Reaction papers for classes taught by Steven Bice, Alina Castelló & Anaris Hunter-McCargo

· What are the reaction papers?

They are a way for you to experience some aspect of Hispanic culture. They are

reactionary essays written once you ha :

1) watching a movie

2) listening to 2 different music CDs

3) interviewing a native speaker

4) going to a cultural event

· When is the reaction paper due?

                        It depends on your instructor, but usually on the last week (or second-to-last week) of classes.

· How long does each one have to be and in what language?

Class	Spanish 100	Spanish 297	Spanish 101	Spanish 102
MOVIE	1-2 pages, English	1-2 pages, English	2 pages, English	2 pages, English PLUS 5 questions (Spanish)
MUSIC CD	1 page, English	1 page, English	2 pages, English	2 pages, English PLUS 5 questions (Spanish)
NATIVE SPEAKER	1-2 pages, English	1-2 pages, English	2 pages, English	2 pages, English PLUS 5 questions (Spanish)
CULTURAL EVENT	1 page, English	1 page, English	2 pages, English	2 pages, English PLUS 5 questions (Spanish)

· What should it include?

            In your paper you must address the following questions:
            1. What was your initial reaction to what you were going to experience, and how did it change

once you had experienced it?  Did it change further after you thought about it?
            2. Did the experience relate to what you are learning about the Spanish-speaking world?

How did it? (or why do you think it did not?) What surprised you about the experience?
            3. How does the experience relate to other cultural phenomena you have experienced (in any language?)

            Can you draw any meaning from what you experienced that would apply to your own life?

            Don't spend more than 50 WORDS describing the actual event. Assume that I am familiar with what you saw.

            What I want to hear about are your reactions.

· What are possible topics?       

          1. Listen to two different Spanish-language CDs and compare them:

You may use any of the music CDs in our language lab. Make sure to look at the lyrics while

you are listening. Listen to the ENTIRE CD.

          2. Watch one of the following movies:

All of these can be rented at local video stores or local libraries.

You must get a version with subtitles (not a dubbed version).

English title	Spanish Title	Country	Genre
The Official Story	La historia oficial	Argentina	Historical drama
	Nueva Yol	República Dominicana	Lighthearted adventure	In our language lab!
Buena Vista Social Club		Cuba	Concert / documentary
	Danzón	México	Romantic adventure
Like Water for Chocolate	Como agua para chocolate	México	Romantic melodrama
The Mariachi	El mariachi	México	Action / adventure
Lovers of the Arctic Circle	Amantes del círculo polar	España	Romantic melodrama
Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown	Mujeres al borde de un ataque de nervios	España	Dark romantic comedy / adventure	In our language lab!
Talk to Her		España	Romantic adventure
The Devil's Backbone		España	Terror
Nine Queens	Nueve reinas	Argentina	Suspense
Love's a b****	Amores perros	México	Action / Melodrama

          3. Interview a native speaker of Spanish at length, obtaining some biographical

information about them and their perspective on life in the US as a Spanish speaker.

Here are some basic guidelines on interviewing people:

a) Don't expect the person to speak on behalf of everyone in their country of origin.  Remember

     that you are dealing with an individual and that individuals vary.

b) Ask open-ended questions instead of yes/no questions.  For example, instead of saying:

    "Do you like living the United States?"  you could ask "What do you like about living in the US?"

     or "Why do you like..."  This allows them to elaborate.

c) Use as much Spanish with the person as you can.  This is as much an exercise of your language

abilities as your interviewing skills.

d) Don't create a list of questions and then feel that you have to stick to the list.  This is a

conversation, not an interrogation.  You might want to create a list of possible topics

to cover, and then go on from there.

e) Above all, listen. Listen to what the person is saying, the tone with which they say it, and

their body language. If the interviewee says something that really "catches your ear", make

sure you write it down.  You don't need to get a verbatim record of everything the person

says, but pay attention to details.

f) Be as polite as possible.  Thank the person for the time and the opportunity to get to

understand them better.

          4. Attend a cultural event (of those listed below) Your instructor will inform you

cultural events during the quarter. Here is one you can attend:

*Currently on view: THE HAROLD W. SHAW PRE-COLUMBIAN COLLECTION,

      Lower Court and James M. Cox Gallery, the Dayton Art Institute

http://www.daytonartinstitute.org/

· What are the 5 questions?

            If you are in Spanish 102 you must also (on a separate page) answer five questions

in Spanish using complete sentences.  Here they are, divided by general topic:

Música	Película	Entrevista	Evento Cultural
¿De qué país es el cantante?	¿De qué país es la película?	¿De qué país es la persona?	¿De qué país (o países) viene?
¿Qué tipos de canciones son?	¿De qué género es la película (cómo la caracterizas)?	¿Cuál es su profesión?	¿Qué era?
¿Cómo te sientes al escuchar las canciones?	¿Cómo te sentiste al ver la película?	¿Cómo conociste a esta persona?	¿Cómo reaccionaste?
¿Hay una canción que te interesa más? ¿Por qué?	¿Había una escena que te interesó más?  ¿Por qué?	¿Qué aprendiste de él o ella?	¿Viste algo que te sorprendió?
¿Por qué piensas que estas canciones son (o no son) importantes?	¿Por qué piensas que esta película es (o no es) importante?	¿Te sorprendió algo que dijo?	¿Qué aprendiste?