Assignment 5c

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:RodolfoMoralesAngeldeAnoranza.jpg

The MoLAA stands for the, Museum of Latin American Art.  The MoLAA is a museum with an extensive collection of Latin American art featuring many different exhibits.  The knowledge I have gained this semester has opened my eyes to the underlying meanings in the artwork found at the MoLAA.  Much of the artwork features people and places from the cultures, civilizations and countries we have studied.  The pieces reflect a part of history vital to understaning what the artist is trying to depict.  Freire's ideas and teachings allow us to contemplate the artwork found at the MoLAA with hightened senses.  Every portion of every piece of art depicts the emotion and care from which Latin America has thrived.

I chose a piece of artwork by, Rodolfo Morales from Mexico.  Rodolfo Morales was a Mexican surrealist painter.  His work relates to the topics we've studied this summester because he involves the expressions and colors of Latin America.  Latin America and the Caribbean's history include both turmoil and triumph and Morales does an excellent job of capturing the two extremes.  We have studied and learned about the importance religion and rituals have played in Latin America's history, Morales isn't shy about letting us know.

The specific piece I chose is titled, Angel de Anoranza.  I came aross this piece while researching Rodolo Morales by way of the MoLAA.  It connects to our study of humanities because it displays the importance of religion and religious figures in Latin American cultures.  

In this painting I see an angel hoviring over a city or town surrounded by a cloud.  The subject of the work is the angel.  One's eyes are drawn to the face immediately.  It appears this piece is made of oils or pastels on a thick canvas.  There are cool and warm tones, the cool including blue, white, green, purple and green.  The warm tones encompase yellow, brown, orange and black.  The painting is roughly balanced from left to right, with diagonal and horizontal lines.  It is comprised of square and oval shapes.  

The artwork is about the love and friendship the town below the angel was built with, she is thanking the people for thier peaceful demeanor.    

I was drawn to this work of art because of its simplicity and the beautiful contrast of colors used by Morales.  This piece of art is open to a lot of different interpretations and sparked my curiosity.  In this work of art I feel that the angel is opening her arms up to humanity and showing that the world is capbable of peace.  She is sending down her compassion hoping it will reach the souls and hearts of the individuals whom lerk below her outstretched arms.  

I would like to know the inspiration for this work of art, if there was any inspiration at all?  Is this a specific angel important to a city or country in Latin America?  Did Rodolfo Morales do any other paintings outside of the surrealist realm?  This piece depicts a building below the angel, is that a specific building in Mexico or Latin America. 

Assignment 5b

 http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1b/Confirmación_de_Bolívar_by_Tito_Salas.jpg

I chose to research a piece of artwork titled "Confirmación de Bolívar" by Tito Salas.  I came across this piece in component B while researching Simon Bolivar.  I was stuck by this painting because of its simplicity and importance in the life of Simon Bolivar.  This illustration connects to my study of humanities because it represents a part of history, both religiously and culturally.  The day of confirmation is a great moment in the Catholic faith and different cultures celebrate the day in unique ways.  Latin cultures tend to have large gatherings for an individual's confirmation into Catholisism.

In Tito Salas's painitng I see Simon Bolivar receiving confirmation at a local church in Caracas, Venezuela.  It almost appears as if the crowd surrounding Bolivar know that he will be a special person in the years to come.  They are very engaged in this event.  The subject of the work is Bolivar's confirmation and acceptance as a life long memeber of the Catholic religion.  Bolivar is in deep concentration or perhaps praying.  

The artwork is made of oil or pastles.  Cool and neutral tones comprise muh of the painting and a warm red color can be seen on the child in the lower right half of the painting.  It is balanced from left to right and uses thin lines, both horizontal and diagonal.  The artists mainly uses oval and square shapes.  Their is rough texture on the walls and taberancle and smooth on Bolivar.  Both rough and smooth textures comprise the rest of the painitng particularly some of the women's dresses and the other's clothing.    

This piece of artwork is a represention of the confirmation of Simon Bolivar.  It is fairly obvious this is what is being depicted in the painting, due to the crowd surrounding Bolivar and the priest bearing over him.  Everyone is starring at Bolivar leading the viewer to believe it is a momumentous moment.  

I was lead to this artwork because it has a lot of emotion in it.  Despite this being a somewhat emotional moment, every face in the painting has a distinct expression, which contributes to the overall emotion.  I feel that Tito Salas tried hard to depict each individuals personality.  Even though Bolivar is the focal point of the painting, many others have a lot to say about his confirmation.  I feel this way because of the detail in this piece.  The women in the black dresses in the front of the crowd on the right have expressions on their faces as if they know Bolivar is a special person.  

While examing this paitning and other paitnings by Tito Salas I noticed he mainly crafted only significant events in Bolivar's life.  He constructed paintings such as, Bolivar's wedding, and many of his famous battles.  Why did Salas find it neccessary to only paint Bolivar in these moments?  Why didn't he do more paintings of Bolivar's everyday life?  How many battles was Bolivar engaged in during his career?

Assignment 5a

The "Independence Period" refers to the demand for cordage and fibers on the world market, which stimulated the formation of vast henequen plantations throughout the northern part of the Yucatán Peninsula.  This period occured at the beginning of the late 18th century.  Before this time, villagers in the region only needed to pay relatively modest taxes and submit to occasional labor drafts in order to be left alone by colonial authorities. By the end of the 18th century, however, village lands were suddenly subject to expropriation by Spaniards.  

I chose to write about Simon Bolivar, because he is perhaps the most influential person in Latin America.  Prior to doing reasearch I was unaware of his enourmous impact on the countries of Latin America.  Statues all over the regoin are present and his legacy will continue for years to come.

Simon Bolivar was one of the most important leaders in the struggle for Spanish American independence.  He worked closely with Argentinean general, Jose de San Martin.  Bolivar is credited with the independence of numerous present day Latin American countries inlcuding, Columbia, then named, "Gran Columbia," Bolivia, Ecudor, Panama, Peru and Venezuela.  He was also preseident of some of the coutries listed such as, Bolivia, Columbia, and Peru.  

In many parts of Latin America Bolivar is revered as a hero and sometimes given the distinction, "George Washington of Latin America."  He was born in the capital city of Venezuela, Caracas.  His father is a descendent of King Fernando III of Castile and Count Amedeo IV of Savoy.  The Caracas Cathedral, founded in 1594, has a side chapel dedicated to Simón Bolívar's family.  Bolivar and his families influences can be found all over the sprawling metropolis of, Caracas.  

Simon Bolivar was a great admirer of the American Revolution and a great critic of the French Revolution. Bolívar described himself in many of his letters as a "liberal."  Bolivar intended to leave the country for exile in Europe, perhaps in France after his liberal priciples were not accepted and caused much controversey.  His dream of eventually creating an American Revolution-style federation between the newly independent republics, with a government ideally set-up solely to recognize and uphold individual rights, gave way to the pressures of particular interests in the region.  He passed away on December 17, 1830 in Columbia, after a battle with tuberculosis, before he could leave.

I used infoplease.com and wikipedia.com.  These are credible sources because the information provided matches other websites.  They offer extensive insight and give background information on the topics researched.  These sources are used by a wide majority of individuals.

Assignment 4c

The word "culture" can be described by many individuals as, a way a life.  Cambridge Dictionary defines the word as follows, "the way of life of a particular people, esp. as shown in their ordinary behavior and habits, their attitudes toward each other, and their moral and religious beliefs."  This project fits into that deinition because we are constantly learning about different people, their religious beliefs and their morals.  Everytime we view eachother's writing on specified topics, we learn about other's writing habibts.  We gain a new perspective on the cultures and history of Latin America and the Caribbean.  

Assign. 3a: Currently living in Lima, Peru, Carrie North presents a fascinating look into the Incan society.  From Carrie I learned about the many mysteries surrounding the Incan society.  Much of the artwork and archeological sites are explained through stories.  Legend claims that the Incas came down from a cave in the Andes already adorned with weapons and elaborate costumes.  They rapidly conquered the land of Cuzco, which is located below the famous establishment of "Machu Picchu."  While thier they developed new agricultural techniques, revolutionary medical procedures, weaponary, and advanced hydraulic systems.  This information from Carrie directly reflects our study of Latin American cultures.  It correlates with Freire's methods of learning, because he believed we should gain as much knowledge as possible from one another.  Interacting and engaging in each others writing and ideas creates new paths in learning; a philosophy Freire preached. 

Assign 4a:  Christina Guevara chose to write about Father Junipero Serra.  She presented some intersting facts, some which I was unaware of.  I learned from her that Father Junipero Serra took his name from, Saint Jupiter.  He reciveied his doctrine in Theology from Lullian University.  Serra established a mission in 1769 named Mission San Fernando Rey de Espana de Valiencia. This was the only mission in Baja California that was Franciscan.  Father Junipero Serra was soon given the title of,  "Father President"of  the Alta California missions.  We can apply Freire to this topic becuase he used a similar approach to situations as Father Junipero Serra did.  Father Junipero Serra graciously pushed his morals and religious beliefs on the inigenous tribes of California and Baja California.  Father Junipero Serra was also willing to learn from the different tribes to gain a better understanding of how to get them to accept his methods.  Freire believed learning should always be a part of teaching.  This relates to our study of important figures in Latin America and the Caribbean.

 

Assignment 4b

San Carlos Borromeo de Carmelo, Monterey, California:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:MissionCarmelSEGL2.jpg

While researching the California Missions, I came across a unique and beatiful mission located just south of Carmel, California near Monterey.  I am familiar with this mission, having been there when I was younger, but did not truly realize its intriquete design until my research.  This piece of architecture relates to my study of humanities because it is a direct reflection of California and Latin America's legnthy history and what makes Californians culturally sound.  

While viewing San Carlos Borromeo de Carmelo I first notice its Roman, Spanish, and Moorish influence.  San Carlos Borromeo is named after Charles Borromeo, then Archbishop of Milan, Italy.  It served as the headquarters of Father Junipero Serra.  The mission is made of adobe.  The mission is comprised of warm bage tones with a rough texture, although the texture was probably smoother when the mission was constructed.  The shape of the entrance and the two protruding towers on each side is typical of architecture found in Italy and Spain.  The star above the entrance, which distingushes this mission from the others resembles the rose windows found in gothic architecture.  The mission is roughly stable from left to right.

San Carlos Borromeo de Carmelo, is a representation of the Spanish Conquest and the desire of the conquistadors to convert Native Americans into Christian faith abiding citizens.  The reason these missions were created was for the reason stated above.  All of the missions resemble a similar Spanish influenced style.  It is evident that they were disigned as a type of instutuion serving for a higher purpose, educationally, culturally, and religiously.  San Carlos Borromeo de Carmelo is perhaps the best example of serving as a muti-complex church and instituion.

I was led to this magnificent piece of history and art not only because I was moved by it upon first sight, but because it encompuses every intention of the Spanish Missionaries.  When I look at this work of art I think of what it might look like had it not been raided in 1818 by a French privateer.  It was restored 45 years later, but lacks its original authenticity.  When I view this mission I feel a sense of pride, being a native California.  I feel this way because I know how much dedication was injected into this mission.  It is evident the amount of dedication that was put foward, because of the many architecual designs that were incorporated.  San Carlos Borromeo de Carmelo is a step in a long stairway of California history.    

Despite extensive information provided about the mission, there certain things I would still like to know.  Why was the mission named after an archbishop from Milan, Italy?  Are their any connections between Northern Italy and Spain or California that might have led to the inspiration for the name?  On November 20, 1818, French Privateer Hipolito Buchard attacked San Carlos Borromeo de Carmelo, what was his motive and what was the Roman Catholic Church's response?

Assignment 4a

A conquest is, anything acquired by conquering, as a nation, a territory, or spoils.  There have been numerous conquests throughout history, most notably the Spanish Conquest.  In February of 1519 Hernando Cortez and his Spanish Fleet invaded Meso-America and conquered the Aztecs, ultimately gaining control of Tenochtitlan and the surrounding areas.  Other conquests involved the Norman Conquest of England, led by William the Conquerer in 1066. I chose to research the California Missions.  There are twenty one California Missions, extending along the California coastline.  Between 1769 and 1823 Spanish Catholics of the Franciscan order established a series of missoions along the California coastline.  There goal was to spread their Catholic faith among the indiginous tribes (Native Americans) of the region.  They wanted to convert the Natives into Spanish colonial citizens.  They began to educate and attempted to civilize the locals, but ultimately failed.   Like many of the imperialists of the time, Spain was at the forefront of expansion.  Their northern most territory, "Alta California" would be one of their final conquests and prove to be one of the toughest.   The Jesuits under the order of King Charles III, had already established 15 missions in Baja California.  Jose de Galvez was ordered to, "Occupy and fortify San Diego and Monterey for God and the King of Spain."  This is how the current missions of California came to be.   The first mission was established in San Diego, "Mission San Diego de Alcala."  Galvez gave permission to Junipero Serra  and Gaspar de Portola to lead the expidition.  There were around 300,000 Natives who occupied California at the time.  Converting them proved to be a daunting task and it was.  Although they were successfull in many attempts there were often roadblocks they had to overcome.  One of the set-backs occured in 1806, with an epidemic of measels.  One quarter of the Native San Francisco Bay Area population died from this horrific illness.  In the end their goal was never fully met, but perhaps their reward was to come after they passed.  Today, the missions of California are revered for their design and historical relevence.  They are the most visited historic monuments. I chose to write about the California Missions because I have been fascinted by them for a long time.  I have seen many of them first hand and marvel at their intricate design and what an important piece of California history they are.  Mission San Carlos Borromeo de Carmelo is among my favorite missions, because of it's Moorish influence and beautiful location. I used the video provided on California Missions and wikipedia.com.  These are credible sources because they are very informational with facts comaparable to other sites, proving to be valid.  Wikipedia's information is current and extensive allowing for fluidity.

Assignment 3c

Matthew MacDonald:

Freire beleived that literacy was the key to a healthy and productive life.  He taught over 300 sugarcane workers to read and write.  This gave them the ability to vote and have a significant impact on their government as well as promote change.  Freire compiled a deeper understanding of literacy in other countries while in exile.  He used his knoweledge to help represent the lower class, because without a lower class vote, the needs of a country cannot be met.  Freire's insightfull views had a great effect on his comrades. 

Stephanie Gurry:

Stephanie discusses the important interactions between the student and teacher.  Freire believed that everyone should learn how to speak properly and avoid slang, but under certain circumstances.  In order to get through to a student the teacher must submit to their level of speaking and thinking patterns.  The teacher needs to learn from the student just as the student is learning from their way of communicating.

Freire's ideas apply to this class because we are constantly interacting and sharing eachother's ideas on various topics, all of which relate to Latin America or the Caribbean.  Freire constanly stressed the importance of learning from other's and understanding different cultures.  Litereacy and Latin America are the main components of this class, as they were in Paulo Freire's life.  

Assignment 3b Olmec

Olmec heads, Monument 1

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Mexico.Tab.OlmecHead.01.jpg

1.  Overshadowed by the Aztec and Mayan civilizations, the Olmecs thrived as a productive and inquisitive society for many years.  Their amazing sculptures inspired future civilizations to strive for accurate depections, which displayed the emotions and characteristics of thier people.  The sculptures of the Olmec at the archeological site of "La Venta," caught my eye while reasearching the different pre-columbian civilizations.  One sculpture in particular gained my interest, Monument 1, a colossal Olmec head.  This piece of art connects to my study of humanities because it is a direct reflection of the artistic abiltities of the time.

2.  Thier are four colossal heads located at La Venta.  Seventeen heads are sprad throughout the area, but only four are of epic proportion.  The specific piece of artwork I chose is Monument 1, is located south of the Great Pyramid, while the others are located north of the pyramid.  Monument 1 is made of stone (basalt) and stands 9 feet tall, while weighing several tons.  The basalt quarry used to create the heads was discovered 80 kilometers away in the Tuxtla Mountains.  Mounument 1 uses many lines to create a distinct shape if the face.  Curved lines are used to help the eyes, lips, and nose protrude from the face.  The texture is rough, but probably was smooth at the time of its erection.  

3.  The four colossal heads were most liklely the four great rulers of the Olmec empire, Mounument 1 perhaps being the most significant ruler, because of its sheer size.

4.  I became interested in this piece of art because of its detail and size.  Their are many myths about the head and other heads that were intriging.  I believe as many others do that the head represents a great ruler of the Olmec empire.  Like many other civilzations, the larger the figure, the more important it is.  I feel that Monument 1 was loved by the people and led them to many victories, perhaps he was a great militraistic leader or a great visionary.  The care in the depction of the face and effort to move the massive head leads me to beleive this was a prominent figure among the Olmec civilization.  

5.  I wolud like to know if their was a collection of skilled artists who created these figures or if their was one man or woman who designed the majority of them.  How were the massive statues transported?   How was the basalt transprted from the Tuxtla Mountains 80 kilometers away?  I am fairly certain as others are that Monument 1 and the other coloassal heads represented Olmec rulers, but who were some of the rulers and what were their names?

Assignment 3a

The Pre-Columbian era refers to the period in which the Americas were free of European infulence.  Some of the most recognized groups included the Toltec, teotihuacano, Zapotec, Mixtec, Aztec and the Maya) and the Andes (Inca,Moche, Chibcha, Cañaris).  Most think of the pre-columbian era as the time before Christopher Columbus.  The groups listed above developed many groundbreaking ideas.  The Aztecs contributed the number "0," to the number system.  The Mayans and Aztecs both had societal heiracrchies, which resembled modern day democracies.  The Aztecs also designed thier cities masterfully.  The city of Tenochtitlan is the site of Mexico City.  

Work Cited: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pre-Columbian.

The Tolecs are a mysterius group, which is what attracted me to do more research.  Many question if the Toltecs existed or if they were an Aztec myth.  The toltecs are believed to have ruled central Mexico from 10th century AD to 12th century AD.  The capital city of the Toltec empire was Teotihuacan.  The Toltecs dominated the postclassical Mayan civilization.  The Mayans are thought to have stemmed from the Toltecs.  Their are many similarities between the city of Tula, Hidalgo and Chichen Itza.  The video discusses what an efficient city Teotihuacan was and how passionate and dedicated the people were.  I used the youtube video and wikipedia for my research.

Little is known directly about the Toltecs because the Aztecs plundered the Tula ruins for building materials for their nearby capital, destroying most of the historical evidence that remained. Much of the information about the Toltecs comes from stories of other civilizations.

The greatest ruler of the Toltecs was Ce Acatl Topiltzin who was revered for being the leader and high priest of Quetzacoatl (the Toltec religion) at the time when Tula and the Empire were erected.

The Toltecs were the first to use a milateristic style to take over nearby cities and become an overbearing force.  The Aztecs used the same tactic.

I used youtube.com, wikipedia.com, and mnsu.edu/emuseum.  These are credible souces because I have used them before and they are trusted by many users.  Mnsu.edu is Minnesota State Unitversity's official website and features extensive information on ancient civilizations.

Assignment 2b Art Answers

1.  Jessica Dazet/What is MoLAA's mission?
MOLAA's mission is to educate the public about contemporary Latin American fine art, through permanent and significant collections.

2.  Saun Tutt/ What year was the museum founded?

The MoLAA was founded in November of 1996.

3.  What are some of the upcoming exhibits? (www.molaa.com) some of the upcoming exhibits at the MOLAA are Arnaldo Roche's "Brotherhood/Hermandad" and "Photoshopping and more: MOLAA collects photo-based art."

4.   Joy Dunham/ Where is the museum?

628 Alamitos Avenue, Long Beach, CA 90802 

5.  Dana Johnson/ What are the business hours?

The MOLAA is open from 11:30-7:00 Tuesday through Friday, 11:00-7:00 on Saturday, and 11:00-6:00 on Sundays.  They are closed on Mondays, but offer free admission on Friday.

Assignment 2b

1. MoLAA stands for, The Museum of Latin American Art.

2. The first video clip is about the intentions of the museum and the vision of the creators.  It also discusses the different functions within the museum.  The second clip is a collection of works throughout the museum.  The last clip I chose is presented by LAX Magazine and is about the workshops and what days the museum is open.

3. I learned from the first video clip that the MoLAA is the first national museum dedicated to Latin American art.  The mission of the MoLAA is to have the most relevant and complete collection of Latin America art that exist.  The museum features concerts and holds educational lectures for children.  They plan on building a multi-purpose room for various events.  The second clip taught me about and allowed me to see some of the important pieces in the museum.  The museum is located in Long Beach, Ca.  One of the works in the clip is done by Juan Enrique gonzalez, titled, "Rosa Natuica."  I learned from the third clip that the museum is open six days a week and offers free admision on Fridays.  The museum first opened in 1996.  It is the only Latin American art museum in the western hemisphere.  

4. What site previously occupied the MoLAA's current website? http://www.molaa.com/n_about_mission_history.html

    Who founded the museum and when? http://www.molaa.com/n_about_mission_history.html

    What day is admission free and how many days a week is the museum open? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hu5geLH1Q9A

5. From the MoLAA's website I learned that thier mission is, "to educate the public about contemporary Latin American fine art (by artists who have lived and worked in Latin America since WWII) through the presentation of a significant permanent collection, dynamic exhibitions and related cultural and educational programs."  The museum has a fairly large collection of permanent works which include, Gunther Gerzso's, "Paisaje," and Walter Goldfarb's, "Rosa lisérgica."  The museum holds an auction and awards show every year.  Southern California is an ideal location for the museum because of the diverse population, which inlcudes many Latin Americans.

     

Assignment 2a

a. Definiton 1: "Interdisciplinary studies" is an academic program or process seeking to synthesize broad perspectives, knowledge, skills, interconnections, and epistemology in an educational setting. Interdisciplinary programs may be founded in order to facilitate the study of subjects which have some coherence, but which cannot be adequately understood from a single disciplinary perspective (for example, women's studies or medieval studies). More rarely, and at a more advanced level, interdisciplinarity may itself become the focus of study, in a critique of institutionalized disciplines' ways of segmenting knowledge." - http://en.wikipedia.org

    Definiton 2: Courses, programs....linked together and integrated information and methodologies from two or more separate traditional and/or certified disciplines...creating a multi-faceted picture of the topic through exploration and sythesization of various approaches and views.- www.colleges.org/newmodels/interdisciplinary/definition.html 

b. Definiton 1: "Latin America is the region of the Americaswhere Romance languages (i.e., those derived from Latin), particularly Spanish and Portuguese, are primarily spoken."- http://en.wikipedia.org

    Definition 2: "the Spanish-speaking, Portuguese-speaking, and French-speaking countries (except Canada) of North America, South America, Central America, and the West Indies."- http://bartleby.com/65/

c. Countries of Latin America: 

•  Argentina
•  Bolivia
•  Brazil
•  Chile
•  Colombia
•  Costa Rica
  •  Cuba
  •  Dominican Rep.
  •  Ecuador
  •  El Salvador
    •  Guatemala
    •  Honduras
    •  Mexico
    •  Nicaragua
    •  Panam
      •  Paraguay
      •  Peru
      •  Puerto Rico
      •  Uruguay
      •  Venezuela
      
      
      d. The countries of the Caribbean include Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, Cayman Islands, Cuba Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Haiti, Jamaica, Martinique, Puerto Rico, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos Islands, Virgin Islands.
      
      
      
      e. The Caribbean region takes it's name from the ethnic group, Carib.  The Carib resided in the Lesser Antilles and part of South America when Europeans fist made contact.  In the English-speaking language the Caribbean locals are called, "West Indians."
      
      
      f. Sources: http://en.wikipedia.org, www.colleges.org, and http://bartleby.com/65/.  These are reputable sources because I have checked the information with other sites and they have proven valid.  Wikipedia is feared by some, but I find it to be much more informative than other sites with good facts.  Despite being able to edit information, it will be removed if it is false.  The other two sites I have used before.  Thier definitions are clear and consise and use actual information from paper-back encyclopedias.
      
      
      g. In general, my classmates all seem to have been very interested in Paulo Freire.  Quite a few people cited his book, “Pedagogy of the Oppressed.”  Many people are taking this course to meet their GE requirements and have a need to learn about Latin America and the Caribbean.  There are some great points made about Paulo Freire's ideals and techniques of teaching.  The first student I share comminalities with is Emily Little.  We have both been to Costa Rica.  She lived there for awhile, I was there for fourteen days.  We also both live over thirty minutes from campus and know little about the Caribbean and more about Latin America.  The second student I chose is Blaire Esposti.  She is also taking this class to satisfy her GE requirements and gain a better understanding of Latin America and the Caribbean.  We also have only used Myspace to blog and are faily new to the blogging experience.