SPAN 306: Reflective Narrative
The Span 306 course is a great opportunity to explore all civilizations of Latin America. During this semester we had the opportunity to discuss many different traditions and life characteristics in many countries in America bonded by their common language.
The journey started in the pre-Colombian civilizations that flourished in America. We analyze the Olmec, Mayan, Toltec, and Aztec civilizations in Mexico and the Inca civilization in Peru. Also, we explore many other small human groups that surrounded these main indigenous empires.
Our next step in the course was to discuss the Spanish conquest and colonization of what is today’s Latino America. We discover who the first explorers in the continent were, and we identified the generals that led the conquests of the different civilizations in today’s Latin America.
The colonial time was our next topic. We explored the economic, religious, social, and cultural atmosphere in the New Spain. We learned about the system of “Encomiendas,” and the exploitation of indigenous people that generated the Black Legend, which is the idea that Spaniards were really cruel with theirs slaves and with the indigenous people in general. We discovered also the commercial routes that Spaniards used to export the goods of Latin America to Spain and other countries.
The era of independence was next. Because the influence of French Revolution and United States independence, Latin America decided to liberate itself from the Spaniard power. During this time we learned about the different generals that helped in this cause, such as Miguel Hidalgo and Simon Bolivar, who are the quintessential exponents of the freedom spirit. Then we explored how the Latin America countries established their own constitutions and government structures.
Finally, in the modern era, we explored some of the customs and traditions of many towns in Latino America. We watched some videos that showed the diversity of colors, flavors, and architecture in some of the countries in this continent. Since we have a diversity of students and many of them were in different countries of Latino America, we shared our experiences and knowledge about those places.
In this amazing course we have a great opportunity to explore different countries of Latin America. Even though we haven’t had the chance to travel to all these countries, by lectures, videos, and presentations, we felt that we were there. We discovered the diversities among all these countries, but also many other things that they have in common. It is a great introductory course that helps the student to be prepared for the Latin American ideology and be ready for other courses that focus their topics in a particular region or country.
The journey started in the pre-Colombian civilizations that flourished in America. We analyze the Olmec, Mayan, Toltec, and Aztec civilizations in Mexico and the Inca civilization in Peru. Also, we explore many other small human groups that surrounded these main indigenous empires.
Our next step in the course was to discuss the Spanish conquest and colonization of what is today’s Latino America. We discover who the first explorers in the continent were, and we identified the generals that led the conquests of the different civilizations in today’s Latin America.
The colonial time was our next topic. We explored the economic, religious, social, and cultural atmosphere in the New Spain. We learned about the system of “Encomiendas,” and the exploitation of indigenous people that generated the Black Legend, which is the idea that Spaniards were really cruel with theirs slaves and with the indigenous people in general. We discovered also the commercial routes that Spaniards used to export the goods of Latin America to Spain and other countries.
The era of independence was next. Because the influence of French Revolution and United States independence, Latin America decided to liberate itself from the Spaniard power. During this time we learned about the different generals that helped in this cause, such as Miguel Hidalgo and Simon Bolivar, who are the quintessential exponents of the freedom spirit. Then we explored how the Latin America countries established their own constitutions and government structures.
Finally, in the modern era, we explored some of the customs and traditions of many towns in Latino America. We watched some videos that showed the diversity of colors, flavors, and architecture in some of the countries in this continent. Since we have a diversity of students and many of them were in different countries of Latino America, we shared our experiences and knowledge about those places.
In this amazing course we have a great opportunity to explore different countries of Latin America. Even though we haven’t had the chance to travel to all these countries, by lectures, videos, and presentations, we felt that we were there. We discovered the diversities among all these countries, but also many other things that they have in common. It is a great introductory course that helps the student to be prepared for the Latin American ideology and be ready for other courses that focus their topics in a particular region or country.
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