Globalization is a huge thing in the telenovela world. Some telenovelas are not as successful as others due to the simple truth that they do not adhere to multicultural viewers. Some of the writers and directors do not see that Telenovelas will reach other countries while some writers know that the telenovela they are publishing is strictly for their country and will not or in some cases can NOT be distributed.
Recently I started a new job on campus and started working with a man from Spanish decent. We soon began to have a conversation about telenovelas because I told him I was taking a class on it. He was floored that the class was even offered, and began to get really excited as I told him what I was watching and what we talked about in class. I asked him if he watched telenovelas and before I could even finish my sentence he was spouting off all the many episodes he watches from the time he gets home till he falls asleep he said, "I have telemundo on constantly." This again reassures me that this is a very relevant part of many people's cultures. Never would I have guessed that I would have a conversation about telenovelas with a coworker. He was shocked at how much I knew, and I (for the first time) felt confident about one subject in another culture. This broke down not only a language barrier but a cultural barrier as well.
So in the end my knowledge of telenovelas may not be the most complete, however I do feel as if I have learned many things from the class as well as being able to watch the shows and understand too. I am very thankful for the opportunity I've had to expand my knowledge in a cross-cultural kind of way.
That's so amazing! It's like we're forced to take an FYOS class that we groan about (cause who wants to take ANOTHER required class completely unrelated to our majors) but it's when we actually do take a class like this and finding ourselves using the information we learn in the real world where it feels worth it. Even if has been just to break down a cultural barrier between a fellow co-worker, that's one conversation you probably never would have otherwise.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you completely. I never realized that I could learn so much from a simple freshman seminar. I was so reluctant to take one in general, and I quickly chose one at random because it was required that I take one. Now, not only have I learned about telenovelas and all aspects that encompass them, but I've learned about a different culture. While watching American shows and movies, I never realized how much of our culture is placed into them. Now, I see how important embracing new things, such as a telenovela, is for enhancing my knowledge about different cultures and having something that I can relate to with them. Shouldn't we, as the "melting pot" nation, be embracing and trying to understand other cultures anyways so that we truly do become a diverse nation? This is the sort of question that I never thought to ponder until taking this class.
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