When Information Coalesces across the Spanish Curriculum


by Ann Abbott
Sometimes when you teach Spanish community service learning, it can feel like you're all alone. It can feel like you have to fill all the gaps in students knowledge about immigration, professional skills, specific vocabulary--and all in just one semester. 

It can feel like we're all teaching in different directions, with different goals.

And then...

Sometimes it can feel like our students take complementary courses, learning things that expand their understanding of the issues we see in a Spanish CSL course. 

Here's a message I received from a student this semester; the video is at the top of this post.

Hola Ann,  Quiero compartir un video muy poderoso que vi en clase hoy. Estoy en la clase SPAN 312 de Pilar Martinez-Quiroga. Es una clase de literatura espanola y Pilar eligio el tema de la inmigracion y la emigracion de Espana por este semestre.  Entonces hoy vimos el video parte 1 de "Europe or Die" cual es "Storming Spain's Razor-Wire Fence." Es sobre los Africanos intentando a entrar Melilla (tierra espanola en Marruecos) y llegar en Europa eventualmente. Hay una valla muy grande entre Melilla y el resto de Marruecos patrullado por la Guardia Civil.  Es muy interesante porque yo pensara que una muralla asi solo existia entre Mexico y los Estados Unidos, pero es casi lo mismo en Marruecos. Fue muy impactante para mi y me recuerdo mucho de la pelicula "Quien es Dayani Cristal?" y todos los asuntos de la inmigrancion latina de que hablamos en su clase en el semestre anterior. 

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