This class explores various approaches to literary analysis in order to gain a basic understanding of the nature of Hispanic literature by reading materials from Middle ages to present. We discussed traditional genres such as narrative, poetry, drama, and essay — and critically interpret them to not only develop our proficiency in the language, but also to expand our critical thinking skills by reviewing theories, socio-political events, and other aspects of literature. This is a speaking and writing intensive class as we are encouraged to participate in daily discussions and group debates to improve our skills.

Discussion Boards

After every class lecture, we are assigned to answer analytical questions about the reading materials assigned for that day in order to check our understanding of the texts, and to share our perspective and opinions with the whole class. This is a way to evaluate what we have learned in lecture, while practicing our writing skills.

A few examples of my posted responses below:

Debates

We participated in two debates during the semester by creating arguments with the use of evidence from the pieces of literature that we have read for the topic in question. We were assigned in groups to a pro or con side of the debate. It was required for us to use specific quotes, paraphrases from the texts, and notes from lecture to justify our reasonings. This was a rigorous process to demonstrate the knowledge that we acquired from all of the materials that we tackled in class. Above all, it was necessary to have an in-depth understanding of the materials in order to effectively convey our points and succeed with each debate.

Here are a few examples of our step by step debate process:

Debate 1: Con side

Individual Position:

Group position statement:

Rebuttal Statement:

Open Forum Discussion – Oral Recording

Reflection Essay:

Debate 2: Pro side

Individual Statement:

Group statement:

Rebuttal Statement

Open Forum Discussion – Oral recording

Reflection Essay

Artifact 1

A creative way to showcase my knowledge of colonization of Spain in both Latin America and the Philippines. Since we discussed many works of literature about the colonization of Latin America, I thought that it was a good idea to compare and contrast the effects of colonial power to my home country, the Philippines to comprehend the similarities and differences of the two regions affected.

Artifact 2

In this second creative formative assignment, I chose to showcase my knowledge of poetry works of one of the most known poets that we read in class: Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz. For this artifact, I chose to do a newsletter about contemporary love advice from Sor Juana’s wisdom. It’s a fun way to incorporate my analysis of her poems in my perspective of the dating world in today’s society.