SPAN 101 Critical, Integrative Thinking Essay on Culture

General description of the assignment

Students will demonstrate knowledge and understanding of particular aspects of the culture of the countries where Spanish is spoken by writing a reflective essay in English. SPAN 101 students will research and write about one of the following topics: greetings, school, family, or sports.

Assignment Goals

This assignment is linked to two of our four Program Learning Outcomes in World Language and Cultures. Students who complete course work in the World Languages and Cultures Program will be able to: (1) apply cultural knowledge to facilitate communication with native speakers and (2) and analyze cultural differences.

The assignment is also connected to the following course outcome on our SPAN 101 syllabus: Compare and contrast typical cultural frames of reference held by Anglos and Hispanics on interpersonal space, time, food, family, work, sports, pastimes, politics, and religion.

Having students reflect on how the target language makes itself meaningful within its social and cultural context helps them not only to make judgments about the target language culture but also to critically examine their own language and culture.

Description of Assignment Specifics

Using Microsoft WORD and 12​th font size, SPAN 101 students will write ​a reflective essay in English 750-1,000 words in length. Following MLA style, students will have at least one primary source and at least three secondary sources to address similarities and differences between the United States and Spanish-speaking countries on the cultural topic(s) chosen.

Students will receive the assignment the second week of the semester along with the Vincennes University Critical Thinking Rubric: Humanistic and Artistic. The first draft of the essay will be due the tenth week of the semester. The final draft will be due the thirteenth week of the semester.

Explanation of the Value of the Assignment Relative to the Overall Course Grade

The essay will weigh 10% percent of the total course grade.

Explanation of the problem, question, conflict, or issue

SPAN 101 students will choose to do ​one​of the four following reflective essays.

Context or scenario for all assignments:

Imagine that you want to communicate with a person from a Spanish-speaking country. Although this person has some degree of proficiency in English, he or she is not well acquainted with US culture. For example, think of a student from Latin America or Spain who has not been in the United States long and is starting classes at Vincennes University.

Assignment A

Essay on problems (culture shock) created by cultural differences in greetings and goodbyes and suggestions to help a student from a Spanish-speaking country studying in the United States deal with those problems

SPAN 101 students will address the following questions in a reflective essay:

There are important differences between the way people greet and take leave of one another in the Spanish-speaking world and in the United States. Think about differences in the following areas: interpersonal space, kisses, handshakes, hugs, and attitudes toward time. What are the greatest problems that the cultural differences in this area would create for a student from Latin America or Spain who is studying in the United States? What specific suggestions do you have to help the student overcome these problems, or, in other words, to deal with the culture shock?

How could you communicate to the person from the target culture that you are aware of and appreciate his or her cultural frame of reference? As a person from a culture different from that of a Spanish-speaking country, what are some of your own assumptions and values in the area of greeting, saying goodbye, and social interaction that this person might not understand about you? Do you exhibit typical North American values or are you different from the norm—perhaps in this particular area even somewhat like most people from Latin America or Spain? How could you help this person understand your assumptions and values, and--at the same time--show respect for his or her culture?

You may point out differences in greeting and saying good-bye to others within the Spanish-speaking world.

Assignment B

Essay on problems (culture shock) created by cultural differences in education and suggestions to help a student from a Spanish-speaking country studying in the United States deal with those problems

SPAN 101 students will address the following questions in a reflective essay:

There are important differences between education in the Spanish-speaking world and in the United States. Think about differences in the following areas: educational system from kindergarten through university, courses taught, college entrance requirements, access to desired college major, tuition costs, and housing for college students. What are the greatest problems that the cultural differences in this area would create for a student from Latin America or Spain who is studying in the United States? What specific suggestions do you have to help the student overcome these problems, or, in other words, to deal with the culture shock?

How could you communicate to the person from the target culture that you are aware of and appreciate his or her cultural frame of reference? As a person from a culture different from that of a Spanish-speaking country, what are some of your own assumptions and values in the area of education that this person might not understand about you? Do you exhibit typical North American values or are you different from the norm—perhaps in this particular area even somewhat like most people from Latin America or Spain? How could you help this person understand your assumptions and values, and--at the same time--show respect for his or her culture?

Assignment C

Essay on problems (culture shock) created by cultural differences in families and suggestions to help a student from a Spanish-speaking country studying in the United States deal with those problems

SPAN 101 students will address the following questions in a reflective essay:

Although each family within a certain culture does not always exhibit the general tendencies within that culture, in general there are important differences between families in the Spanish-speaking world and families in the United States. There are also certainly regional differences in families within the Spanish-speaking world and within the United States. Think about differences in the following areas: marriage, last names, values taught to children, family size, concepts of the extended family and the nuclear family, and attitudes toward time. What are the greatest problems that the cultural differences in this area would create for a student from Latin America or Spain who is studying in the United States? What specific suggestions do you have to help the student overcome these problems, or, in other words, to deal with the culture shock?

How could you communicate to the person from the target culture that you are aware of and appreciate his or her cultural frame of reference? As a person from a culture different from that of a Spanish-speaking country, what are some of your own assumptions and values in the area of family that this person might not understand about you? Do you exhibit typical North American values or are you different from the norm—perhaps in this particular area even somewhat like most people from Latin America or Spain? How could you help this person understand your assumptions and values, and--at the same time--show respect for his or her culture?

Assignment D

Essay on problems (culture shock) created by cultural differences in sports and suggestions to help a student from a Spanish-speaking country studying in the United States deal with those problems

SPAN 101 students will address the following questions in a reflective essay:

There are important differences between sports in the Spanish-speaking world and in the United States. Think about differences in the following areas: ​passion for soccer or baseball in Spanish-speaking countries versus passion for baseball, basketball, hockey, or football in the United States; the ways fans express their passion in Spanish-speaking countries and in the United States; the cultural and political rivalries sometimes symbolized by rivalries between teams in both cultures; and the influence of famous sports personalities in both the Hispanic and Anglo cultures. What​ are the greatest problems that the cultural differences in this area would create for a student from Latin America or Spain who is studying in the United States? What specific suggestions do you have to help the student overcome these problems, or, in other words, to deal with the culture shock?

How could you communicate to the person from the target culture that you are aware of and appreciate his or her cultural frame of reference? As a person from a culture different from that of a Spanish-speaking country, what are some of your own assumptions and values in the area of sports that this person might not understand about you? Do you exhibit typical North American values or are you different than the norm—perhaps in this particular area even somewhat like most people from Latin America or Spain? How could you help this person understand your assumptions and values, and--at the same time--show respect for his or her culture?

Evidence: selecting and using information to investigate a point of view or conclusion

SPAN 101 students must include at least one of the following primary sources: an interview with a native speaker of Spanish, a video or a film involving native speakers. Students need three secondary sources. As secondary sources they will refer to scholarly articles on the cultural topic(s) with which they are dealing as they address the questions for the essay. Use Google Scholar to find articles.

Influence of context and assumptions

The assignment focuses the student’s attention on the importance of a cultural context on communication. Students will grapple with how cultural frames of reference influence cross-cultural communication.

Student position

As students do this assignment, they will examine their own ideas and attitudes they had before taking SPAN 101 and consider whether those notions and perspectives had affected their interaction with native-speakers of Spanish. Students will explain how learning Spanish language and Hispanic culture has influenced their understanding of people from Spanish-speaking countries. Also, students will consider how they might help native-speakers of Spanish understand assumptions and values typical of people in the United States, and--at the same time--show respect for the Spanish-speaking culture. Students will even be examining how reflective their own assumptions and values are of US culture in general.

Conclusions and related outcomes

The reflective essay on cultural topics in SPAN 101 will be aligned with both Education Outcome Competencies from the State of Indiana and Program Outcomes dealing with culture for students in Vincennes University’s World Languages and Cultures Department.

World Languages and Cultures

Critical Thinking, Integrative Thinking Grading Rubric​  Worth 100 points

Excellent= high A, Advanced= low A, Acceptable= C, Developing=D, Inadequate= F

MLA Documentation Style

Example of a Works-Cited Entry for a Book:

Blanco, José A. and Philip Redwine Donley. Aventuras:​ Primer curso de lengua española,​

4th ed. Boston: VISTA Higher Learning, 2014. Print.

Example of a Works-Cited Entry for a Flash Cultura Episode in ​Aventuras​:

“Encuentros en la plaza.” Perf. Silvina Márquez. Flash Cultura in Lección 1, Aventuras​.​ Vhlcentral.com. Vista Higher Learning, 2014. Web. 25 March 2014.

Example of a Works-Cited Entry for a Magazine Article:

Schwartz, John. “The Great Food Migration.” ​Newsweek​(Columbus Special Issue) Fall/Winter 1991:

58-62. Print.

Example of a Works-Cited Entry for a Web Site:

Kern, Soeren. “Muslims Angry Over Spanish Citizenship Offer to Jews.” The​ Clarion Project: Challenging Extremism, Promoting Dialogue.​The Clarion Project, Inc. 24 Dec. 2012. Web. 15 Oct. 2013.

​Note that the first​ date above refers to the date of publication​of the article on the web site.

The second​ date is when you accessed the article​on the Web.

Example of a Works-Cited Entry for Sources from Online Databases:

Huntington, Samuel P. “The Hispanic Challenge.” Foreign Policy. March/April 2004: 30+. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 14 Oct 2013.

​Note that the date above refers to the ​date that you accessed the article​on the Web.

Online databases often have proper MLA citation at the end of the article.

Example of a Works-Cited Entry for a Lecture

Campbell, Lucy. Observations on Latin American families during class. Dept. of Modern Foreign Languages, Vincennes University, Vincennes, IN. 17 Oct. 2013. Lecture.

Example of a Works-Cited Entry for a Personal Interview

Rodríguez Contreras, Rafael Pablo. Personal interview. 19 Oct. 2013.

FORMAT of First Page

Mary Smith

Professor Gregory

SPAN 103

17 April 2014

Holidays and Celebrations in the English-Speaking and Spanish-speaking Worlds