Category: Latin American Studies

Please write a paper on the topic, “Carnival v Carnival: The Mardi Gras Crews and the Samba Schools.” The goal of the paper is to compare, contrast and give insight on the Krewes of Mardi Gras and the Samba Schools of Carnival in Brazil. Please try to use scholarly and peer-reviewed sources when applicable . Please cite any and all sources correctly, APA format. I have attached an outline that broadly compares Carnival vs Mardi Gras but does not reference the specific Krewes nor samba schools. Feel free to utilize some of that information and sources where applicable in the paper

Question: Who was Marielle Franco? Who murdered her and why?
Your response only has to be 300-400 words, APA format

Please create an outline for a paper on the topic, “Carnival in Brazil vs Carnival in New Orleans.” The outline will need enough information for a 5-7 page paper on the same topic. Please cite any and all sources correctly, APA format

Read “From the Duarte to the George Washington Bridge” from Juan Gonzalez’s Harvest of Empire.
To find the reading for 1st question: open file Juan Gonzalez > page 8 > Part II > Number 7
1. Write a paragraph or two about something that you read in the text that was new or striking to you.
Read “Fiesta 1980,” from Junot Diaz’s collection of short stories Drown (under “Contents” – Week 12).
2. What social issues and family issues are brought up in the story? List as many as you can, each with an example (a quote) of where it comes up.
3. How does the author, Junot Díaz, deal in his story with gender stereotypes?
For question 2 and 3 go the the pdf Junot Diaz read it to answer the questions. Make sure to answer all three question in an approperiate manner.

Professor instructions: Choose two poems and write a 3-page-long essay in which you engage with both poems and compare them.
Analyze the poems themselves, compare the two, and explore how they deal with different personal and social issues. Think about how they use language creatively, how they use imagery and sound. Use evidence from the poems to support your arguments, and if you find it is relevant, you can also quote any of the texts you have read for this course.
This is an opportunity to develop the initial notes that you made into fully-formed ideas and arguments that connect the poems to each other and to the themes of the class. Read the poems a few times before you begin writing, and again once you have started working on the essay. It is impossible to extract everyting from a poem in a single or a couple of readings. Going over the poem again and lingering over certain words and certain lines will help you extract subtle meanings that you may have missed before.
Use Times New Roman font, 12 points, 2.0 line-spacing.

Prompt- How do you interpret the short story “Father against Mother” by Machado de Assis? What does it say about slavery and its legacy in Brazil?
Please only refer to the attached source as all evidence and reference is contained there

Unit IV: DB #4 Latino Identities
In this last unit we will examine intersectionality, that is, our simultaneous belonging to multiple, often oppressed, identities and social positions. We will be focusing on the intersections between class, race, ethnicity and gender but intersectionality can also include many things such as sexuality, age, disabilities, motherhood, parenthood, prestige, etc. Although I separated race/ethnicity, class and, gender, you will see that they are interconnected and you could bring these connections into the discussion.
This DB is a bit different than the ones you completed previously. This time instead of choosing between threads, you will choose to read ONE article per EACH topic listed under Unit IV (you will read three articles in total), three different topics. In other words, one article for “Race and Ethnicity”; one article for “Gender & LGBTQ” and one article for the topic of “Class.” After you read, then you will write one post that will discuss all three topics: race/ethnicity, gender & sexuality, and class; focusing on the aspects I mention below per topic.
Note: for the readings under each topic, please visit the Course Materials section, under Unit IV.
RACE AND ETHNICITY
The interconnection between Blackness and Latino-ness is complex to those living it with their own bodies and to those looking from the outside who are either Black or White (or from any race or ethnicity or part of the world). Are Black/Afro-Puerto Ricans, for example, to be seen as Black or as Latinos among Blacks? Are they to be seen as Latinos or Black among Whites? Why these reactions? Are they doubly oppressed?
Based on the chosen reading and your own experience living in NYC, where Afro-Latino identity is common, I want you to consider the experience of Afro-Latinos or Black Latinos, White Latinos and ethnicities such as the Garifuna people as well as theoretical perspectives such as the widely known Brazilian “racial democracy” known in Latin America as mestizaje (racial mixture). Critique the ways in which instances of racial/ethnic intersectionality may be simplified in social media, news, and through national dominant ideologies. You could also consider what racial formation is, as well as what are the roots of racism in this country.
GENDER
Discuss how gender roles and sexuality are reproduced, challenged, and/or modified by U.S. Latin@s. Analyze “borderline” theories and how Latino people play with their gender, their sexuality and their Latino identity in US context. You could analyze the way media and social media covers this interconnection (as a hint, you could think/talk about Salma Hayek debate with Jessica Williams: http://remezcla.com/features/culture/salma-hayek-jessica-williams-latinos/). In addition, what can you say about the intersection between gender and race for Latin@s? What do “Gueras” say versus the “Morenas” or the “Peccan mamis”?
CLASS
Analyze Latin@s as working people, their struggle for labor rights and participation and creation of worker’s unions, the industries and jobs they tend to be identified with, and the role class plays in these outcomes. Do not forget what we have been talking about in earlier posts; this also relates with race, ethnicity, and gender. How do you see Latin@s climbing up the social ladder? Be critical and think of the following key questions: would you consider Latinos overcoming their oppression by uniting as a class unit, by forming working-class based movements and unions? Or should Latin@s change their class identity by their own efforts, as individuals? What is the “general” experience of Latinos in class terms?

6

Your final paper/project is the culmination of what you have learned in this course this semester. It should synthesize ideas explored in texts we have studied this semester. If you choose to write an essay, it must be more than 1800 words, double-spaced, in 12-point Times New Roman font, with one-inch margins all around.

Instructions:
First, search for an image representative of “Latino identity” or “Latino-ness (Latinidad)”.
Then, write an original reflection about that image. Describe the image chosen and explain what do you consider to be representative of Latino Identity and why? Why that image represents your view of Latino identity and why did you choose that image in particular? What groups does it include, if any?
Be sure to include the image in your submission.
Alternative: You can also choose an image that has been widely used to represent Latinos but is questionable to you. You will then critique the image and explain the reasons why you think it does not represent Latinos.
Objective: Provide a thoughtful reflection addressing:
The meaning and significance of Latino identity, “Latinidad”, and ethnic and racial representation
A critical understanding of what makes Latinos, Latinos
Creativity and elaboration choosing and explaining/describing the chosen image.
Format: This paper is designed to reflect your thinking process and should be 1-2 pages in length (no less than one, no more than two), double-spaced and in a 12-point Times New Roman (TNR) or Calibri font. Grammar and spelling will be evaluated. The assignment should be original and will be checked against plagiarism.
Grading Rubric: The following rubric will be used to evaluate your work.
Reflection Paper Rubric
Exceeds Standards
1-2.5
Meets Standards
0.5-2 points
Unsatisfactory
0-1 points
Score
Format
(1pts)
Paper is neatly typed, double-spaced, 12-point TNR/Calibri font, one-inch margins, and 2 pages in length.
Paper is neatly typed, double-spaced, 12- font, one-inch margins and 1.5/2.5 pages in length.
Formatting rules ignored, shorter than 1.5 pages in length or longer than 2.5 pages in length.
Organization
(1pts)
Well-organized, well written, easy to read and understand.
Well-organized but “flow” could be improved.
Organization lacking and difficult or impossible to follow.
Reflection
(2.5 pts)
Shows strong evidence of reasoned reflection and depth.
Shows evidence of reasoned reflection.
Lacks reflection and depth.
Relevance and Originality
(2.5pts)
Paper is original, the choice of image and its reflection addresses most elements of the assignment and extends beyond.
Addresses some elements of the assignment. Image meets objectives poorly.
Fails to address any of the elements of the assignment. Image does not meet objectives. Paper is not original.

TOTAL SCORE
/7

● Why is it difficult to delimit Latin America? Does it include the Caribbean? Describe the
disagreements that scholars have in what is the “idea” of Latin America? Why is it a
cultural/social construct?
● How does Reniel Rodríguez-Ramos use the jade to define the Caribbean region?
What evidence does he use to sustain his argument?
● How does Cameron McNeil describe the role of cacao in Mesoamerican Society?
How is it connected to issues of religiosity, social class, political alliances, and
currency?
The length for this response paper will be 3-4 double-spaced pages, letter size 12, Times
New Roman. No more than 4 pages. Do as best as you can to limit yourself to a one-page
response per question. Include a brief introduction and conclusion in your essay. Remember to
adequately cite and reference the discussed materials and readings.
Checklist:
● I have used a consistent citation style for the references (APA)
● My essay is between 3-4 pages.
● I proofread this paper at least twice for grammar and punctuation.
● I have read my essay at least two times before submitting it.