BRIDGE PROGRAM - SPANISH 3116

CULTURA POPULAR: CINE, MEDIOS & ENTRETENIMIENTO

(IN THE HISPANIC WORLD)
Catalog Title: Pop Culture: Film, Media, and Entertainment

Instructor: Sergio Díaz-Luna, PhD [he/him/his] e-mail: emailtoemailtoemail

Office hours: TBA ( emailtoemailtoemail
Zoom Room: emailtoemailtoemail

Richmond Mural Project 2012, artista JAZ, fotografía Sergio Díaz-Luna, 2018
Course Description

This course considers the role that current visual discourses, film, e-media, and entertainment
play in the Spanish-speaking world. Students in this course will be exposed to the historical and
cultural perspectives presented through these media. Students will utilize interpretive
communication skills (listening and reading) to speak and write in detail and in an organized way
about events and experiences in various time frames, to confidently handle routine situations
with an unexpected complication, and to share their point of view in writing and discussions on
some complex cultural and historical issues. By the end of this course, students will be able to
discuss familiar topics as well as some concrete social, academic, and professional topics.

Syllabus Course Description | The purpose of this course is to explore popular culture in its diverse
manifestations in Spanish speaking countries and to connect them to your own culture and
experiences. Through the analysis of different products, practices and perspectives of popular
culture, students will be able to compare their own culture with other communities where
Spanish is spoken, and to understand characteristics that shape diversity and cultural identity.
Study includes multiple contexts of pop culture, including visual arts/studies, e-media, folklore,
legends, music, dance, and social media.

Course Learning Outcomes (state Bridge Program course framework)

At the end of the year, students will be able to:

1. Identify, describe, and explain the historical, political, social, and artistic significance of
popular cultural products, practices, and perspectives of the Spanish-speaking world.
2. Compare and contrast cultural similarities and differences of the Spanish-speaking pop-
culture and the learners’ own culture.
3. Argue and defend their position on pop-culture using multiple perspectives.
4. Evaluate a variety of culturally authentic sources—audio, written and audiovisual—about a
diverse array of pop culture topics from the Spanish-speaking world.
5. Move from Intermediate to Advanced Oral and Written Proficiency levels.

Learning Assessment Targets

A. Unit 1: Students will be able to describe and analyze the role and significance of popular
cultural products, practices, and perspectives of the Spanish-speaking world in
contemporary society; describe and analyze works of art with attention to organization,
detail, and language form.
B. Unit 2: Students will be able to write with detail across past and present time frames to
describe an important product or practice from their own culture and analyze the
significance in shaping their identity.
C. Unit 3: Students will be able to write a comparative essay where they research and
analyze a product or practice from their own culture and a product or practice from the
Spanish speaking world. Students will be able to develop and state a point of view based
on their new understanding of products/practices compared in their research. Last,
students will be able to present an unscripted 3-5-minute talk on the major “findings” or
point of view developed in their research and reflect on their learning process.
D. Unit 4: Students will work in small groups to choose, research, and analyze a project
topic on one element of popular culture in the Spanish-speaking world. Students will
develop and publish a documentary video highlighting their own unique perspectives on
the cultural product/practice. Each group will orally present the key discoveries or
perspectives and conduct a Q&A “Press Conference'' with the audience. Finally, each
student in the audience will act as a film critic by selecting one documentary to write a
short Press Review, where they will summarize and critique the work.

UNITS/THEMES

UNIT 1: What is popular culture/visual arts in the Hispanic World?

UNIT 2: Entertainment and consumerism culture in Spanish speaking communities.
UNIT 3: “Folklore” in the Hispanic World.
UNIT 4: Hispanic music, dance, and performance.

Course Essential Questions:

● What is popular culture, and how do products, practices and perspectives influence
communities and individuals?
● How are cultural perspectives expressed through various popular culture products and
practices?
● What key elements (products, practices) of pop culture have influenced or impacted the
development of your identity from childhood to adolescence (e.g. a song/band/dance, a
piece of street art from a neighborhood where you grew up, childhood stories/folklore
you still remember, a sport/team)?
● What key products and practices form a cultural identity for various Spanish-speaking
communities?
● What is “Hispanic” pop culture? Is there a shared or common identity? Is there any
“global” pop culture?
● In what ways can the creation of a documentary inform your vision and expand your
knowledge, and that of others about popular culture in the Hispanic world?
● What personal goals for learning about popular culture and Spanish language did I set
for myself this year; to what extent did I make new discoveries through the project
topics I choose; what challenges did I face; how did I overcome challenges?
Summative and Formative Assessments:

There will be one project per each unit (a total of four), and for Unit 4, students will produce
and present a short documentary in the target language to reflect what they have learned
throughout the entire course, and to provide evidence of language proficiency. For this final
project, the students’ short documentaries might be screened in a public festival, organized by
the Bridge Program. Formative assessments will be done on a regular basis, each class, through
assignments based on this curriculum. The projects per unit are the following:

Projects per Unit:

Unidad 1: Popular Art Classroom Museum (description-narrative)
Unidad 2: The book of the popular culture of my classroom (narrative)
Unidad 3: Our practices of Popular Culture (comparative essay)
Unidad 4: Hispanic Pop Culture (documentary)

High School’s Platform: Please make sure that you have access to the University and the High School
Canvas to access the syllabus, class PowerPoints, class schedule, projects, assignments, homework, due
dates, updates, etc. We invite you to get familiar with Canvas within the first two weeks of school. If you
need further assistance to learn how to navigate it, please let your instructors know and they will make
sure to provide you with the appropriate support.

GRADING POLICY (ENTIRE COURSE):

Units 1-3: Projects (summative assessments) (30%); Formative assessments, class preparation and
homework (30%); In-class performance (30%), Attendance (10%). Assessments may not
be made up due to unexcused and frequent absences, or repeated tardiness. Please refer
to the Late Work/ Make-Ups policy of this document for more information.
Unit 4: Project (summative assessment) (60%); Formative assessments, class preparation and
homework (20%); In-class performance (10%), Attendance (10%).

Grade Breakdown (entire course/whole year):

Projects: Q 1-3 Q4
1) Projects Units 30% 60% Letter grades will be assigned using the scale of each
University. The following is the UofU scale model:
Formative assessments, class 30% 20%
preparation and Homework: A 93 - 100 % C 73 - 76 %
A- 90 - 92 % C- 70 - 72 %
1) Class preparation and 15 % 10%
homework (Canvas) B+ 87 - 89 % D+ 67 - 69 %
2) Formative assessment 15% 10%
B 83 - 86 % D 63 - 66 %
(Quizzes, tests)
In-class Performance: 30% 10% B- 80 - 82 % D- 60 - 62 %
C+ 77 - 79 % E 0 - 59 %
1) Oral participation 15% 5%
2) Written participation 15% 5%

Attendance: 10% 10%

The final grade of the class will be the average of the grades of the four quarters, that is (Grade Term 1
+ Grade Term 2 + Grade Term 3 + Grade Term 4) divided by 4.

Note: In order for this class to count towards a major or a minor at the University, you will need to have
a final grade of ‘C’ or higher.

*FERPA: Parents/Guardians: Due to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, we will NOT send
upgrades about the student progress via email, please have your student show you periodically their
grades and their progress in the canvas/gradebook.

Attendance: The course is offered only presentially. Students must attend all classes and arrive on time
to each session. It is encouraged that students acquire and use Spanish academic language. Active
participation will help students succeed in this course and improve their proficiency level in the target
language. Students will receive participation points per session and, therefore, students who do not
participate or communicate in the target language (Spanish) will not be able to obtain participation points.
In the case of a quarantine, students will be given the opportunity to attend the class virtually on a
temporary basis. Three modes of communication will be used to evaluate students per each class:
Interpretative, Interpersonal and Presentational.

Formative assessments, class preparation and Homework (30%): During each unit, students will be
assigned homework in the target language. Student submissions are expected to be fully in Spanish as
well. Students will read, watch, and listen to instructional materials in various formats. Completion of the
assignments will help students succeed in this course and improve proficiency by practicing their listening,
speaking, reading, and writing skills. Each homework assignment will have a solid due date upon which
students must submit homework for full credit. Due to the nature of this course (university level), class
preparation is essential, so if homework is not submitted, students won’t be able to participate, and
therefore, they won’t be able to get homework/participation points.

Absences, Late Work and Make-Ups:

1) Students are responsible for learning what is covered during a missed class (remember to always
check CANVAS). Please check if there are any upcoming assignments’ submissions for the next class.
2) Students will have the opportunity to work on/submit any late assignments that they have not turned
in during the previous two weeks, but they will be graded on a 90% scale the first week and 80%
percent scale the second week, rather than 100%.
3) Students can make up missed quizzes with a penalty of 20%.
4) Students that need to make up quizzes due to excused absences (medical, etc.) may do so on a
day/time when the High School instructor has availability, but no later than two weeks after the
missed quiz, with the exception of students in extraordinary circumstances.
5) Other than official school activities, up to two absences per term (2-unit period) will be excused
without the need of an official document. Exceptions may only be made by your High School instructor
in consultation with the University instructor.
6) Extraordinary circumstances regarding late work or missed assessments and quizzes will be
considered by both instructors in order to support students. Please communicate those circumstances
to the instructors.
7) When writing to instructors, by email or canvas, students need to copy both instructors in the
message. To encourage necessary college skills, emails must come from the student. Parents are
invited to help their student construct the email as needed. *
Parameters of the Bridge Program on course delivery and attendance:

1) As a university language course, in-class or during-class-virtual attendance, is required and

adjustments cannot be granted to allow for non-attendance. Student schedules must allow them to
attend every class, and students with scheduling conflicts may not enroll.
2) In order to support full access to the course, the following technology is required for participation in
Bridge Program courses: a) Computer, tablet, or Chromebook with access to Canvas Wi fi/Internet
service.
3) If you are at risk of failing the University Bridge Course because of attendance (excused or unexcused)
you will be invited to withdraw.

About COVID 19 safety recommendations:

The High School will provide updates regarding Covid policies to the students when necessary.

GENERAL POLICIES
Electronic Device Policy: Students should not use personal electronic devices during class unless indicated
by the instructors for pedagogical purposes. If a student chooses to violate this rule the device will be
taken away and returned at the end of class on the first offense. In the case of repeated offenses, the
device will be sent to the office and a parent/guardian will have to retrieve it.

Academic honesty & Plagiarism

In order to ensure that the highest standards of academic conduct are promoted and supported at the
University, students must adhere to generally accepted standards of academic honesty, including but not
limited to refraining from cheating, plagiarizing, research misconduct, misrepresenting one's work, and/or
inappropriately collaborating. A student who engages in academic misconduct may be subject to
academic sanctions including but not limited to a grade reduction, failing grade, probation, suspension or
dismissal from the program or the University, or revocation of the student's degree or certificate. More
specific sanctions must be provided by the University.

The Americans with Disabilities Act.

The University seeks to provide equal access to its programs, services, and activities for people with
disabilities. If you will need accommodations in this class, reasonable prior notice needs to be given to the
Center for Disability Services, 162 Olpin Union Building, 801-581-5020. CDS will work with you and the
instructor to make arrangements for accommodations. All written information in this course can be made
available in an alternative format with prior notification to the Center for Disability Services.

Contact Information for Title IX Coordinator. Sherrie Hayashi, Title IX Coordinator; (801) 581-8365; fax
(801) 585-5745; sherrie.hayashi@utah.edu; Room 112, Building 73.

Diversity & Equity Statement.

The Department of World Languages and Cultures values students from diverse backgrounds and
perspectives. We fully endorse university policies prohibiting sexual harassment as well as discrimination
based on race, ethnicity, immigration status, color, disability, religion, age, sex, gender identity, sexual
orientation, and/or socio-economic status. It is our intent that the diversity that students bring to this
class be viewed as a resource, strength, and asset. To that end, we expect that all students treat each
other with dignity and respect.
Extra Help: We want you to succeed! If you feel that you need extra help during any quarter, please ask.
We recommend that you make an appointment or email us about your concerns, and we will address your
situation immediately.

Discrimination harassment statement

The University of Utah does not discriminate against individuals based on race, ethnicity, color, religion,
national origin, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, genetic
information, or protected veteran’s status (“protected class”), in employment, treatment, admission,
access to educational programs and activities, or other University benefits or services. Additionally, the
University provides reasonable accommodations to ensure equal access to qualified persons with
disabilities. Retaliation against individuals for engaging in protected activities, such as filing a
discrimination complaint or participating in a discrimination complaint process, is prohibited. Inquiries
regarding the University’s Non-discrimination Policy and requests for accommodations may be referred
to (801) 581-8365.

Students with disabilities

University policy, the ADA, and Sections 504 & 503, prohibit discrimination on the basis of a person’s
status as a person with a disability, require equal opportunity and access, a process for a person with a
disability to request a reasonable accommodation, and a grievance process for an individual to complain
of discrimination. The University endeavors to ensure that its campus and programs are accessible and in
compliance with state and federal disability standards and to provide reasonable accommodations so as
to remove a barrier that may prevent an individual with a disability from equally participating in
academics, employment, or other University program. Reasonable accommodations may include
specialized equipment, auxiliary aids, policy modifications, academic adjustments or other
accommodation that is effective. University policy, as well as state and federal law, strictly prohibit
retaliation against an individual for requesting a disability accommodation, for participating in a disability
discrimination complaint process. For information about requesting an accommodation call (801) 581-
8365.

2022-2023
CALENDAR/TOPICS (Overview)
UNITS CONTENT
● Introduction to the course: College and Career readiness practices to
UNIT 1: succeed in this course.
● Enrollment
August 16 - October 20 ● Building community
(9 weeks approx.) ● Introduction to the Bridge Program
● Diagnostic test, self-evaluation of specialized vocabulary.

Unit 1: What is Popular Culture and the Visual Arts in the Hispanic world
● Popular culture: Definition, products, practices, and perspectives
● High/Popular culture(s)? Examples of visual arts
● Pop culture and social issues in Spanish speaking countries.
● Visual arts as part of popular culture in the Hispanic world: el arte urbano
● Urban art as social art
● Hispano and Chicano Street Art.
● Urban art in Utah (and the USA).
● Novel chosen for the Book Club (Once every other week).
 Unit 2: Entertainment and Consumerism Culture
UNIT 2: ● (Passion for) soccer in the Spanish speaking world
● Mexican Lucha Libre (and its heroes)
October 26 - January 13 ● Culture of consumerism-Consumerism and identity
(9 weeks approx.) ● Commercials and consumerism
● Consumerism and globalization
● Cyberculture and its impact on our society
● How to write a compelling narrative about an element of
our own popular culture
● Novel chosen for the Book Club (Once every other week).
Unit 3: Folklore in the Hispanic World
UNIT 3: ● Folklore in the context of Hispainc popular culture
● Hispanic superstitions and human behavior
January 18 - March 24 ● Hispanic legends and myths
(9 weeks approx.) ● The controversy around tauromaquia
● Hispanic popular festivities
● How to write a cultural comparison essay
● Novel chosen for the Book Club (Once every other week).
Unit 4: Hispanic Music and Dance. Creating a documentary
UNIT 4: ● Músicas de la peninsula ibérica
● Músicas centroamericanas
March 28 – May 26 ● Músicas contemporáneas del Caribe
(9 weeks approx.) ● Music as protest and social expression in the Hispanic world
● Final project:Writing a documentary script
● Final project: Creating a short documentary
● Documentary Festival

(If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us.)