What is an ePortfolio?

“An ePortfolio is an electronic collection of evidence that shows your learning journey over time” (Google). This ePortfolio will take you on an adventure of how I have learned about Hispanic Cultures through my Spanish 1 class at Georgia College and State University.

Final Reflection Essay

I have learned so much this semester in Spanish I at Georgia College and State University. In class we learned many new vocabulary terms and learned the basic present tense. We would get into groups and discuss our answers on exercises that we did in class. Getting to talk to our peers was very helpful because we were able to communicate with one another and better understand if we did not get the correct answers. Also, we were able to make new friends by interacting with each other. We also did exercises in class where we would attempt to hold a conversation in Spanish with a partner. It was difficult at times, but we tried our best! Tests could be challenging because the true and false can be tricky, however I got through it. The oral exam was a breeze and lots of fun because we did those exercises in class, so the exam was not very difficult at all.

Finally, working on this portfolio has been super fun and easy because I have been able to learn about what I’m passionate about in another culture. Some of the strengths I experienced was being able to find many articles relating to art in hispanic cultures, the love of history that I have, and being creative by adding several photos to the posts. Some of my weaknesses included, having trouble finding as much information on different cultures, or one culture specifically, finding interesting topics to write about in relation to art in hispanic cultures, and being able to write about religious works. Overall, I have learned a lot about other Spanish cultures. More importantly though, I did learn how although cultures are different from each other, they all relate to some other cultures in a sense but take their own variation of it, which I have found to be very interesting (as seen in my culture entry #3).

All together I think I have enhanced my speaking skills in Spanish and look forward to continuing to Spanish II and so forth.

Culture Entry #3

Throughout artwork over the centuries many of the work created is inspired by a common theme. One of the most common themes is religion. In Latin American countries religion is a major influence in their lifestyles. It is seen through their artwork as well. In the colonial period art was influenced by the Christian teachings, which produced Indochristian art. The Latin American culture has this idea of “visual culture” which means that they rely on art to tell stories about history and religion.

In the Caribbean, creating pottery and the carving of shell and wood were the major crafts that the Spaniards and Europeans made. In Mexican churches, retables (decorative structures constructed out of wood and placed behind altars) were created. Many relief carved structures made out of wood were common, usually out of important figures. Wood like structures were also made to represent a scene or a story in the Bible. virgin of guatelupe.jpgThe Virgin of Guatelupe

wood carving.jpg

The majority of Latinos are catholic or protestant and religion was a major influence for their artwork and continues to be seen today.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latin_American_art

https://www.britannica.com/art/Latin-American-art

https://www.interexchange.org/articles/abroad/2015/08/17/latino-hispanic-culture-in-us/

 

 

Culture Entry #2

Latin America consists of about thirty countries which all have different traditions and ways of life. However there are three distinct cultural heritages that are seen throughout all of Latin America: European, African, and Indian. In the early 1400s, many churches were built over ancient ruins and that is how pagan figures blended with Christian characteristics. Eventually the Spanish pushed conversion which called for bigger churches which lead to the Plateresque style which is an equivalent to the Spanish renaissance, but for Latin America. This style has elegant exterior decorations and plateresque forms were combined with gothic vaults. These churches also included open chapels with spacious courtyards so that large congregations could hear the mass. Built in 1560, one of the best examples of the Plateresque style is the Church of San Agustin in Acolman, Mexico.

Another common style during the 1600’s and 1700’s was the Baroque style. This is characterized by lavish decorations and very dramatic effects which emerged from Europe. However, Latin American builders transformed the Baroque style to fit the environment of the ‘New World’. Earthquakes and more tropical areas needed some different type of structures to accustom those needs. Some buildings were more lavish while cathedrals and churches were more plain. Some countries took more of a native influence to the Baroque style while others kept it more European. An example of more European influence is the Cathedral of Mexico City.

The Rosary Chapel in the Monastery Church of Santo Domingo in Puebla, Mexico is a great example of more brightly colored and much more elegant and lavish decorations with more influence of the natives. These are a few of the architectural influences from other cultures in Latin America and how they transformed it into their own.

puebla-churches-6.jpg

works cited: http://www.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=3753884

 

Culture Entry #1

How does one intend to develop cultural competence?
In my opinion, I would consider gaining cultural competence through exploring the Hispanic cultures; whether that be through reading, writing and/or traveling to various Hispanic countries. Through reading, writing, and practicing my Spanish, I can gain a better understanding of native people once I plan to travel to a Hispanic country. By taking Spanish I am not only learning how to read, write, and speak grammatically correct I am also learning a how a different culture works. As an Art Major, I am specifically interested in how Art has influenced different Hispanic cultures and how it changes between countries, time periods, and events. Art tells stories and how people’s lives have been affected throughout the years. I am very intrigued to learn about how Art was used to create powerful messages to those around the world.