SPAN 358 - Central Amer Society & Culture

3 Credit Hours
This course is designed for students on the Nicaragua Service Learning Semester (there will also be courses in Spanish language, literature, theology, and service learning). Starting from the belief that culture and society are better understood in relation to the historical, sociopolitical, economic, and religious context, this course will provide an introduction to these major topics as well as to the art, music, and literature of the Central American region (focusing primarily on Nicaragua and El Salvador). It is also designed to help students integrate all aspects of their experience during the semester. Two major foci within this will be to examine the role of the Church (in conjunction with your theology class) and the United States’ influence and actions in the area. This will be done from the perspective of different groups in the U.S. and Central America. We will discuss both positive and negative aspects of the U.S. relationship with Central American and the issues involved (political, economic, ethical, and moral). We will also discuss what we as individuals might do to ensure that, in this new century, the attitudes, policies, and actions of our country might be more coherent and responsible. This course would count for the Latin American Studies minor, and an E/R&S or Peace Studies elective. Only if the majority of the reading and all the written work is done in Spanish with an extra discussion section in Spanish would it count for a Spanish major or minor (Section 02).

Prerequisites: Undergraduate level THEO111 Minimum grade of D and Undergraduate level PHIL100 Minimum grade of D and Undergraduate level HIST151 Minimum grade of D and Undergraduate level SPAN102 Minimum grade of D and Undergraduate level UNST200 Minimum grade of D

Co-requisites: UNST300

Course Attributes: ERS Focus Elective, Latin American Studies Minor, Peace & Justice Studies Minor

Levels: Graduate Undergraduate

College of Arts & Sciences Classics & Modern Languages