Feb
24
Last 201 thus far.
Posted by: Brian | February 24, 2009 | Comments Off on Last 201 thus far.
Overall I have thoroughly enjoyed this class. The setup has been remarkably different from what I have been accustomed to throughout the past three and a half years of university, and I appreciate the change!
I have been in sciences until this year of university, although I have dabbled in some first and second year arts courses, I have been taught through ‘calculation’ and ‘facts.’ It has been challenging to not only learn to think subjectively, but also to do so on a topic that I have no foundation in. Clearly, the representations of ‘pop culture’ in Latin America which we have been investigating are reflective of the Latin American experience as a whole. Having very little knowledge on this topic, I have been trying to sort out whether its easier to grasp from a top-down approach, seeing what the readings have to say about what has gone on in Latin America, or the bottom-up approach seeing how the Latin American experience has influenced pop culture. The class offers a good combination of the two, and despite my never-ending struggle, I appreciate the mixture in the class and our capabilities to individually express our own perspectives on what we are learning.
I am aware that this is not a history or political science course, however, pop culture has much to teach us about the Latin American lived experience, identity and culture. I have been fighting the urge to use my scientific background to ‘define’ these things, and rather attempting to simply observe and reflect. Using ‘pop culture’ as a channel to discuss any one of these topics is a representation of the individual (whether it be the dancers, the authors or the poets) unique lens through which they view their experience. This is reflective of what it means to be ‘Mexican,’ ‘the people’ or whatever they may be trying to convey. It is the individual experience, the unique perspective, the lived experience that makes it what it is. To each their own, and that defines what is the ‘truth’ for ones self.
The blog has been incredibly useful to accommodate all learning styles. I personally am not as much an audio learner, or one to comment excessively in class, but would rather read and write. Others, simply find it easier to express themselves through their writing. It has been wonderful to see how my classmates are progressing through their learning in this class.
