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.
There are two pathways by which this outcome can be fulfilled:
There are two pathways by which this outcome can be fulfilled:
- 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.
- With faculty approval, the student may opt for a more individual pathway, choosing to independently study, research and analyze the working components of the second culture.
- In order to fulfill this particular criteria, I decided to enroll in the JAPN 305 course, which was an introduction to life and culture of the Japanese people. Throughout the semester and with the help of visual aids, such as videos, movies and power point presentations, I gained a great amount of knowledge about Japanese history, geography, religion, government, politics, customs and traditions. Most importantly, the professor decided that we focused more on the historical and religious aspect of Japan, due to the fact that these two are very important aspects of in this country. By the end of the semester, and several essays and research done I can say that learning about a different culture and its traditions other than our own is crucial in order to understand the behavior of certain groups of people. Therefore, I personally can say that this course allowed me to understand the Japanese culture in a deeper level other than just knowing them for what they are typically known for; sushi, anime and technology.