Pick a Spanish-speaking country or region. Identify this in your paper at the beginning

Pick a Spanish-speaking country or region. Identify this in your paper at the beginning

Activated Cultural 1: “Un periódico”

For cultural activity #1, follow the steps below:

Step 1) Pick a Spanish-speaking country or region. Identify this in your paper at the beginning: “I chose _____ country/ region/ culture…”

Step 2) Find a Spanish language newspaper online from that region. (Google “Spanish language news in “x” country”, for example, to find your article. Examples: “El País”, “Informador”, “Univisión”, “El Mundo”, “El Universo”, etc.). Your newspaper should be based in the country/region you chose in step 1. No USA news sites!

Step 3) Find a recent article* from the past ~30 days and read it in Spanish. Identify the main topic/event/issue of the article. (This will be hard the first time, but use cognates and visual aids to help. It’s also helpful to translate the title of the article to help orient yourself).

*Your article should relate to a cultural/historical/political aspect of a Spanish-speaking audience. This can include Spanish speakers in the USA, Latin America, Spain, or elsewhere, but it should NOT be a U.S. news story simply written in Spanish (unless, of course, the story relates to Spanish-speaking populations within the USA). I do not want mainstream US news simply translated in Spanish. If you’re uncertain about this, please email me to ask! The goal is for you to get some new cultural information from your article.

Step 4) Find at least 2-3 other articles in English or Spanish related to the topic that your original article focuses on and read those other articles. For example, if you read about “x” news in “x” country, you could go to “Google scholar”, or any other scholarly database, and find more articles about that topic. You could also find other news articles about the same topic in English or Spanish. Take note of interesting information, facts, or data related to your original topic. You will use the information from your original article and your additional articles to write your paper.

Step 5) Write a two-part reflection on what you learned on both the CONTENT as well as the SPANISH WORDS themselves. Follow instructions below.

Step 6) Be sure to cite your sources within the text (use MLA format) and include a works cited page (MLA format) at the end of your paper which includes links to all your cited sources (your original article, plus more articles).

To get credit on your paper you need to discuss and analyze the CONTENT of the story by answering the following questions:

(1 – 1.5 pages single-spaced, 12 pt font, Times New Roman) (75 points)

1) How are people in the article affected by this topic for better or worse? (Cite an article/ multiple articles. This is not your opinion. You should be citing facts from your extra articles).
2) Which events in the past made your topic possible? (Cite an article, not your opinion)
3) If your original article deals with a problem, what can be done going forward to help with the problem? If your original article deals with something not considered problematic, what is the future of your topic? (This could be your opinion, a cited article, or a combination of the two)
4) How is this same topic treated in the USA? What are some similarities and differences between how the culture/country from your article handles the issue/topic and how the USA handles it? (Cite articles. Use sources here to back up your claims). For example, if you read an article about political upheaval in “x” country, you should also read an article that deals with similar questions/issues in the USA, and then compare the similarities and differences). I’ll repeat again: your opinion is not what I’m after. Provide evidence and citations to back up your claims. Any claim you make about how the USA handles the issue should be backed up with evidence and citations.

You should also analyze the SPANISH WORDS themselves by answering these questions:

(.5 – 1 page single-spaced, 12 pt font, Times New Roman) (25 points)1) Were there any visual aids that helped you understand the story? Explain how they helped you understand more about the article/topic.
2) Which new cognates (Spanish-English shared words) did you find? (Include at least 10. More is encouraged)
3) Which new words did you recognize/learn that were NOT cognates? (You should have at least 20 here. These should not be words you automatically recognized at first.)
4) By using cognates, new words learned, visual aids, and additional reading/ research, how much of the story were you able to comprehend? (This should be a few sentences explaining your thought process after reading the original article a second time, once you’ve found cognates, learned new words, and read additional articles. Mention how these tools helped you piece together certain sentences, for example. Explain your thought process)

Number your responses to the questions above. Your paper should be no more than 2-2.5 pages single-spaced. Save your file as either a .doc or .docx file type. No PDF allowed. Be sure to include your full name in the title of your assignment. Upload your paper as a .doc or .docx attachment using “Add attachment”. Submit.

In addition to your in-text citations, you must include the link to your original article, as well as the links to your other articles on your works-cited page. Don’t forget to cite information inside your article if the idea comes from one of your sources.