MLO 4: Secondary Cultural Knowledge
Description:
In addition to the Spanish language and Hispanic cultures, the student demonstrates a general knowledge of a socio-cultural group other than a Hispanic one or mainstream American culture. The student develops a basic understanding of the ways of thinking (ideas, beliefs, attitudes, values, philosophies), the behavioral practices (patterns of social interactions) and the cultural products – both tangible and intangible (for example, art, history, literature, music) – of the second culture.
The student completes at least one upper division course whose focus is a socio-cultural group not reflected by a Hispanic culture. General areas to choose from are: literature, the social sciences (anthropology, geography, history, political systems), art history, music history and/or the second cultural group.
The student completes at least one upper division course whose focus is a socio-cultural group not reflected by a Hispanic culture. General areas to choose from are: literature, the social sciences (anthropology, geography, history, political systems), art history, music history and/or the second cultural group.
How I fulfilled it:
To fulfill MLO 4 I chose to take HCOM 346: African-American Life and History during the Fall 2013 semester. This course offered a perfect addition to my educational pathway and provided an in-depth look into the story of African-Americans in the United States. Because the majority of my classes are centered around Hispanic culture, this information was a very enjoyable breath of fresh are that added some nice variety to my workload. We took a look into the early history of West Africa and briefly studied the origins of the slave trade and its effect on ancient societies such as Ghana, Songhai, and Mali, then began a detailed examination of the Slave trade in America, its implications on later generations, and the plight of the modern African-American. An entire section was devoted to the Harlem Renaissance, and we were able to cover not only the literature, but also the art and music that surrounded the movement. I was immensely inspired by the teachings of Umi Vaughan, my instructor, and felt as though this course was only the beginning of a particular section of American culture that I had yet to explore. Learning on this topic can add to my particular course of study, given that many Spanish speaking cultures within Latin America have a significant representation of citizens with African descent, also as a result of the existence of a slave trade in their early history. I intend to use the information gained from this class to expand my intercultural communication skills, and to help break down the unfortunate trend of ethnocentrism within particular areas of our society.
HCOM 346: African American Life/History Course Description:
An introduction to the historical and cultural narratives that shape African American identities and experiences. Offers built-in assessment in HCOM MLO 7 or the concentrations in Africana Studies; Comparative American Studies; or History, Oral History, and New Media.