Common errors among native Spanish speakers of English

This workshop was about some common mistakes and errors we make as non-native English speakers. Kristan Taylor, the lecturer, talked about the top mistakes me make when speaking. She mentioned that

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Documentary Screening and Discussion: Concrete Steel & Paint

This presentation by Chip Cullum consisted of a documentary based on a project to conceal the two sides of crime: criminals and victims. The whole documentary is about how a muralist carried out this project to make people in both sides see the pain they have.

In the end, the murals helped all people involved and their families to relieve some pain, to avoid hating each other and to give a message of hope to the community they live in.

American Slangs

This is one of the best workshops I've been into because we can become familiarized with all the common slagns that native English speakers have and it will help us improve our communicative skills.

Writing e-mails that give results

Dr. Brenda Sims gave a lecture about how to write e-mails that work in the U.S. One of the main points of the whole speech had to do with the fact that American discourse tends to be succint, whereas Mexican discourse may not be direct. So, as nowadays this activity has become part of everyday life, paying attention to things such as avoiding: inflated language, negative words, ambiguous words, demanding readers actions, making feel someone inferior; and being clear and specific, are key tips to make successful mails.

American Indians in the United States

Complementing our main course, we are taking 2 different workshops everyday. In this workshop we had a speech by a member of an American tribe, Dr. Jonathan Hook who told us about American-Indian pueblos in history.

Dr. Hook said some important tribes in American history were: Cherokees, Pow Wow, Apache, Iroquois, Sioux, Navajo, among others. He, as a member of one of this communities, told us about the importance of nature for the tribes, and the efforts they have made to take care of it.

Something remarkable about this lecture, is the meaning some American tribes gave to the word 'Indios'. Opposite to what most people would believe, the word 'Indios' is non-offensive, that is to say, for them, this word is "in -dios": God's people.