Telenovelas, Culture and Society (JRLC 5060)- A Recommendation

How do I wrap up one one of the best classes I have taken in my academic career thus far? I think the only thing I can do is to write a recommendation for students that are thinking about taking it in the future.

To begin, I included JRLC 5060 in the title so that, hopefully, a student who is googling the class in the years to come will find this and read it. I also left a review for Dr. A on ratemyprofessor.com and told everyone how I felt about the class so that hopefully someone will find it and be convinced to take the class because of it. I feel more strongly about this class than any other, so if you have the opportunity to take it, take it... and then encourage those after you to do the same.

To the person thinking about taking this class (or LACS 5060 or SPAN 4100 with Dr. A), I can only tell you it would be a mistake not to. This class will teach you more about telenovelas than you would have ever thought you could learn, but more than that, it will teach you about the increasing role of media in our world. It will teach you how to be a conscious consumer of content and how to always "have your radar up." It will teach you that there are always messages in media, regardless of how subliminal. It will teach you that good citizens and humans are ones who are cognizant of the ways in which they are being influenced. I learned more from this class about the world and the way it works than I ever thought I would.

To the people that made this class what it was:

Victoria- Thank you for encouraging me to take this class. Without you, I would not have known about it and would have never taken it. Thank you for being the best advisor there ever was and knowing exactly what I needed when I needed it.

To my classmates- Thank you for being passionate pursuers of knowledge. Thank you for taking this class seriously and contributing often to thoughtful discussion.

Dr. A- Thank you for your love of telenovelas! Thank you for broadening my worldview and forcing me to be aware of the world in which I live. Thank you for never ceasing in your pursuit of more and more information about telenovelas. Thank you for not stopping at what was easy, but diving in and analyzing and really going behind the scenes (literally) to find what is important. You made every class a joy to go to and made every discussion interesting. You are the perfect combination of student and teacher, and it was an honor to be one of your pupils. Also, thank you for giving me a nudge every once in a while about due dates! I wouldn't have passed this class without them! 

How Telenovelas Impacted Me

When I first came into this class, I expected to learn about something I was unfamiliar with, of course, but also to be entertained. Throughout the last semester, I absorbed so much throughout our different topics of conversations. About mid-way through the semester, right around the time we started talking about production and distribution, I began to see the impact this class was really having on me.

I've always been hyper-aware when watching, reading, or listening to basically anything. I dissect every word and context. I began to see how learning about and watching my telenovela, Al Otro Lado del Muro, was beginning to shape my views and open my eyes to new areas, For example, one of the most fascinating observations I made was the representation of women in telenovelas. Regardless of telenovela rosa or ruptura, there are still many instances where women aren't portraying real life so to say. It's part of what makes the consumption of a telenovela so juicy because we get to pretend to enter a different world.

In my opinion, starting to notice these things in telenovelas has made me even more aware of these same issues in the world. Now, I'm not just noticing, but I'm thinking of how I play a role in advancing these social topics so that people can learn more. Additionally, as I plan to pursue a career in Public Relations, I know that the lessons telenovelas has taught me with allow me to advance and be aware of the differences that make this world so amazing. Rather than walking through my life with blinders, I have begun to make connections more often that I was previously making.

To say that this class was just for entertainment would be a disservice. This class and Dr. A have both had an impact on my plans for the future and how I will execute in my future careers. I can't wait to continue to learn about telenovelas and dramas in the future so that I can continue to develop these new found skills.

Inside scoop

One of my favorite parts of this class has been the past few weeks where we are lucky enough to speak with people who are currently active in the telenovela world. This could be a director, writer, actor, and even strategists. I loved hearing their opinions on the topics we discussed in class. It is interesting to see how the things we learned in the class are applied.

Luis Geromino Abreu spoke to us about the struggles of being a telenovela actor. Dr. A has told us about how actors and actresses are placed in scenarios that are not comfortable for them. This could be in wordrobe that in uncomfortable, temperatures that are unbearable, and of course issues with how much they are paid versus what they want to be paid. Then, Luis mentioned how yes, he was struggling, but then he looked over at the extras in the cast and they are doing the same thing as him with less screen time and no money what so ever.  They are paying their own way through being on the telenovela. Personally, that is not the first thing I think of when I think about being an actor or actress. Luis spoke about how it was difficult to uproot his family and move to different places not knowing anyone. The actors and actresses work long, hard hours and it is not always the glitz and glam that is broadcasted on television.

One of the things Luis said that surprised me is how upfront the directors are. He said that he was told he was too “fat” for this part he had been prepping for. It showed how quickly something could be stripped from you and how unwilling producers and directors are to budge.

The first thing that pops into my mind is the main character from El Señor de los Ciel, Rafael Amaya, and his demand for a higher salary, and the networks refusal to provide it. Rafael said he would boycott and not act if he was not paid more, and the network responded with a replacement of the character. This demonstrates how actors are not always treated how the viewers see. Personally, I think the network, Telemundo, has lost the money they would have paid Rafael due to the decline in viewers, but that is not something I know for a fact.

These conversations gave me insight to the telenovela world that I learned about it class. It made my experience more real. I have loved getting the inside scoop from all of these people. Thank you so much, Dr. A!

My Journey through Telenovelas

I just want to preface this post by saying: I have been waiting to take this class since my sophomore year. When I first found out about the course I was so excited to have the opportunity to take it (and consequently very disappointed when I found out it was only taught every two years) and when Victoria told me it was going to be offered this semester, I was extremely excited. That being said, after two years of anticipation, this class was so very worth the wait.

Coming into this class, I thought I knew a lot about telenovelas by virtue of being Mexican and having grown up with them in my house since I could remember. However, this class opened my eyes to worlds that I was entirely unaware of previously.

For example, I knew that in Mexico, telenovelas were a big deal and I'd heard about Televisa and the media giant that it was but I was completely unaware of giants like Globo in Brazil. I had no idea the level of production that goes into a Brazilian telenovela compared to a Mexican telenovela compared to a Turkish drama.

I didn't even think about the influence that stories from halfway around the world (in Turkey) could have on telenovelas back in Mexico or the United States or Columbia or Brazil. My favorite part of this class was learning about all the different types of serialized dramatic content we have available as consumers -- from Turkish dramas to Brazilian telenovelas to narconovelas to superseries -- this class has opened my eyes to worlds of content.

This class has also given me a way to think critically about each telenovela I encounter. By learning about things like telenovela production and the tensions that can exist between writers and producers and actors and the like I am able to watch things like the cliffhangers for Amar a Muerte and see where the tensions could exist.

Learning about consumption gave me an outlet for me to analyze how telenovela audiences breakdown and what they latch on most to in a telenovela -- in some it is the love story, in others it is the historical significance, and in others it is the star power of its protagonist. It is also really interesting to see how different audiences receive the same information.

Overall, this class has given me a multitude of tools that I can use as I continue to binge on telenovelas but also use as I move into the "real world" and use things the things I've learned about  how people consume television or how to use emotion effectively to connect with people in any campaigns I implement or any job I may have.

A Telenovela Course? At UGA?

A class all about telenovelas? At UGA?!
When I entered the University of Georgia as a freshman, I was unsure of my major. I actually changed at least three times: biochemical and molecular biology, computer science to public relations. However, one area of study remained constant and that is a minor in Spanish. I had no familiarity with learning additional languages until my freshman year of high school when I took Spanish with Profesora Reyes. I loved it and knew it was a subject I wanted to know more about. The summer before entering UGA, I spent hours searching through the course list to find any and every class that sounded interesting. That is when I first heard of Telenovelas and Society. How could an entire class be dedicated to telenovelas? How do I sign up? 
Unfortunately, I was not quite ready for the course yet, and the subsequent years it was not offered. But, that all changed my senior year. I was finally able to take the class! On the first day, I was unsure of what to expect. Would we just be watching and analyzing telenovelas? Are these really just soap operas? So many thoughts ran through my head. However, now at the end of the semester, this course was more than what I expected. In this course, I have learned not only the history and background of telenovelas, but their influential nature. Telenovelas have the power to guide the social and political climate as well as determine what is deemed beautiful or acceptable in society. We even learned how it is often that there are more televisions than refrigerators in some households and countries. For example, the notions of gender continuously show the "good" woman or protagonist as a sweet, kind-natured woman typically seeking love to validate her as a woman. This woman also usually has a very cookie-cutter beauty that satisfies all audiences. On the other hand, gay men inserted as characters are usually given the same flamboyant, feminine personalities. The characters of telenovelas often then create parallels in real life or what may be expected in society showing the influential nature of telenovelas. 
Additionally, the regulatory and governmental aspects regarding telenovelas were both topics that interested me most in the class.  This semester, I also learned heavily about laws of the United States, specifically regarding the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). This allowed me to compare U.S. regulatory laws with those in Latin American country. Hugo Chavez and the deterioration of telenovelas and their networks made me grateful to have a government that allows citizens to have a balance of what can and cannot be produced on our television screens. The political commentary  produced in the telenovelas also allow audiences from across the world to truly understand the perspectives of those living in that country and how it is dealt with. For instance, in my telenovela, Celia, I was able to fully grasp and continue to dive into a historical analysis of the impacts of both the Batista regimen and the Cuban Revolution led by Fidel Castro. 
Overall, the class exposed me to how telenovelas are engrained as a part of life to many Latin Americans. The telenovela increases social interactions and provides connectivity amongst people as they discuss characters, storylines and watch shows together in the household. Many of my previous Spanish courses taught me grammar, the historical aspect of culture and vocabulary. However, if it were not for the Telenovelas and Society course, I would not better understand the reality of the  lifestyles, upbringings and experiences of many Latin Americans today as well as the production process of the telenovela.
Thank you, Dr. A, for providing me with knowledge and for bringing the influence and impacts of telenovelas to UGA.  

Telenovelas: Un Resumen

En mi última publicación del blog, quería hablar un poco sobre el último orador invitado que tuvimos en clase, así como algunas de las cosas que aprendí sobre las telenovelas, la cultura y la sociedad durante este semestre en esta clase.

Primero, ayer hablamos con Lisa Wegscheider, que es Coordinadora de Ventas y Ventas de Formato para Eccho Rights. Aprendimos que Eccho Rights es un servicio de distribución que vende series y guiones. Son una compañía global con muchas oficinas alrededor del mundo. Fue fascinante conocer a Lisa y su trabajo, y cómo llegó a la producción y distribución de telenovelas. Nunca había pensado seriamente en cómo se marcan estas series y programas y cómo se mantienen sus derechos.Me abrió los ojos al otro lado de las telenovelas, el lado más orientado a los negocios, y cómo se compran y venden. Lo que también me interesó fue ver cuántos espectáculos diferentes en diferentes culturas gestiona Eccho Rights. Por ejemplo, si accede a la página de "series" en su sitio web, puede ver que administran series en Asia, Europa, América Latina y Turquía. El hecho de que sean capaces de manejar todas estas culturas diferentes y de adaptarse a sus clientes para adaptarse mejor a lo que les va bien en ciertas culturas frente a otras debe ser difícil y muy impresionante. Lisa fue una oradora invitada fascinante y también inspiradora ya que estuvo en nuestros zapatos con la clase de telenovelas del Dr. A.

En general, he aprendido mucho de esta clase. Cuando llegué por primera vez a esta clase, definitivamente tenía ciertos estereotipos en mi cabeza sobre lo que son las telenovelas. Nunca había pensado en el significado cultural que estos programas pueden tener y en qué grado de dedicación tienen sus seguidores. Disfruté mucho viendo diferentes clips de telenovelas y viendo cómo los diversos escritores incluían problemas sociales que son específicos del país de origen. Quedó muy claro que muchas historias de telenovelas están escritas para que el espectador pueda escapar de sus realidades en el hogar, al mismo tiempo que se puede relacionar lo suficiente como para que los espectadores sintieran que estos programas representan sus vidas. También disfruté mucho todos los giros de la trama que se pueden desarrollar en las telenovelas. Realmente aprecio la habilidad de los escritores para mantener el programa en más de 80 episodios. Tantos programas de televisión estadounidenses apenas pueden durar 13 episodios, por lo que el hecho de que estos escritores puedan escribir un mínimo de 80 episodios y continuar durante múltiples temporadas es tan impresionante. Por lo tanto, los giros de la trama que pueden desarrollarse deben ser creativos y dramáticos para que la serie sea un éxito, lo que también me pareció genial que estos escritores pudieron mantener a los espectadores alerta.

Dr. A: ¡Has sido un maestro tan maravilloso! Ustedes nos han iluminado a todos sobre cuán grandes pueden ser las telenovelas y matan totalmente el estigma que puede haber alrededor de ellas. Voy a extrañar esta clase y mucho a ti! Gracias de nuevo por su Dear Micaela, mi familia realmente tiene una perspectiva diferente de la vida con la ayuda de su carta.

Telenovelas: A Real Eye-Opener

Throughout the entirety of this semester, learning about telenovelas and their structures have been one of the best experiences in my college career. Though I didn't exactly know what to expect in the beginning, my previous experience with telenovelas, as a child, had me hopeful and I was not disappointed. From learning about what exactly a telenovela was and differentiating it between a soap opera, to learning about how these dramas are consumed, these topics helped me uncover why my family had always watched them throughout my childhood and now. There were a handful of topics during the semester, and there really wasn't one that I didn't like.

For example, one that I really enjoyed was the section on consumption, something that seemed obvious but never crossed my mind as a study. What really helped me understand the topic of consumption was, of course, the consumption presentation around the end of the semester. In regard to consumption, everyone tends to consume their show through different platforms, be it social media platforms, blogs or forums. In El Senor de los Cielos, though this telenovela illustrates quite a few political problems going on in Latin America, the audience tends to use said platforms for mainly exchanging opinions on the show rather than the political disasters.

Aside from consumption, what also caught my attention was the conversation that the class had with Lisa Wegscheider and the International Market. Since the beginning of the class, I had wondered how telenovelas ended up on TV or platforms, such as Netflix, Hulu, etc. From our conversation with Lisa, the realm of distribution has definitely gotten convoluted due to so much content being produced nowadays, along with how long these dramas are. What really got me thinking was the importance on telenovela length and Latin America's view on Turkish dramas. When it comes to shorter telenovelas, those in Latin American countries may view it in a skeptical way, considering how long the shows have been in the past. Something else that I found interesting, was how Lisa told us about the instant acceptance of Turkish telenovelas in Latin American countries. Be it a good or bad one, there are some countries that will buy it just because it is a Turkish drama. 

Looking back on this semester, and the final day at Dr. A's house, this class has definitely been one of my favorite in Grady. I never thought of how much I would learn, not only about this class, but in regard to my culture. Though I knew telenovelas had a great presence throughout Mexico and the rest of Latin America, I wasn't aware of the Brazilian and Turkish competition. All this time, I had assumed that telenovelas were a Mexico thing only, with some being broadcasted in the rest of Central and South America, but I was very wrong. Learning about the different types of telenovelas, how they're consumed, how they're produced and the conflicts between producing staff has really opened my eyes in recognizing telenovelas as a critical part of culture that affects a multitude of countries throughout the world. 

Overall, what was your favorite part of the semester?