Global Cultural Histories: Brewing Territories

Course Description

Summary

Through this immersive course, students will advance all four language skills -- listening, speaking, reading, and writing -- exploring the culture and history of Colombia’s iconic Coffee Cultural Landscape, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Students will gain comparative insights into how global forces have shaped local cultures—and how language reflects those changes. While the language component will be largely student-driven, the course will immerse learners in diverse spatial and historical contexts, ranging from colonization and nation-building to globalization, sustainability, tourism, and contemporary challenges. A variety of materials -- including literary texts, music, soap operas, videos, social media, and artifacts -- will support language practice and deepen students’ understanding of internal migration, gender roles, and environmental concerns. Students will therefore develop their language skills in increasingly meaningful contexts, while gaining insight into the rich stories behind a cup of coffee. Low-intermediate level. Conducted in Spanish.