yo soy betty la fea final post

The last episode of my telenovela was bittersweet. It was sad because I was finally done watching it but happy because it was so good. I did not expect to enjoy my telenovela as much as I did. It was such a Cinderella moment to watch Betty transform into someone so beautiful and everyone's response to this. Betty's success in the workplace and with her love life made me very happy for her in the end, even if she is a fictional character. However, despite her being a fictional character, I feel as though everyone can relate to Betty on some level or another. Betty, like Cinderella, ended the show finding happiness.

Eva Luna Final Blog Post

It is official: I have become addicted to Eva Luna. I watch it in my free time when I do not need too. This addiction has made this course so enjoyable and much easier to complete the assignments. One of the things that I first noticed about Eva Luna was the music. The theme song is extremely catchy even though I do not speak spanish and have no idea what they are saying. As I mentioned in a previous blog, whenever Eva and Daniel have a romantic moment the theme song plays in the background. I also noticed that there was a new song introduced towards the end of the series. This song is titled Eva Luna and was obviously written specifically for this telenovela. I have also experienced many instances of of incidental music. My favorite of these types of music is the suspense incidental music. It makes the scenes much more dramatic and intense. While Victoria does not have specific character music, she always seems to have suspense music following her which is most likely because she is the most dramatic character on the series. I still have one episode left to watch and I cannot wait to see what happens!

Una Maid en Manhattan - 3

Since this Freshman Seminar began, I have learned so much about the wonderful world of telenovelas. The first time I watched a telenovela I just lagged through it. I didn't pay it any mind, I just saw a group of people acting like mad men with extreme facial expressions and reactions, but there is so much more. At this point, I am so hooked. Even after this class ends I may still be curled up catching up on my show on the weekends. You don't even need to understand the language to see the complexity of these productions. So much thought and planning goes on to produce every single episode. You may think they chose threw in a random song for the scene you just watched, but no. That song was specifically chosen to send your mind a message of what's happening with the characters and the emotions. It may have even been personally made for that very scene. I am watching Una Maid en Manhattan. This is no longer just an assignment for me, I am emotionally involved. It is just so gripping! Many girls from my hall even started watching it with me. However, when we watch, I know it isn't the same thing. They see a complex and compelling melodrama; I see actors, producers, writers, cameramen, and so many others who are working just out of the camera's eye, striving for perfection. So much to lose, but so much to gain as well. I'm glad they risked it.

blog Post 3: Finale

All in all, I am very glad that I decided to take this class. I've learned a lot about Latin American culture through watching Telenovela. It is interesting because I used to watch Korean dramas when I was in Korea, and I also watched many Television shows in America. And now I had an opportunity to watch Telenovela, a Hispanic version of melodrama. I find myself more of a well-rounded person now. Watching my Telenovela made me wanting to learn more Spanish. It made me regret not fully learning spanish when I was in high school. Watching Telenovela gave me a constant desire to be a part of the Latin American culture.

In terms of the Grand Finale of Rubi, I have to admit that it was not so predictable like other episodes. At one point, my jaw literally dropped from being surprised. What kills me the most was that the ending was not clear. It left the audience hanging. It made me wonder what would Rubi do as she was seducing the main guy character once again in the hospital office. As she winked at the camera, the scene faded, and it was over. It was a bitter, sweet and glorious moment. It's kind of similar to how I feel as this Odyssey class is ending. I hope I will give more love and respect to Latin American culture and the Telenovela.

Por favor, ¡bésala!

One of the most intriguing yet most frustrating part of my telenovela, Dame Chocolate, is the main love story. At the beginning, Bruce touches Rosita's special holy birthmark, which means they are destined to be together. So, throughout the whole telenovela, you know that they are going to end up together at the end. The frustrating thing is that they never both love each other at the same time until the very end! They keep going back and forth. First, Rosita loves Bruce, but Bruce just uses her. Then Bruce does fall for her, but Rosita runs away because she thinks that he doesn't love her. Rosita comes back with a new face and calls herself Violeta. Bruce falls for Violeta, but Rosita/Violeta is just seeking revenge. Then she does fall in love with him, but Bruce is angry when he finds out that she was just using his love for revenge. So for a while Bruce hates her and marries someone else, but then he starts falling for Rosita again. It's a convoluted love story, that can be so frustrating at times. You just want the two of them to get their acts together and just love each other because they're destined to be together! 

In general, the main love story is much more interesting than the other side stories. My DVD is an abridged version, so sometimes it will randomly skip to the middle of a side story scene, which can be confusing. It is also harder to feel attached to the other characters because you don't see them as much. One side character that we actually can come to love is Fabian. He came from España to visit his father, Mauricio who is Rosita's lawyer, and then fell in love with Rosita/Violeta. He is a very caring man, who is a good friend to Rosita. He even has his own song! Although I miss pieces of his relationship with Rosita because of the editing, I still can get a good gist of how it is. 

Overall, I do like my telenovela. It was a little more rosa than I wanted, but it turned out to be a good one, with a male protagonist that is muy guapo!

The Team that Makes a Telenovela

    Many of the themes and structural elements of telenovelas Dr. A discusses in our First Year Odyssey Seminar appear in Una Maid en Manhattan. Una Maid en Manhattan is currently airs on Telemundo from Monday to Friday at 8/7 central. With just 67 episodes, a little over half of the average number of episodes per telenovela, the plot has already begun to twist and turn even in the first episode.
    I am amazed at how fast Telemundo can produce the episodes for Una Maid en Manhattan. In class we learned about all the people involved in making a telenovela a success. From the writing team and the directing team, to the cast and the viewers at home, without all of the parties involved, a telenovela can not survive.
    So far I have identified the main protagonists to be Marisa, Lalo, Cristóbal, Lucas, and Belinda and the main antagonists to be Miguel and his accomplices, Victor, Sara, Ronnie and Estanislao. Marisa’s character continues surprise me. Even though she is supposed to embody the typical ‘Rosa’ character, she does not strike me as the stereotypical female in peril. The more I observe her, the more she seems to almost be the anti-Rosa. Marisa is smart not naïve. She is beautiful, but is not the traditional thin and fair skinned telenovela beauty. The fierce bond and she shares with her son Lalo is incredible. The way she calls him “mi amor” with all the tenderness in the world sends shivers up my spine. For my final paper, I think I want to take Marisa’s character and focus on the ways she shakes up the stereotypical telenovela heroine.
    Another element of telenovela production I have observed in Una Maid en Manhattan is the use of music. The opening song of the telenovela is the song “Amor sin final” sung by Litzy and Eugenio Siller, who are the actor and actress that play Marisa and Cristóbal, and who are both famous Mexican singers. In the scene where Miguel is holding Lalo and Marisa hostage in the house with the police and swat team outside the music is filled with loud, heavy notes signaling danger. Yet at times when Marisa and Lalo are have an affectionate mother-son moment the music is filled with the light and airy strumming of a guitar.
    The interior and exterior scenes make Una Maid en Manhattan more recognizable to viewers. The opening credits include random shots of New York City’s bustling Times Square. The exteriors shots make the telenovela seem more realistic. These outside scenes include when Lalo is giving tours at the hotel, when Lalo and Marisa are in the cab leaving Michoacán for Los Angeles and the location of Marisa and Victor’s wedding. The construction site where Cristóbal, Lucas and Ronnie all work also looks more realistic. The interior shots appear to have been shot on a set, like the inside of the hotel in Michoacán, Belinda’s apartment, Marisa’s mom’s apartment and Cristóbal’s office. However, not all of the exterior shots are deceiving in their realism. Though the scene where Estanislao stops Marisa on the street is supposed to appear to be outside, there is not enough noise and filth to truly imitate the real life New York City streets. Here the budget available to produce the telenovela could probably not cover the cost to close down a part of the city to shot this scene. This one scene proves that a lot of effort and compromise is needed make keep a telenovela entertaining.

Esa Hembra Es Mala

..that's the name of the theme/opening song for the telenovela Teresa. And as we learned in class, there's much to get and learn from just the song title itself. Straightaway, you can already assume that "esa hembra", referring to the main female protagonist, is "mala" or evil. The song is written in a third-person point-of-view that goes on to say :

        "..ella esta tan bonita/ que hasta parce bendita/ pero es un angel caido/ ella es una maldicion.." 
   lyrics in Enlish: "..she is so beautiful/ she even appears holy/ but she is a fallen angel/ she is a curse.."

These few lines, I think, are the most defining of the telenovela's protagonist, Teresa. If you skip about 20 seconds into the video I have linked, you see Teresa. She is very attractive--an expected standard from the telenovela world. She is, however, somewhat of a "fallen angel" as it says in the opening song. Viewers at home can see that side of her more; characters in the novela cannot. Or better said, they are more prone to being ignorant of Teresa's greedy and manipulative nature. With her pretty face and acting skills, Teresa is particularly able to fool guys from realizing her true goals. The theme song makes it a point to say that Teresa is evil despite that she would "..give up her own life/ just to make you happy..". Because, really, making "you" happy will most likely means Teresa gets what she desires from you.

                                     




 

Las Letras No Mienten

A couple of class sessions ago, we discussed the music of telenovelas.  After that class, I have noticed the significant role that music plays in a telenovela.  In my telenovela, Univision's "Eva Luna," I see that the music plays a crucial role.  In many scenes, I observed the dialogue of the people, and the music that was played over it.  In one scene I recall Victoria, Daniel's "future wife," asked Daniel to speak in front of a group of people at a party.  At first I thought this was a normal question, but when the suspenseful music came into the background, Victoria's simple request became a tense moment in the episode.  The music immediately gave me the feeling that Daniel's words to the group would be a defining moment for him because of his secret love for Eva Gonzalez.

This is an example of how music, whether we realize or not, can totally change the meaning of a scene.  Music has meaning elsewhere as well.  The opening credits to Eva Luna include a catchy, romantic sounding song, which is suitable for the romantic story.  I looked up the theme song, and it is called "El" or "Him" by Jenni Rivera.  And although I do understand many Spanish words from my high school and current Spanish classes(the telenovela is helping me learn Spanish as well), I used Google Translate to find out the entire meaning of the lyrics.  Here is the opening verse:

"Appeared when not expected, Any change in her sweet eyes
What I felt when I saw, I can not express in words
But the untimely under our lives, As someone else already shares his day
And although he would not live without, I do not want a love hidden
Give me patience to wait, Give me hope to fight
God give me strength and a signal"

This lyrics, not surprisingly, match the story.  This is the classic Cinderella story.  Eva, the poor girl, even though she is forbidden by Doña Marcela, Daniel's girlfriend's mother, she falls in love with Daniel.  Because she is forbidden, their love is un amor escondidas or, "a love hidden," and Eva needs the patience to wait for him, and overcome obstacles. Even when they kiss, and even when they have intimate moments, Daniel and Eva continue to face misunderstandings which prevent them from being together.  As I watch, these obstacles are frustrating me, but I guess this is what makes a telenovela "hooking."  I am becoming impatient to see the couple finally get together, so please Eva Luna, dame paciencia para esperar.

FYO Experience

In my final blog post I would like to discuss my overall experience with this FYO. I am so happy that I chose to take this mini-course because it has really opened my eyes to a new culture and has brought a new appreciation for learning about other cultures into my life. I never understood why my mom is so hooked to her soap operas, but now that's a different story. I talked to my mom about my telenovela and how I couldn't stop watching at that I want to buy more off of Amazon once I'm done with Corazon Salvaje. I must admit that in the first class I was really skeptical about watching a Telenovela because I did not think I would like it but as the saying goes "Don't judge a book by its cover", and to my surprise I have literally fell in love! I thought that telenovelas were the exact same as soap operas except they were from Latin American countries, but boy was I wrong! Soap Operas have no central story line while Telenovlas have a main plot and sub plots and I can literally tell the diffference now when I watch Soaps with my mom.  Learning about the different components and aspects of different cultural Telenovelas helped me better analyze my Telenovela for my paper. I think that my telenovela in particular used a lens to magnify the issues that the upper class face when it comes to family values and morals, but it also distorted other things such as what type of government was in place at the time. The discussions in class have been really interesting and helpful in me writing my paper. On a final note I would like to say I am really going to miss having this class on Mondays. I'm going to miss the in-class discussions as well. I am extremely excited that I will be able to take this new learning experience with me for the rest of my life and hopefully I can take a full-length course of this class before I graduate from the University of Georgia.

Defining Music

Something that I have been contemplating while watching Ugly Betty is why she is so relatable. Despite the obvious, her endearing naiveté and nerdiness, Betty emanates a sort of relativity that enables the audience to fall in love with her. Now that I have seen how the telenovela unravels, it has become obvious that Betty is just your average underdog story with a twist. Since it is a Columbian production, the humor of it all allows this character to glide through her transformation making it seem almost natural, a growing into self process. This journey to self discovery is aided greatly by music. The music that accompanies Betty's development, at first was a mere cruel reminder of Betty's faults and what she has to go through. Later in the plot however it becomes an empowering element for the character and portrays her as a strong, opinionated woman. The transition between scenes always play "se dice de mi", which at first i believe was almost for comic relief. However when Betty comes back from her second employment, the transition song is almost a comparison of what she used to be and what she has become. It reflects how differently she handles situations with Don Armando now that her confidence has peaked and she is in full control of herself. I find it interesting how much music can contribute to a character's attributes and how it can help the audience understand the character on a deeper level.

Post #3 - La Madestra

La Madestra has got me hooked! I cannot stop watching it. I actually cut down study time just to watch this telenovela. I tell myself to only watch an hour of it, but I end up watching like two or three hours instead. Before I started watching it, I was like I will never get hooked because I barely watch television to begin with. At first it was a little hard to keep up with all the characters in my telenovela, but when I did I got even more hooked. Im almost ashamed to admit it. Last class we talked about music in telenovelas, so I focused a lot on the music that was being play throughout the telenovela while I was watching it. I noticed that the music that was being played had no lyrics. Most of the music was produced from a piano. Depending on the scene the piano was manipulated to match the mood. It was interesting to pay attention to the music carefully.

Blog Post #3: Rebelde

Based on what we discussed in class on Monday about the role of music in the telenovela, I have come to realize that my telenovela is based almost completely around music. The premise of Rebelde is from an actual band named RBD that was very famous in Hispanic countries known for their catchy songs, over-the-top concerts, and crazy costumes and style. In the actual telenovela, the 6 main characters are also members of the band in real life: Mia, Miguel, Diego, Roberta, Giovanni, and Lupita (their characters' names and not their actual names). These characters use their songs from their CDs in the telenovela in a few distinct ways. One of the ways that the music of RBD plays a role is in the theme song/ opening credits. RBD's song "Rebelde" plays while the cast, crew, etc are listed. The song talks about not caring about what other people think about you and simply doing what you want, not what is expected. This idea becomes the premise and theme of the show similar to other telenovela's theme songs that we discussed in class. The songs also are used when setting the mood of a scene through the use of an instrumental version. One prominent example is the use of the song "Salvame" which is played whenever a romantic scene takes place. It is usually used in regard to a breakthrough in two character's relationship romantically, like a spur of the moment kiss. Another use of the RBD songs is for interesting and fun transitions from one scene to another. For example, in one scene in the show, the scene transitions from a concert to a serious scene at Elite Way School. The song that RBD was preforming transfers to the audio of the song to a visual of the landscape and moves to the specific scene in the school that's a little more serious. The song fades from the fun concert scene to a slow and serious hallway scene. One final use of the music is used during concert scenes when RBD is preforming to take up time in the telenovela as filler. These excerpts from actual concerts also allow the viewers to be involved in RBD's real music and concerts as propaganda to sell more CDs and music.

El Juramento-- The BEST SUSPENSE telenovela EVER!

I watched El Juramento for my last blog post. This story is surrounded around a guy named Santiago who is determined how his brother Diego died. Santiago comes to find out that Diego killed himself after a woman named Alma had abortion that was said to be Diego’s child. Alma also refused his marriage proposal. Santiago’s goal is to simply seek revenge. Throughout the telenovela, Santiago narrows down his two possible options for women who wronged his brother, Alma and Andrea. Therefore, he sets out to determine which one was the cause of his brother’s death in order to make one of their lives miserable. This telenovela’s suspense is INSANE! I love telenovelas with lots of suspense where I just keep watching and watching. I was definitely hooked by this telenovela. The first thing I noticed in this specific telenovela was the immediate change in music. Within the first 45 seconds of the first episode, a suspicious character appeared and the fun, upbeat music changed suddenly to a slow moving beat as the suspicious character entered. I love the fact that now I can predict what is going to happen within a telenovela solely based on the music that is being played. Two characters Llego and Santiago are having a phone conversation where even though I could not necessarily understand what was being said, I could tell that the conversation was turning bad by the change of rhythm of the music. As the telenovela goes on, one character has a baby. The music mimics a song similar to a nursery rhyme. There was a lot of incidental music that helped me to understand the flow of the telenovela. During more love scenes, songs would play with instruments such as a saxophone that helps toward the romantic vibe within the scene. I really enjoyed learning the aspects of a telenovela. Now, when I watch any tv shows, I listen out for the music, I observe the protagonists, I think about how the show affects the outside world. I feel like a producer more like. I really enjoyed this class and I have found a new love for watching telenovelas!

Yo soy betty la fea

For me, it has been very interesting to watch this telenovela because there are so many countries with there own version of it, and it is interesting for me to watch the Colombian version. It somewhat follows the Cinderella story line, that despite being recreated so many times, never ceases to fail in capturing the audiences' attention including my own. Betty is a girl who has not been blessed with the best of looks, and even though she is so smart, she has a difficult time getting a job because of her looks. She finally applies for a job in the fashion industry, but she does not attach a photo of herself which allows her to get an interview. Betty quickly falls for the handsome Armando even though he is engaged. Armando hires Betty as one of his secretaries, and Betty is willing to do anything for him. However, Betty refuses to tell anyone, not even Armando, about her love for Armando. This show keeps me watching because I anxiously await finding out whether or not Betty will end up with Armando, and I am excited to see her beauty transformation.

Choppy Story Line

I bought the DVD's for Rebelde and while I do understand that they can't fit all of the episodes into one case, I still feel as if I don't understand the whole story line. One minute two of the main characters will be fighting and in the next five they will be kissing. I feel as if there's not enough background information for me to understand what is really going on. Aside from this, I really do like the telenovela. Are you guys have the same problem though?

Blog Post 2: Rubi

I decided to watch Rubi for my Telenovela choice. From the first few seconds of the show, Rubi did not look like an ordinary character. She is the main character no doubt, but it looks as if she is the antagonist. That is how mean and feisty she is. She is portrayed as a very selfish, money and power-seeking girl who would do anything to achieve her desire. It is very interesting to see how Rubi's interaction with different types of people is growing. Growing in a sense that she is wanting a better and richer man, like playing games - a stage after stage.

As a telenovela, it is quite obvious to predict the scenes. But what I also noticed was the effect of the sound/background music. It makes me laugh sometimes because the editors make it too obvious of what's going on. When Rubi starts to make an evil facial expression, a big low key note of piano plays out of the blue. The sound is very discontinuous, so it caught me off guard at a lot of times. Even though it is predictable, however, I still enjoy this, because I never watched a film where the protagonist seems so much like an antagonist. Looking forward to watching more episodes!

Teresa, Not Your Typical Protagonist

There were underlying hints of Teresa's character throughout the novela. The sharp music that would play whenever she was asked questions she had lied about would attract attention to her not-so-good characteristics. The rage and frustration she exhibits in front of her family whenever money is talked about does not fit in with the typical rosa telenovela stars. She is different. Teresa represents a darker side of a Cinderella story as she tries to escape her poverty.

Overall, Teresa is different than most leading characters in telenovelas. She isn't quite the "good girl" and I like that. Within the first couple episodes, I noticed her great ambition to overcome her socioeconomic obstacles. Money clearly drives her in her journey of this novela. This novela, it seems to me, will show the journey of Teresa as she transforms from being a naive, poor girl to being manipulative and evil.


The telenovela Teresa stands out from a long list of past and current novelas because of the different approach taken in the protagonist view. The story of the telenovela is interesting and entertaining and the cliff-hangers make me want to keep on watching from break to break and episode to episode.

Blog Post #2: Rebelde

I'm on the second disc of "Rebelde". I'm starting to see the many different story lines that coincide to complicate the story and keep the audience's interest. First, I'm starting to see the the love triangles forming between all 6 of the main characters. One of the triangles is Mia, Miguel, and Giovanni. Mia and Miguel are obviously the two main protagonists of the group of friends who are destined to be together, but things keep getting in their way. Currently, Giovanni, one of the main characters, is in love with Mia. However, Mia thinks that Giovanni is just being a good friend, further complicating the love story. Another complicating factor to this love story is Vico, who is in love with Giovanni. Therefore this love triangle is filled with one person being in love with someone who isn't in love with them. Another love triangle that is forming is Roberta and Diego's love. Roberta has been in Spain with her father who is forcing her to spend time with him has consequently been away from Diego for a while. Meanwhile, Diego is dating a girl who is at Elite Way School behind Roberta's back. Upon returning to school, Roberta encounters Diego's other love interest. She gets upset and goes to her mom crying about her relationship with Diego. The final love triangle is between Mia, Miguel, and a random girl that Miguel has been seeing to spite Mia. Diego eventually goes to break up with the girl because he sees how much he loves Mia. This action is relating to the concept of opposing love stories: while one couple (or in this case two) are doing terrible, the only is doing well.

Another reoccurring story line that is used in many telenovelas is the unknown discovery of something that happened to a parent. This rendition of the story is with Mia and her mother. Mia formerly did not know how her mother died, but a secret envelope that was delivered to her told her that her mother died in a car accident with a musician she was dating at the same time that she was married to her father. After this travesty, Mia begins to find comfort in Roberta's mother, Alma Rey. Alma also begins to become a mother figure that Mia never had, completing her family and further complicating her relationship with Roberta.

I believe that further in the story, there will be more ups and downs with the 3 love triangles and more complications with Roberta and Mia's relationship before they resolve their friendship towards the end.

Telenovela Issues and Thoughts on the First Episode

After many language and subtitle issues I have finally settled on Eva Luna as my telenovela even though La Reina del Sur was my first choice. However I am sure I will love it just as much! Within the first minutes of the first capitulo, I can already see many of the things we talked about in class beginning to appear before my eyes. The open credits are dramatic with scenes portraying the different love connections and rivalries that will dominate the shows plot. The ‘evil’ characters, such as Leonardo, are dressed in dark colors and Daniel is usually wearing white, which would make him the good guy. The music on the show is a very telling signal about the characters feelings for each other. Every time Eva and Daniel look at each other a romantic song starts playing but whenever Victoria, one of the lesser antagonists, and Eva come in contact with each other evil music plays in the background. I was interested to learn that the show takes place in California because I assumed, rather stereotypically I suppose, that it would take place in Central or South America. Eva is not at all how I expected her to be. I thought she would be an innocent farm girl but instead she is an independent girl with a sassy streak that comes out whenever she is insulted. I am very interested to see where this show goes and I am already hooked after only watching one episode!

Corazon Salvaje

The Title of my telenovela is Corazon Salvaje, which means the "savaged heart" in reference to the four main characters of the telenovela. When I first began watching it, I didn't think I would like it because is a "de epoca", or from another time period set in San Pedro Beliz. The fact that it was based on an older time period turned me off a bit, but as soon as I thought that i didn't like it the first 5 minutes changed my mind completely.

Francisco is a wealthy land owner with a wife and a son. he brought in a "friend" for his son to play with and within the first five minutes of the show, tragedy struck. Francisco was killed and his wife found out that her son, Andres, new "friend" was actually her brother. Francisco got a lower class lady pregnant during his engagement to his wife, and after he found out that she had died and he had another son he decided to make his family complete. his wife didn't approve and after her husband's death she band Juan, the son from the affair, from her house. From this point i knew that telenovela could only get better and better from here. I began predicting the events for the rest of the story. I knew that Juan and Andres would meet up again when they became adults, but the circumstances in which they met ttok me by a total surprise.

I'm still debating on whether this telenovela is Rosa-style or Reptura-style. The telenovela showcases the prejudices against lower classes, but it has yet to state anything about the government directly. Over the next week I will be conducting research on my telenovela and continue to work my way to the completion of the story. I must say along with my love of Reese's, Scooby-Doo, and Strawberry Fanta, Telenovelas are seeming to become a part of that category.

Dame Chocolate

My telenovela is called "Dame Chocolate" which means "give me chocolate." This telenovela is most assuredly a telenovela rosa. The protagonist is Rosita Amado. She lives in a remote village of Mexico, but her grandfather, Juan, is the owner of a very successful chocolate-making factory in the United States. Right before he dies, he travels to Mexico to tell Rosita the secret chocolate recipe and places her as the new owner of the chocolate factory in his will. Also traveling with her grandfather is a very attractive, rich man named Bruce. Bruce and his mother help Juan run the chocolate factory. In the first episode, Bruce and Rosita, of course, make eye contact with sparks flying between their eyes, but when Rosita removes her veil, he sees her ugly face. With a big nose and buck teeth, many do not consider her to be pretty. Instead of the normal kiss between the protagonist and her lover, he kisses on the forehead, which is more of a pity kiss than a kiss of sincerity.

When her grandfather dies shortly after, she moves to the United States with her family to take her place as the factory owner. In the factory, there is a new PR agent, Samantha Porter. She is the drop-dead gorgeous, but heartless antagonist. She sees Rosita as competition and does her best to humiliate her whenever possible. Samantha, Bruce, and Rosita create the first love triangle. Bruce is initially attracted to Samantha, but also finds himself falling for Rosita as he sees her innocence and genuineness. Here is a picture of the three of them. Rosita is on the left and Samantha is on the right.

When a friend from Mexico named Angel travels all the way from Mexico to the United States to confess his love to Rosita and request her hand in marriage, it forms another love triangle between Rosita, Bruce, and Angel. Here's what Angel looks like. He's kind of creepy in the telenovela, so I understand why she rejects him.


Dame Chocolate is produced by Telemundo, an American telenovela company in Miami. You can tell that this is an Americanized telenovela. Occasionally the characters will say random English phrases. Bruce one time said "Hey mom" in English and then started speaking to her in Spanish. Rosita's cousin said "oh my gosh!" and Bruce's mother always says Samantha Porter with an American accent.

Overall, I'm enjoying watching this telenovela so far. It is very, very dramatic and ridiculous at times, but no matter how ridiculous it is, I still want to keep watching!

Betty La Fea

As the title might sugest, Betty strikes is a moderately rosa, due to the fact that she is poor and on top of that horribly hideous. She is also a bit of a cinderella because of all the things mentioned above, but also because she is rural. When comparing Betty's family to Don Armando's (the male protagonist) one notices a stark difference in style and socioeconomic level. Despite Betty's father being a well educated accountant, his family is still rather common in the way they behave and interact with each other. On the other hand, Don Armando's parents are the image of glamour and romantic perfection. Betty is therefore Cinderella, while Don Armando's fiance plays the role of the evil step-mother trying to ruin Betty's life. A twist to the standard Cinderella story is that despite Betty's naiveté she is quite smart and knows her place in society. She has accepted that she is ugly and that society will discriminate her based on that, and instead of accepting her fate she manages her way around it. For example, in order to be considered for jobs, she does not attach a picture of herself on her resume. This way she will be called up for at least an interview, where she can prove herself. I look forward to see how the plot unravels in this telenovela, and whether or not they will break with the cinderella story or stick with it.

Eva Luna 2

        Eva Luna is definitely a cinderella type telenovela.  Eva Gonzalez, as I learned in the most recent episode I watched, grew up in a poor, rural, farming town before she moved to work as a maid in a rich mansion.  The patterns that we discussed in class are showing up.  Daniel Villanueva is a man who is brothers with the owner of the house, and Daniel is also the owner of a big company.  Daniel finds out, that Eva was the one responsible for creating his company's famous slogan, so he hires her at his company.  However Daniel has a girl friend, Victoria.  Victoria is the jealous antagonist who, along with her mother, absolutely despises Eva.  Every time Daniel(her boyfriend or husband, I'm not sure) mentions Eva, she becomes angry.  Right now I am predicting that Eva will become successful, and soon get together with Daniel, but along with this will surely come some exciting jealousy and drama that I can't wait to see.

Una Maid en Manhattan

       The telenovela I picked for my final paper is Una Maid en Manhattan. I choose this telenovela because I remember seeing the original movie starring Jennifer Lopez and Ralph Fiennes in 5th grade and loving it. Una Maid en Manhattan is produced by Telemundo Studios in Miami and caters to Mexican American viewers. I watched the first episode and have really enjoyed it so far. From taking Spanish as a foreign language in high school and college, I can usually understand what the characters are talking without subtitles. My favorite Character is definitely Marisa. I was surprised I would like her so much after Dr. Acosta told us that this telenovela fell under the ‘Rosa’ category. Typically Rosas are traditional, melodramatic telenovelas centered around a poor, rural, beautiful, naïve girl, who falls in love with the rich, not very intelligent, urban prince. Usually the female protagonists in the Rosa telenovelas take a geographical journey (most of time from the country to the city), get a makeover or go though a transformation, and climb up the socioeconomic ladder.
     Marisa is from Michoacán, Mexico. She is obviously very beautiful and very loved by her son Lalo, friends and the people in her village. As a single mom she is very busy, but always makes time for her family. In the first episode Marisa gets a call from her mother who lives in L.A. I had a hard time understanding what they were talking about, but it seems that someone either died, or something bad happened to the person they are talking about. From the conversation it seemed as though her mother was trying to convince Marisa to come to L.A., but she kindly refuses.
    From the very first episode the “mariposas monarcas” or monarch butterflies and orange carnations are everywhere at the Posada Monarca in Michoacán, where Marisa and her son Lalo work and live. Lalo appears to be about 10 years old. While telling an American man about the butterflies, we find out that he is half American and that his father lives in Nuevo York. Lalo has a very good heart and loves Marisa dearly. He tries to give her the $20 tip the American man gave him for the butterfly tour.
    The first episode not only introduces the lives of Marisa and Lalo, who are the protagonists, but it also Miguel, Victor and Cristóbal. Various scenes and flashbacks are interspersed throughout the first episode one being Victor and his family stuck in traffic in the car. His daydreams reveal that he and Marisa used to be lovers. In his daydream a younger Victor and Marisa wander through a forest as he tries to convince her to come to America with him. Then Victor tells Marisa he loves her, they kiss and the dream vanishes back to reality. The second alternate story is Cristóbal’s, which begins with him riding on the motorcycle in New York looking for a job. At a construction site he finds a job and meets Lucas who is also from Mexico. Lucas says he has two sons and offers Cristóbal to move in with him and his roommates. The third alternate story is that of Miguel, Marisa’s childhood friend. In a flashback, he apparently loved Marisa, but she loved victor instead, which made him jealous. Later in the first episode Miguel and his friend clad in Cowboy hats, boots and alcohol are reminiscing about the olden days with the scene being very much in the despecho style.
    The first episode ends after Marisa comes back to from a Day of the Dead festival to find Miguel and his friend using the Posada Monarca for drug trafficking. Guns and chaos and a stubborn cop push Marisa to decide to leave Michoacán. As she is packing up her belongings Miguel tries to make romantic advances on her, which she defiantly rebuffs. Thus Marisa’s decision to move to the United States starts her geographical journey, acting as a catalyst for the rest of her Rosa stereotypes to unfold.

Mi Corazon Insiste: What is the media portraying through telenovelas?

I viewed the telenovela Mi Corazon Insiste. In my opinion, the media reflects this telenovela in a where it actually reflects reality. A mirror is represented through this telenovela. Within one minute of an episode, I noticed the intensity between a male and female figure. The male would forcefully push the female. This demonstrates actual abuse. I am surprised that the producer included this as a part of the telenovela because the media loves to praise male figures; at least in American soap operas and sitcoms. The male is usually seen as the good guy where the female is usually portrayed as wrong in most media. The telenovela included a young boy in the show. The boy appeared as humble and scared throughout the episode. This represents the little say that children have in most situations that are actually affecting them. The aspect of regulation is questionable throughout. One of the dominant male figures in the telenovela could possibly create a change within society. By the male “abusing” the female, society may see the situation as acceptable. Rather than a verbal discussion, fights occurred and even gun use. This telenovela really affects viewers today, especially individuals of young ages. Characters intend to play the roles throughout this telenovela to seem more believable however it can really shape society in a different way. The actions in many scenes in the telenovela are possible. They happen to many people today. However the media should sometimes shine light on a situation to provide a better outlook from viewers to prove that only certain behaviors and actions within society are acceptable. Yes, the characters are attractive, but the image that the media is portraying is essentially important.

Amor Real

The first telenovela I began watching was Amor Real. From the beginning of the theme song they show the two protagonists together in a field. Things are happy, they are in love, and everything is moving in slow motion. When the scene changes, so does the music. A more fast-beat song begins to play with a sense of danger arriving. This lets you know things aren’t going to be easy in many aspects for these lovers. It is set in the 19th century so the problems that arrive match the time period and the typical problems that happened during that era. Also, the telenovela corresponded with the culture and setting the show and makers portrayed.
I watched it with a few friends and they enjoyed it as well. However, they appreciated it in a different way. Latino people and watchers of the show understand what sort of feelings and emotions should be happening based on what’s going on. Besides facial expressions and music leading you to those feelings, other people don’t exactly understand how big the events may be. For instance, although my friends knew something intense was happening, they could not stop laughing. It may have been because usually when someone is that dramatic people in our society find it entertaining and humorous. The character’s situation and level of infortune added to the crazy story line.
Furthermore, within the first five minutes, the telenovela contained many of the story topics you told us about. There was a young couple in love. However, the woman was wealthy and the man was not. At the same time her mother was trying to marry her off to a wealthy gentleman. The mother did not know about the relationship, but would most likely not support it. At the same time, with another family, a father died and his son inherited all of his money. It did not show their interaction, but you can assume their social class (and possibly her mother) is what will bring them together. In such a small amount of time so much happened. And you can feel that so much more is about to unravel. Like you said the story leaves you wanting more and I’m so excited to see what’s next! (:

Eva Luna

I must admit, I can now see why my mom gets addicted to watching soap operas.  Eva Luna, the telenovela I chose, is non-stop entertainment.  As I mentioned in class, in the first episode alone, the character Eva, must have met eyes with her future love at least four times.  And every time these connecting moments happened, romantic music began to play.  The story is a bit hard to follow at times, maybe because of the language barrier, but with subtitles and the constant twists, the story pulls me in.  The classic moment of a woman slapping a man in anger happened as well, a thrilling moment haha.  I look forward to continuing to watch my telenovela, for the captivating story of course, but the sexy looking telenovela actresses are an added bonus.  

Telenovelas

I was so excited when I found this FYOS. I love Hispanic culture and the language and it is one of my goals to become fluent in the language. What better way to help out than to take a class on Spanish soap operas? I hadn't really seen any. I watched a Rebelde episode in high school one day but other than that, I just knew they were very dramatic. From what Dr. A has told us in class, I can tell that I was right. I chose to watch this series for my paper so hopefully it will turn out well.

My Mom aka Telenovela Lady

I am already very familiar with telenovelas because my mom was (and still is) a telenovela fan. Growing up, I remember sitting with her in the living room and watching a couple episodes of what ever novela was popular at the time. I would often think that my mom was too easily entertained by the over-dramatic love stories they would air but I think that is what made them so alluring to watchers. Because without fail, telenovelas would offer strong feelings of excitement, despair, and passion that capture people's emotions.
The going-ons of the telenovelas would also get my mom gossiping to me about what she thought was going to happen and what should have happened, etc. I thought it cute for my mom to be so enthused about telenovelas--that's her thing. They are a part of her and she is a part of them. Telenovelas are dramatic and exaggerated in just about every aspect and so is my mom. When she gets happy, she gets HAPPY. When my mom gets mad, she gets MAD. I could swear that my mom's expressions have been shaped by the many novelas she has watched over the years.Telenovelas and my mom go hand-in-hand and it mainly for this reason that I signed up for this FYOS class.
As far as choosing a novelas goes..I'll probably pick Teresa. This novela interests me because the female protagonist isn't the typical good-girl. She has a very selfish and cunning personality that she masks with a pretty face. I have seen parts of episodes last year when it first aired but never actively followed the story. I would like to watch it and see how it unfolds in the end because I imagine it to have an ending different than the lovey-dovey telenovelas.

When I first signed up for this class it was because it was the only thing that fit in with my schedule. I also assumed that telenovela was just the Spanish word for soap opera. I have never really been hooked on a particular soap opera before, so I was curious to see how this would go for me. However, after watching the powerpoints in the two classes we've had so far, I quickly discovered that telenovelas were in there own realm of television, and that we were actually comparing them to the typical American soap opera. I am a little nervous that my Spanish will not be good enough to watch one and fully keep up, but I am definitely excited for the challenge to improve my Spanish. Also, many of the clips we have watched in class have interesting story lines so I am excited to pick one to watch. I have never really thought about studying a show in depth and think this will be a neat opportunity.

Telenovela?

To be honest, I initially signed up for this class for my skeptical reasons: it ends early, and I get to watch movies all day (it was just an hopeful thought). However, after the first day I realized that this was actually an interesting topic with a heavy load of historical and cultural background, and that I should never consider the class as a joke. I began to find interest in Telenovelas, and gained respect for it.

I never watched American Soap Opera, so my knowledge in that area was very poor. However, I am a film major and am very interested in any kind of films such as movies, TV shows, YouTube videos, etc. Therefore when we started to watch many example clips of Telenovelas in class, I quickly began to understand how the plots were set up and how the production came about to be.

I watched a couple of Telenovelas in the past while aimlessly flipping through channels on TV. I didn't even know that what I watched was a Telenovela until I took this class. I thought it was some Spanish Dramas (which is partially true). I recall my first impression of Telenovela as very dramatic, love-oriented, and predictable storyline. Another observation from Telenovela that I personally appreciate is that there are ALWAYS extremely attractive actresses in it, which further boosts my interest in Telenovelas.

All in all, I look forward to watching more Telenovelas with an analytic mindset, and gain more knowledge and appreciation on it. Maybe it will somewhat help me find a beautiful Latina girlfriend.

¿Qué hora es?

Before this semester, I really never had any interest in watching telenovelas. I watched maybe a few minutes when I was flipping through channels to see how much of the Spanish I could understand, but I never followed any of the characters or really cared about the outcome. I always assumed that telenovelas were just like American soap operas. I find soap operas to be dry, shallow, and overall not very entertaining. (When I'm at my grandparents' house, I get my fare share of soap operas because they watch about 4 hours of them every day.) I got very sick of soap operas very fast, which is the reason that I never tried actually following any telenovelas. Telenovelas were to me just made of over-dramatic, bad acting in Spanish instead of in English, kind of like this "telenovela" called ¿Qué hora es?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WckCw_-7e3M

But in the past two classes, some of the clips of telenovelas the Dr. A showed us actually sparked my interest. Some of them seemed to me like real stories with real characters that I would enjoy watching and finding out how they face the challenges of life. Juana, La Virgen really stuck out to me. After seeing la entrada, I wanted to watch it to find out about Jauna, how she felt when she was pregnant with a child that she shouldn't have had, how she was treated by others, and how she fell in love with the father of her baby. I didn't think that I would be very interested in the life of a fictional character from a telenovela, but seeing all the different types of telenovelas, and seeing that they are much different from American soap operas, I'm excited to start watching the telenovela I choose, and following the ups and downs of the life of the protagonist.

Samantha Peykoff

Take One

Telenovelas were first introduced to me in my childhood, when I was living in Romania. There were several channels on Tv dedicated to showing a variety of telenovelas, wether they were Mexican, Brazilian, Columbian etc. From what I noticed, they were quite popular with the older people, however since many of them had children and grandchildren, telenovelas trickled down to the younger generation as well. For example, I remember all my friends being obsessed with Betty La Fea, and actually knowing the opening song by heart. Despite not being as obsessed with telenovelas as the rest of my childhood friends, when I moved here and started taking spanish in 6th grade, I already knew how to say : "te odio", "te amo", and "estoy embarasada"(meaning "I hate you", "I love you" and "I'm pregnant"). Those three phrases were obviously prevalent in many of the telenovelas I stumbled upon. I came to the conclusion that the prevalence of these words show how dramatic and intense telenovelas are. But why did people get so hooked on those telenovelas? What did those telenovelas mean to them? For us kids, it romanticized life. We thought of telenovelas as ferry tales and always rooted for the two protagonists to end up together. Despite the obstacles that were in the way, love always prevailed. The hook was enabled by the characters' relatability. Being able to identify with the characters encouraged us to thrive in their drama as if it was our own. Of course as a child many obstacles in the telenovela did not carry the weight they should have. Now that I am older, I look froward to watching a telenenovela from a different perspective.

Telenovelas: What I'm Currently Thinking

I've been thinking a lot about what I should write in this first blog. I would like to start off by stating that I was a little nervous about taking this course because I do not know how to speak nor understand Spanish fluently nor do I watch Soap Operas.On occasion I use to watch Days of Our Lives with my mom when I was little up until the show got canceled and since then I have not really watched any sort of Soap Opera. After the first class session I became a little more excited and satisfied with my decision with taking this course because I'm learning about different cultures and I'm pretty sure once this course is over I will continue to watch whichever Telenovela I choose to write about and many others. I must admit that I have not started watching a Telenovela yet because I honestly do not know how to search for something to watch, but one thing I do know is that I would rather buy a DVD from Amazon instead of trying to find one to watch on television or the internet. From the class discussions I'm really interested in a Rosa-styled  Telenovelas because they seem like they will consist of acts that are so overly dramatic that I won't see them as logical, which I find very entertaining. So does anyone have any suggestions about what I should watch? I hope to pick a Telenovela by this weekend and start watching so I can be fully on track with the rest of the course.

Un Maid en Manhattan

I watched a few episodes of “Un Maid en Manhattan.” The first thing I noticed when watching were the appearances of the actors. The females are pretty. They have long hair and perfect skin. The guys appeared to be physically fit and appealing to viewers. The first episode of the season showed the essence of love within ten minutes of the show. Just like Dr. A discussed in class, telenovelas are simply love stories with an arising conflict. The main plot of the story included the main character named Marisa. Marisa was very determined to raise her son the right way. She would go above and beyond to ensure that her son was safe and satisfied. Marisa fell in love with a guy named Victor. She gave up her hotel in which she owned to move with the love her life and avoid the drug trafficking to which she didn’t want her son around. Marisa’s dreams were to live a happy life with Victor and her son. When Marisa finds Victor cheating on her on their wedding day, she moves to New York with a longtime friend. She accepts a job as a maid in Manhattan where she disapproves of the image she is portraying as a “maid.” She went from being a manager to a maid and wanted to keep her identity hidden from the outside world. In my opinion, this telenovela presents the image of single parenthood. The main character, Marisa is determined to provide the best for her son which is clearly seen throughout the episodes. I personally viewed the telenovela as simply a love story with conflicts with a cheating husband. The love story leads toward Marisa liking another man named Christopher in which she hides her true identity, a maid away from him. For viewers, this explains how the outside world is a competition. Everyone wants to be the best, and surely better than others. This telenovela represents the gender role of single parenthood, infidelity, and hidden identities centered on love. By watching Un Maid en Manhattan, I could definitely see it as really melodramatic. Emotions were all over the place. One minute Marisa would be happy with her son, and then an act of sadness would sporadically appear. I enjoyed watching Un Maid en Manhattan because the music was dramatic which fit perfectly with the drama within the story. Even though I did not understand exactly all that was said, I could figure it out based on common knowledge of certain words and actions of the characters.

Telenovela decision

The major obstacle that I have encountered in this class is deciding which Telenovela I should watch over the course of the class. I have no experience with Telenovelas and have never watched one before but I was very excited to get the chance to experience a piece of Latin American culture.  The only issue was that I had no idea which Telenovela to choose! In class we discussed the different types of Telenovela programs. They are generally placed in two categories: rosa, which are the more tradition and melodramatic shows, and rupture, which are the realistic and less melodramatic shows. Once you have decided which of these categories to watch you then have to decide from which country you want your Telenovela to be from. Each Latin American country creates distinctly different Telenovelas. Some are humorous while others are meant to bring tears to the viewer’s eyes. After debating all of these elements I chose La Reina del Sur as the Telenovela that I will watch for the next couple weeks. It was made by Telemundo, in Miami, so it is supposed to be more melodramatic. This would place it in the rosa category. It looks like a dramatic and action packed Telenovela that I am sure I will be hooked on immediately.

La Fella Mas Bella

For my televnovela I have chosen to watch the Mexican version of a telenovela we spoke about in class; La Fella Mas Bella. The first thing that I noted about this telenovela was the upbeat appearance of the set, background music, and humor used in the first episode. This surprised me due to the fact that Mexican telenovelas are well know for their drama. Immediately after the start of the first episode I was able to see a common theme used in many telenovelas. Fernando, the future president of a commercial company, is a very handsome and stunning character who is way out of the league of the other main character; Leti la Fea. The two characters meet for the first time whilst she is spying on him behind a clothes rack. This provides both a humorous first encounter and the stage for their first obstacle. Soon after introducing Fernando and Leti, we are introduced to Alicia, who is the "sexy and seductive," woman who is to be hired as Fernando's secretary. Behind the major plotline, however, I noticed a subplot with one of Leticia's friends whose husband walked out on her and is now in danger of losing her job because she has no one to watch over her kids. From the beginning of the telenovela the plot quickly thickens and leaves me wanting to watch more.

¿Que es una Telenovela?

    That was the exact question I had before taking this seminar. From all my years of taking Spanish in grade school and high school, I just assumed that a “telenovela” was a Spanish soap opera. All I could picture was beautiful, dramatic, Latinos passionately arguing with each other in fluid Spanish over the latest scandal. Although my assumptions were partly correct, Dr. Acosta gave the class a full rundown on the history and composition of las telenovelas. She said a telenovela is connected by three important pieces: mass media, culture, and society. She also said that if a telenovela were a star, the five points would be representation, identity, consumption, production, and regulation. I had never seriously thought about the breakdown of a telenovela, but each point of the star made me understand how the work is divided to produce a successful show. Representation refers to skin color. If I remember correctly, this pertains to either the skin color of the actors and actresses in the telenovela, or of  the people viewing the show. Dr. Acosta mentioned that most of the actors and actresses in the telenovelas tend to have light skin, which is usually associated with wealth, power, and beauty in the Latino culture. Identity refers to “what is created,” as in the entire show, but delving deeper, I think identity is how the audience relates to particular characters. While representation and identity can sometimes have ambiguous meanings, I believe the latter is more straightforward. Consumption refers to the people who watch the show, production is the collection of writers, producers, and actors involved to make the program a success, and regulation refers to broadcasting restrictions.
    I also learned a new term in Spanish: despechar, a word used to describe the emotional and physical reactions to the pain of heartache. Picture despechar and it will usually consist of two men accompanied by their horses drinking away their feelings in a bar. When they both become lugubrious from the alcohol, they break out in song about their lost lovers. While the names for despechar vary from region to region (in the Caribbean, it’s called Bolero), the image of two sorrowful singers is still the same.
    The most interesting thing I learned about telenovelas was the formulaic aspects. Dr. Acosta told us that a telenovela is a love story in installments. It airs about 5–6 times a week in the afternoon and prime time, adding up to 120 episodes or more. Telenovelas are best known for their dramatic, fictitious plots and for making a spectacle of emotions. They are produced in Latin America, but are watched all over the world. There are various love triangles and plenty of tension between the protagonists and antagonists, but the ending is very predictable. At the beginning the protagonists fall in love and, despite innumerable obstacles, will undoubtedly end up together living “happily ever after.” Besides this simple format, what makes telenovelas so compelling are the obstacles and conflicts the protagonists face in order to be together in the end. With each episode ending in a cliffhanger, it’s obvious why so many people enjoy watching these melodramatic stories unfold.

Rebelde: Thoughts on the 1st episode

I just began watching Rebelde. I have only watched the first episode but so far I have seen many things which we have talked about in class. The first thing I analyzed was the theme song to the show. First of all, the song that was chosen was very uplifting and youthful, considering this particular telenovela's main audience is teenagers. The theme song also introduced all the characters in their homes and settings that tell the audience a lot about the character themselves. For example, one of the main character's, Mia, was shown with her wealthy father to demonstrate her wealth and distance between her and her father. Another aspect that I noticed during the first episode is that each character has their own period of introduction where you can see who the characters are as they begin their journey. Another aspect that I noticed within the first few minutes is the moment where the two protagonists' (Mia and Miguel) eyes first meet. This moment was very dramatic and extended. Mia locks eyes with Miguel and then they both turn away, then she stares at his back, he turns around, and she turns away again, and then they lock eyes one final time before Mia runs away dramatically. You can already tell that Mia is a dramatic and girly character (the female protagonist). As we learned in class, this moment begins the telenovela and the protagonists' journey to being together.

First Impressions.

So far, I am loving this Freshmen Seminar. Telenovelas are truly an interesting topic, more interesting than I first assumed it would be. Learning about the different types of telenovelas has made me more intrigued by them. I remember watching a telenovela in my high school spanish class and had no idea that there were so many more out there to watch. I hope to find a very good telenovela to watch for the duration of this class. Learning the different types and categories of telenovelas has helped me to start thinking about the type that will interest me the most. I like to laugh, so choosing a Columbian telenovela might be my best bet. However, "Juana la Virgen" seemed very interesting as well, so I might just go with that one. I'll just have to see what else is out there and take advantage of my many choices.

Welcome to More than melodrama: Telenovelas

In this blog you will practice the fundamentals of critical thinking via blogging about telenovelas. Your blog entries should reflect your thought process and your learning experience as you go through the course. In other words, your posts should be a thoughtful (and creative) expression of yourself. If you wish, you can complement your entries with images, videos or other media.

Blog entries will be of two types:

• Open topic entries: You are free to analyze, comment and/or reflect on any of the topics and readings we will cover in class. You can also write about the telenovela(s) you are analyzing for your class assignments. Be warned that mere description won't meet my expectations. 
• Responses/comments to entries: A good blog builds a community. In that spirit, you should comment on the entries posted by your classmates or by me, be those open topic entries or responses to others’ posts. Your comments must be substantive and add to the conversation. In other words, merely stating “I agree” or “good point” is not nearly enough.

You must write at least three open topic entries and four responses/comments before the course ends. These entries should be spread out. Therefore, I expect to find at least one new open topic entry written by each of you by:

• January 27
• February 10
• March 2

There are no predetermined deadlines for responses/comments. All are due by March 5 at midnight. (I highly recommend you also write your comments through the weeks and not leave their writing for the last day).

Again, welcome to our seminar!