Event Summary

This online workshop, titled "The Way of St. James: A Cultural Resource for Spanish Language Teaching," was co-organized by the University of Santiago de Compostela (USC) and the Taiwanese Association of Hispanists. The event focused on utilizing the thousand-year-old Camino de Santiago as a didactic resource in Spanish as a Foreign Language (ELE) classrooms, integrating history, art, and language learning for students in Taiwan.

Key Presentations

1. The Way of St. James: A Historical and Artistic Vision

Speaker: Prof. Dr. Juan Manuel Monterroso (Professor of Art History, USC) Highlights:

• Cultural Heritage: Examined the dimensions of the Camino as a cultural heritage site in the Iberian Peninsula, Europe, and the Americas.
• Art as a Medium: Analyzed how cathedrals, churches, monasteries, and palaces along the route serve as cultural supports for ideas and emotions.
• Iconography of St. James: Reviewed the evolution of the figure of St. James from the 9th to the 19th century and its spread through devotions.

2. The Way of St. James: An Ideal Context for Learning Spanish

Speaker: Dr. Pilar Taboada de Zúñiga Romero (Director of International Courses, USC) Highlights:

• Language and Culture: Emphasized that "teaching a language is teaching a culture," with the Camino providing a perfect multidisciplinary context (history, geography, art, music, etc.).
• Resource Development: Discussed the possibilities for ELE teachers to create materials based on the historical and cultural richness of the pilgrimage route.
• Pilgrimage as Learning: Explored the clear parallelism between embarking on a journey and learning a new language.

Event Information

• Time: March 3, 2023 (Fri) 20:00-21:30 (Taiwan Time)
• Location: Online (Zoom)
• Moderator: Prof. Luisa Shu-Ying Chang (President of the Taiwanese Association of Hispanists)