Entry 2: New Knowledge

    The Making of Latin America. I started this class with a bit of curiosity and a little more confusion. I wasn’t sure what to expect. I knew little to nothing about Latin America and I was aware of it, but I would have never imagined how much of history and the world I was actually missing out on knowing. I have only been a part of this class for two weeks now but the new things I’ve learned about Latin America have been in a much greater quantity than the new things I learned about the world in a year's worth of history class. In most of the history classes I've taken I feel as though we learn the same thing over and over again just from a different mouth. I’ve learned about WW1 and 2 and the civil war so much that one might think it was the only thing that ever happened in our history. It’s so refreshing to learn about something different. On top of learning something completely new I also am thrilled that I am being told more than the victor's side of the story. It has always bugged me only being taught the European side of things, I was bothered by how simple they made things seem and how perfect they made themselves out to be. To learn more about the indigenous people and their culture and way of living in a way that isn’t centered around making people out to be omnipotent is truly a wonderful thing. With the knowledge I had before I would have never guessed that the Latin Americans were as advanced as they were and I’m excited to continue learning about how amazing these people actually were.

Comments

  1. Olivia SchienkeSeptember 9, 2021 at 5:12 PM

    Hey Victoria! I was in the same boat as to not knowing how much I truly was missing out on! I always just thought that the stories I was told about the Europeans were true and that they were the good guys. I am so glad that we have already learned so much about the other side of the story. I am excited to continue to learn more about the indigenous peoples culture and the truth about both sides of the story!

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  2. Médar SerrataSeptember 10, 2021 at 4:56 PM

    Thank you for your post, Victoria. I'm glad you feel that you have already learned a lot about Latin America in the first two weeks of class. I think there is a lot you can get out of this class if you remain open to the possibility that there is always more than one side to the story. In fact, all cultures can be truly amazing if we are willing to challenge our own assumptions and look beneath the surface.

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  3. Madelyn StembolSeptember 10, 2021 at 8:51 PM

    This comment has been removed by the author.

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  4. Madelyn StembolSeptember 10, 2021 at 8:52 PM

    I totally agree with you! We never seem to learn any history unless Europe or the US was there, and can be portrayed as the good guys. We don't go into the history of Asian or African countries hardly at all, as well as Latin American countries. Other cultures are so interesting! I think it's amazing that a course like this is offered here at GVSU.

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