Chattanooga State Community College recently received approval from the Tennessee Board of Regents College System of Tennessee to offer a new Spanish course, HUM-1110 Latino Cultures in the U.S., as a general education course beginning this fall. The class will fulfill the humanities and fine arts requirement all colleges in Tennessee demand.
Assistant professor of Spanish Juan Antonio Alonso was the driving force behind the creation of this new course. While advising foreign language majors, Alonso says students would ask about a humanities class that would go well with their degree.
Discovering nothing was being offered, he designed a Latino culture course at Chattanooga State and was surprised to have 35 students enroll in it over a two-semester period.
Many of the more than 50 million Latinos in the U.S. speak English. This implies that, even though learning Spanish continues to be an important tool to approach this community, learning about their history, culture and communication style is as important, Alonso says.
“Taking this class is an opportunity to have a more holistic, complete vision of the history and the current cultural and social reality of the United States,” he says.
Students who enroll in HUM-1110 will benefit by fulfilling a transfer and graduation requirement.
“Latino students will learn more about the history and context of their presence in this country, helping them integrate their personal experience into that of their community,” Alonso explains.
“Non-Latino students will take a first step toward becoming experts in one of the key elements in the current fabric of our country.”
HUM-1110 will be divided into four blocks: Latino history in the United States, Latino diversity, intercultural communication and Latino art and literature in the U.S.
Several experts in their respective fields will collaborate with the class, giving students access to an array of instructors. During previous special topic offerings, classes took trips and collaborated in small projects with local entities.
For more information about HUM-1110 Latino Cultures in the U.S., which will meet at 12:30 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays this fall, contact Alonso at 423 697-2505 or juan.alonso@chattanoogastate.edu.
Source: Chattanooga State