SPANISH 150 NATIONAL IDENTITY IN A TRANSNATIONAL AGE: MEXICO

This course is designed to introduce students to do research on specific topics about the history and culture of Mexico and participate in discussions expressing opinions, reflections, and critical analysis of current controversial issues. This course is multidisciplinary in scope and seeks to engage students across disciplines in the exploration of ethics in a globalizing world. Students will explore the ethical or normative issues of the Mexican culture that arise as national and transnational identities.

Upon completion of the course, students will be able to reach the following objectives:

Interpretive Listening Interpretive Reading Interpersonal Speaking Presentational Speaking Presentational Writing
I can understand extended speech even when it is not clearly structured and when relationships are only implied and not signaled explicitly. I can understand sources such as television programs and films without too much effort. I can understand a variety of long, complex factual and literary texts and appreciate distinctions of style. I can understand texts such as specialized articles and longer technical instructions unrelated to my field. I can express myself fluently and spontaneously without obviously searching for expressions. I can use language flexibly and effectively for personal, social, and professional purposes. I can formulate ideas and opinions with precision and communicate them skillfully to other speakers. I can present clear, detailed descriptions of complex subjects integrating sub-themes, developing particular points, and formulating an appropriate conclusion. I can express myself in clear, well-structured texts, expressing points of view at some length. I can write about complex subjects in texts such as letters, essays, or reports, and underline what I consider to be the key issues. I can select a style appropriate for the intended reader.
Goals for Cultural CompetenceThe goals for cultural competence are not organized hierarchically as are the linguistic goals for the course. By the end of the semester, I will be able to say that I can:
  • Identify, discuss, and analyze such intangible products of the culture I am studying, as social, economic, and political institutions, and explore relationships among these institutions and the perspectives of the culture;
  • Give examples of social behaviors that express the target culture's underlying value system;
  • Interpret social phenomena within the context of the target culture;
  • Describe instances of major change within the culture I am studying.

Fall 2007 Textbooks/Materials:

El Laberinto de la SoledadOctavio PazNueva historia mínima de MéxicoEscalante, et al.México, D.F. El Colegio de México, 2006.ISBN: 968-12-1139-1Problemas socioeconómicos de México y sus solucionesLuis PazosEditorial Diana, México, 2005.ISBN: 968134152X

Students also use the resources recommended in the syllabus, in Moodle, on the web, and the DVDs and dictionaries in the Language Center. It is recommended that you buy a good dictionary, Spanish-Spanish, as well as a Spanish-English. Pocketbook and paperback dictionaries are strongly discouraged.