Latin-American Culture and Current Affairs

This course explores the most relevant and current topics of Latin America, such as politics, economy, society, and culture, and analyzes them from an intercultural perspective, comparing them with the Canadian reality. Students will learn about the dynamics and challenges of the Latin American region and how these relate to and contrast with the diversity and multiculturalism of Canada. This course aims to present the main current topics and challenges in Latin America. Analyze these topics from an intercultural perspective, comparing them with the Canadian reality. Promote understanding and appreciation of cultural diversity and interactions between different contexts. Topics to be addressed include: -Politics and economy: Analysis of current policies and their economic impact in Latin American countries, compared with Canada's multicultural policies. -Society and culture: Exploration of social and cultural dynamics in Latin America, and how they relate to Canadian cultural diversity. -Challenges and opportunities: Discussion on the challenges faced by Latin America and the opportunities for intercultural collaboration with Canada. If you are interested in Latin American culture and current affairs, as well as Canadian diversity and multiculturalism, this is your course!

Seeds are not only essential for food, but also form an intrinsic part of the cultures that have nurtured them. For many cultures in Mesoamerica, corn is considered an ancestor and a living being that deserves special respect. The diversity of seeds in the milpa (traditional intercropping system) ensures both good harvests and a healthy diet. In this unique course, we will explore diverse cultural perspectives on seeds, with a focus on Mesoamerica. It offers a dynamic exploration of seeds and crops, highlighting the importance of corn in both traditional and industrial systems, the cultural relationship with nature, and the crucial role of First Nation community in conserving biodiversity. Through hands-on activities, participatory readings, discussions, and games, participants will learn and enjoy this fascinating topic, which is a foundational element of Mesoamerican culture. Don’t miss it!

The course offers a broad overview of some of Mexico's iconic and traditional beverages, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic. Throughout the course, various recipes, ingredients, preparation techniques, and cultural meanings associated with these beverages are explored. Regarding alcoholic beverages, icons such as tequila, mezcal, and various types of Mexican beer and wine are studied. Additionally, the history of these beverages, their production process, the producing regions, and their distinguishing characteristics are examined. The course also delves into their role in Mexican culture, including celebrations, traditions, and rituals. On the other hand, the course also covers some non-alcoholic beverages, such as agua fresca, atole, and pozol, analyzing their importance in Mexican cuisine and daily life, as well as their relevance in social and ceremonial contexts. In summary, this course provides an initial approach to the diversity and richness of Mexican beverages, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic, highlighting their cultural, historical, and gastronomic significance in Mexico's national identity.

This workshop offers Spanish students a space to develop, discuss, and contrast critical opinions in Spanish on various current topics. Participants receive material (a newspaper article, a radio or television news piece) before each class, which serves as a premise to explore and debate current social and cultural realities from different Spanish-speaking countries. Each class is preceded by a resource section to develop opinions and argue ideas (vocabulary and expressions, syntactic structures, connectors, oral and written examples of critical opinion) and some practice activities. The presenter acts as a moderator, inviting students to apply the resources seen, argue their own opinions, show agreement and disagreement, or nuance their opinions. Among the topics to be discussed are the rise to power of Milei in Argentina, the shift in Chavismo in Venezuela, the migration crisis at the northern border, the historical memory in Spain, and other interesting issues in current politics.