Developing theoretical thinking regarding culture in the Spanish classroom as a Second Language

This research project attempts to answer the question of how cultural and historical theoretical thinking can be developed in the Second Language classroom. The objective is to investigate to what extent a questioning and reflective attitude can be developed in the students when they are engaged in the interpretation of cultural artifacts, integrating the students’ theoretical thinking with their personal experiences. Cultural artifacts such as festivals like The day of the Dead are analyzed by the students using the main concepts (the Hegelian relationship between society, individuals and culture) to concede integrity to the reality of Latin-America as well as to internalize a different discourse.  The hypothesis is that students’ internalization of this theoretical thinking, as well as a different type of discourse, will mediate the students’ development of a conscious reflection of the mediation established by their own culture and history. The data collection consists of the students’ written and oral assignments, which are analyzed to track the students’ development of these concepts over a 2 years period.