Spanish & International Health
Samples of cultural and literature coursework
These artifacts, presented in my target language (Spanish), are examples of coursework that I completed during my time at Clemson. Listed below are the artifacts themselves, along with a brief description of the project, what I learned by completing the artifact, and applications of each work to my interests and career.
This work is an in-depth analysis of the Spanish novel San Manuel Bueno, mártir (Saint Manuel Bueno, martyr) by Miguel de Unamuno. By creating this artifact, I was able to read, understand, and analyze a novel in my target language, as well as identify metaphors and articulate the deeper meaning of symbols in the text. Text analysis, whether fiction or nonfiction, is an essential skill in the workforce. Additionally, this artifact shows that I was able to collect background information about the author and incorporate it into the context of the novel. By using external sources in my target language to interpret the text, I demonstrated my ability to comprehend and engage with additional analyses of long works, as well as write my own. Connecting with a culture begins with reading literature. Even fictional works will teach historical context, common phrases and regional dialects.
This artifact is partially a descriptive essay of a particular cultural group in Ecuador: Afro Ecuadorians. Additionally, I argue that the diversity of this group is often overlooked and that there is a diverse array of ways Ecuadorians that are descendants of Africans express themselves through culture, food, and music. This work allowed me to understand the nuances of particular groups of people, rather than just lumping all individuals together that fall under a specific category. Additionally, it allowed me to explore a culture outside my own. By exploring Afro-Ecuadorian culture, I deepened my perspective of cultures other than my own lived experiences. I was able to understand and engage with sources and lectures in my target language while studying the cultural context of Afro-Ecuadorians. Therefore, I gained a deeper appreciation for the diversity within Ecuador and Latin America as a whole. Acknowledging the diversity of cultures among different races and nationalities within Latin America will help me as I work with Latinos within or outside the U.S. in the future. Additionally, I will have a better understanding of how non-Hispanic countries can have a variety of cultural expressions, including in the United States.