SPAN 370 - The Chicano Community
Examines the cultural, social, economic, and political aspects of the Chicano community in an historical and contemporary context. Incorporates field observation and community studies. Taught in English.
Course Narrative
A class that I took last semester was Spanish 370. I really enjoyed this class because I had the opportunity to learn about the problems we face in our own community. One assignment that was really helpful for me was the final presentation in which we discussed a change we would like to see in our community. We all had different opinions on what change we wanted to work on. For this presentation, I decided to focus on crosswalks. The reason I decided to do this is that I have noticed that there are many crosswalks here in this community that are not safe for pedestrians. There is not enough protection for them when crossing. There are crosswalks that make the lines on the street hard to see, and there are cars parked that cover the beginning of the crosswalk, and it's hard to see if there is somebody. This community is surrounded by many projects that need to be done and are not taken care of. One of the projects that I really liked from a classmate was focused on pesticides, and how effective it is when working with pesticides and being surrounded by them, causing side effects in a person. And the reason I like this project is that I used to work in the fields and they wouldn't care that we would work around fields that were sprayed with pesticides. This class helped me to realize the importance of the safety of my community where I have spent all my life. It taught me how I could contribute to making my community better and safer.