can apply to my literary assignments in my future classes.

Tertulia

In this first graded oral discussion, the class was separated into two groups for a mini debate and each group was assigned a few opinions to defend throughout the whole assessment. I was able to easily defend my point of view with the opinions that I agreed with, but the challenging part of this debate was justifying an opinion that completely opposed my personal beliefs. Refuting my own bias strengthened my reasoning skills because in that moment we had to think critically in order to produce rational ideas to build a strong argument despite of our own bias. I’m glad that I was able to sufficiently voice my opinions and openly participate during our mini debate in class which rewarded me with a decent grade. Although, the real reward that was obtained in this conversation was really the exposure to different kinds of perspectives.

Unit 2: Una cuestión de personalidad

The characteristics of individuals is what define their personality, hence it is important to question those qualities in order to evolve as a person. Everyone is part of a socialization which means their actions will affect others and our behavior depends on our perception; for that reason, we must keep developing our character in order to contribute to the prosperity of our society.

I loved all of the materials discussed in this unit; however, it was the least challenging for me in terms of language use because I noticed that I had barely any issues conveying my ideas throughout this unit.

Cortometraje: Diez Minutos

This was a captivating short film about a man named Enrique who called to ask the customer service of a telephone company to give him the number that his girlfriend called during a particular time using his phone. He can only access the last 10 calls, but he explains he has made more than 10 call since that time; therefore, he can no longer see it. The operator explains that it is against their policy to provide that information, but he explained that this is an urgent matter because his girlfriend left him and this is the only way to get in contact with her. She still refused, so he got frustrated and questions if she’s even human. He was desperate to get the number so tried to convince her by telling her a touching story about his dog which made her emotional. They realize that call was about to be ended because it had a 10 minute limit, but because she was so moved by his story, she tried to give him the number without literally saying it. Enrique counted from 1-9 and she stayed silent whenever he said the right number.

This short film highlights the connection that binds our society: humanity. It showed that at the end of the day people will choose to lend a hand to help one another.

Tertulia

In this discussion, I remember having an engaging conversation with the whole class about various aspects of our identity and whether they are affected by genetics or influenced by our environment. We were presented with different statements regarding the topic which we had to justify with reasonable answers. In retrospect, I was quite confident with my opinions, especially in emphasizing the value of education. I firmly believe that it is possible to control these qualities through education despite the fact that genetics and environmental factors are evident in our behavior because everything can be learned with proper implementation.

Unit 3: La influencia de los medios

This unit revealed the impact of media in our lives, such as information shown in the news, radio, television and the internet. All the information that we absorb has a major effect on our way of perceiving things because what we hear can influence our values and beliefs. On this note, it is crucial to pay attention to our resources in order to keep track of the elements that are affecting our lives.

Tertulia

This was one of the most interesting conversations that we tackled in class because everyone had different opinions aside from reality tv regarding what they considered “trash tv.” This conversation also brought attention to the negative effects of television to our mental health, especially kids who are more vulnerable in terms of recognizing these conflicts in question.

Unit 4: Las garras del poder

This unit was very informative because we got to learn and discuss about the impact of power in our society, especially those who hold the most power, such as the government and large corporations.

This unit was full of very interesting discussions where I gained a great deal of knowledge which expanded my vocabulary while discussing relevant societal issues.

Lectura: La tortilla

This article revealed a story of a couple who could no longer react to chaos and tragedies presented in the news because overtime people will become numbed when the same narrative of catastrophes are constantly being shown. Since it has become so normal for people to see these things in the news, when they watch it, there’s barely any reaction because there’s already another tragedy being discussed. It has gotten to a point where people can’t even absorb it anymore.

Tertulia

This discussion weighed the advantages and disadvantages of multinational companies to raise a question to their role in our lives.

Unit 5: Misterios del amor

In this unit, we discussed the complexity of love along with topics that ranged from dating to marriage. We also talked about factors that plays a role in romantic relationships, such as culture, age and career.

Lectura

This article was the most memorable lesson in this unit that stood out for me because the issues raised in this reading are relatable to the concept of finding love in my generation. The article compared the search for love to consumerism because people are constantly looking and comparing to find someone better to the point that they can no longer commit because they are stuck with the the idea that someone out there would serve as a better option.

During this discussion, the variety of the Spanish subjunctive in most of the sentences was also noted. The subjunctive has been one of the most focused topics in this class when it came to grammar. I struggled with the subjunctive throughout my whole journey of learning Spanish; however, lectures in class have helped me comprehend the purpose and function of this grammar.