MLO 4: Secondary Knowledge
In addition to the Spanish language and Hispanic cultures, the student demonstrates a general knowledge of a socio-cultural group other than a Hispanic one or mainstream American culture. The student develops a basic understanding of the ways of thinking (ideas, beliefs, attitudes, values, philosophies), the behavioral practices (patterns of social interactions) and the cultural products – both tangible and intangible (for example, art, history, literature, music) – of the second culture.
To meet the requirements for this MLO I took the Japanese Mind in the fall of 2016. In this class we learned about concepts that influence the Japanese way of thinking or lifestyle. We learned a bit of Japanese geography and history to help give us an understanding of why things are the way they are. The class was based on readings of three different books and some chapters the professor provided for us as additional readings. While learning he different concepts we also had the opportunity to learn Japanese words since many of the concepts cannot be described in English and they don't have a direct translation in English. In the class we focused on some major concepts which were; wa (harmony), vertical structure based on age (where the elders are at the top), aimai (ambiguity, not stating things clearly), and the business culture (life-long employment, job hunting, group mentality, 'sameness'). A lot o the Japanese values are visible in their everyday life-style.