Term papers

Migration and Borders in US Latino Culture
Dr. Medina
Term Papers

Themes:

• Any US Latino/a/x humanities text (art, literature, film, documentaries, children's literature, comics, and so forth) that deals with topics of boder, migration or the diaspora(s).
• A study of a topic related to US Latino/a/x culture from a social sciences viewpoint.

Sample titles and topics:

• Gender and society among Chicanos
• Afro-US-Latino/a/x culture and hip-hop
• Afro-US-Latino/a/x Religion
• Exile in the Cuban film Bitter Sugar

For a Humanities-based paper:

It must address a selection of the following questions:

1. Why, in your opinion, did the author write the novel or short story?
2. What is the social-cultural-political or historical context of the novel or short story?
3. How are sexual/gender roles assigned?
4. How does the novel or short story deal with issues of nationalism and identity?
5. Does the novel or short story subvert, revise questions or validate the official historical versions?
6. What is the ideology of the text you read (radical, anarchist. liberal, conservative?)?
7. What did you learn about US Latinx/as/os American society by reading this text?
8. Comment on the spaces (settings and otherwise) where the action takes place.
9. How does the text present the particular group portrayed?
10. Why do we keep on reading the text?

For a Social Sciences-based paper:

• It must address issues related to class, race, gender, borders, ethnicity, identity, nationalism, gender roles.

• Dr. Medina must approve your topic.Please get his approval before you start working on the paper.

Paper format: Papers must conform to the following criteria:

• Length: 2000 - 2500 words, approximately 8 - 10 pages, if using a Times Roman 12 cpi type font.
• Typed, double spaced
• Use correct and proper rules of grammar and style
• Follow the current MLA style. Please consult the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers for information on cover pages, page numbering, documenting your sources, and designing a list of work cited.
• The list of work cited and the paper itself must show that you researched the topic.

Deadlines:
1. Monday, February 5: Select a topic and notify Dr. Medina, via e-mail, of your selection.
2. Monday, March 2: Turn in your thesis statement, tentative title and bibliography
3. Monday, April 6: First draft due
4. Monday, April 27: Final revised version due.