HW#25: Final Project

Click on the link ILAS Final Project.  Choose one topic from the list and write an article for the class newsletter.  The rest of the topics will be on the final on Wednesday.

HW #24: Documentaries

Click on the "ILAS Documentaries" link.  Respond to the questions for 3 documentaries on the site.

HW#23: Response to "Motorcycle Diaries"

During your viewing of the film "Motorcycle Diaries" take notes on the events that seem to have changed Che Guevara's mind about the world.  Then prepare a one page summary in which you describe how these events on his trip led to an ideological change in his mindset.

Key Concepts

1. Post-Independence
--leaders of the oligarchy
2. Populism
--Perons (Argentina), Vargas (Brazil)
--the masses/majority are "leading"
3. US Intervention and Cold War
--Conflicts between Nationalization vs. Privatization
4. Rhetoric-how leaders use language to achieve their goals

HW#22 - Ch. 10 Chasteen "Reaction"

Ch. 10 – Reaction (1960-1990)

1. How was Cuba a threat to Latin America and the United States? Explain.
2. Who is Peron? (google)
3. What are death squads in Argentina and who did they target?
4. Describe “Las Madres de la Plaza de Mayo”?
5. Who are the Tupamaros in Uruguay?
6. Why was Chile so unique and different? Explain.
7. How was Che’s vision of revolution differing from Allende (Chile)?
8. How did the CIA get involved in Chile’s politics?
9. What were the conflicting views on Latin American government between Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan?
10. What actions are considered “non-capitalist”?
11. What does Chasteen mean by “Red Mexico”?
12. Why did Argentina go to war with Great Britain?
13. Why was the US so interested in Central America?
14. Under military rule, what social groups become targets by the government?
15. Who is Rigoberta Menchu and how did she affect the lives of Guatemalans?
16. Why Costa Rica was spared by US involvement?
17. Why did the US support the “Anti-Sandino” movement?
18. In what ways did Cuba help Nicaragua?
19. How did the Sandinistas (Nicaragua) fall?
20. What are Contras?
21. Why was Bishop Romeo killed/assassinated?
22. What tactic did US trained military used to bring down rebellion in El Salvador?
23. Explain why the Salvadorian army was stronger than the rebels?
24. Why did innocent lives in El Mozote die?
25. What is your opinion on how Chasteen describes Latin America and US relations? Is it well researched why or why not?

Terms:
“national security doctrine”
Alliance for Progress
U.S. School of the Americas
Gabriel García Márquez
Las Madres de la Plaza de Mayo
Tupamaros
Salvador Allende
Augusto Pinochet
Tlatelolco massacre
“dirty war”
Somoza family
Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN)
Contras
Daniel Ortega
Violeta Chamorro
“fourteen families”
Oscar Romero
Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front (FMLN)
La Violencia
Pablo Escobar and the Medillín Cartel
M-19

HW#21 - Chasteen Ch. 9 "Revolution"

Discuss your answer for the following questions throughout your reading.  Be prepared to post answers and respond to your peers and teachers on each question.

Ch. 9 – Revolution (1945-1960)

1.      Why would Brasília represent the “perfect symbol of the post-Vargas moment in Brazil” and the PRI the perfect symbol for Mexico at the same time (252)?

2.      Chapter 8 talked about the popularity of Roosevelt’s Good Neighbor Policy.  Why did relations between the U.S. and major Latin American countries begin to sour in the post-WWII years?

3.      Why did the U.S. tolerate the National Revolutionary Movement (MNR) in Bolivia while it actively supported a proxy force to oust Arbenz in Guatemala?

4.      Based on this textbook, would you say the Cuban revolution was more an expression of Marxism or of nationalism?  Why?

5.      What were the goals of liberation theology?

6. Which event in Chasteen's Ch. 9 remind you of symbol in Nuestra America by Jose Marti?  Why?

Terms:

Raúl Prebish

Declaration of Caracas (1954)

Juan José Arévalo

Jacobo Arbenz

Pablo Naruda

Jorge Luis Borges

Che Guevara

Fulgencio Batista

Granma

Bay of Pigs (1961)

History Symposium Group Work

Form groups of four people.  Each group member will be assigned a "pillar" of Latin American independence: 1-Francisco Miranda, 2- Simon Bolivar, 3-Jose de San Martin and 4-Bernardo O'Higgins.  For each leader, research and present on the following questions:

•What can we (as students, as a country, as leaders) learn from these men?

•What are some of their leadership qualities?

•What were their military strategies?

•What were their political views and actions?

•What were their connections with each other?

•How can we measure their success?

•How do each of them impact Latin American politics today? (Current Events – use any media to make this connection i.e: Biographies, video clips, book excerpts, articles)

Discussion 2: Pedro Abizu Campos and Lolita Lebron

1. Why is Pedro Abizu Campos for an independent Puerto Rico?


2. Why do you think Lolita Lebron and others attacked Congress?  Are they terrorists?

HW#20 - Miranda/O'Higgins/San Martin Paper

HW#20: Research Francisco Miranda, Bernardo O'Higgins or Jose de San Martin. Answer questions based on "Liberators" reading and present to class on your leader.

Simon Bolivar Emancipating the Slaves - Y. Cruz

Discussion 1-Evo Morales and Capitalism

Look at the article entitled "Morales: 'The Central Enemy of Mother Earth is Capitalism''

Respond to the article.  What is the main point of the article? What details does the author give? What government practices does Evo support? Why? What connections to Latin American history can you  make?

HW #19: Benito and Abraham

Write a 2-3 page essay in which you:
1. Compare the childhood, education, and political careers of Abraham Lincoln and Benito Juarez.
2. Compare obstacles faced by each as president in those troubled times and how each leader overcame struggles to achieve.
Link to Assignment: http://docs.google.com/View?id=ddzd27z6_447cxmkkqg7

HW #17: What would leaders facebook?

Directions: Choose an independence leader from Latin America. To include in your independence leader’s Facebook profile:
1. Birthday
2. Relationship Status (married, single, etc)
3. Status update (the person’s mood)
4. Education Info
5. Work Info
6. About Me (Interesting facts about the person)
7. Activities (What the person does in his/her free time)
8. Interests (Things that interest the person)
9. Favorite Music
10. Favorite TV
11. Favorite Books
12. Favorite Movies
13. Favorite Quotes
14. Friends (Who was this person associated with?)
15. Photos

HW#16 Read Ch. 4 Chasteen - Independence 93-98

How does war and revolution in Europe affect the Spanish and Portuguese colonies in Latin America?  Take notes from the reading to share in Monday's class.

HW#15 - Haiti Paper

•Read “Citizenship and Making of Caribbean Freedom”

•

Use additional sources via the world wide web.

1 Page Paper due Monday, April 19, 2010 

Essay Question: Why was Haiti so rich before and during the revolution (1790s) and now so economically impoverished?

Prepare 3 questions for guest lecturer on Monday.

View recent short-documentary on Pre-Earthquake Haiti:

How is the flu like revolution?

HW#15: Read the article entitled Citizenship and the Making of Caribbean Freedom also under the links section of the blog.  What is the history of revolution in this country? How has it affected Haitian people throughout history and currently?

Did colonial rebellions exist?

HW #14: Read page 88-91 entitled "Countercurrents: Colonial Rebellions" in Chasteen's Born in Blood. Choose 2 countries to write about. Compare the who, what, where, when and why of each rebellion.  Then compare outcomes of each rebellion.

How did African culture influence Latin America?

HW#13 Afro-Latin America
Part 1-Website Research

Directions: Pick a Latin American country from the website above.  Answer the following questions about the African culture and population in that country in a 2-page essay.  You should google questions that the web site still does not have information about so you can investigate the African influence in the country. 1. What are the racial demographics of this country?

2. Is there African influence in the religion, language and culture used in this country? Give evidence.

3. Describe the racism against Africans/African descent in this country.
4. What new information would you share with friends and families about your findings?
Resources
--Afro-Latino Website: http://www.afrolatinos.tv/index.php?roots.map
--Honduras Garifuna Website: http://www.stanford.edu/group/arts/honduras/discovery_eng/history/migration.html
--Youtube Videos (Search Afro- ____ Any Latin American Country)

Part 2-Family Mapping

1.     Map your family tree. How far back can you go? How do the number of known ancestors compare to the number of unknown? 

2.     Map the movements of your extended family, including people who have married into your family and come from other places. How many different places are connected by just one family? 

3.     What do you know about your ancestors of African descent? Are there any traditions, customs or beliefs that you can connect to your Afro-Latino heritage?

4.     Choose a family member to talk to who migrated to the U.S. What cultures influenced the traditions in their country of origin? African? Native? European? Other?

5.     How are people of different “races” and cultures treated in your country of origin?  How do you compare the treatment to treatment of different cultures here?

6.     Do you feel that you have been welcomed and treated fairly by other people in the U.S.? If not, how would you suggest changing these behaviors?

How was race created in New Spain?

How did hegemony affect colonialism?

HW #12 “A Power Called Hegemony” Research Paper 
Background:

Both the Spanish and Portuguese Crowns had limited resources for colonization.  Neither had large military forces in the American colonies.  Iberian colonizers and their American-born descendants were a small minority even in the central areas, so how did  they maintain control over so much of the hemisphere for three centuries?

 

Task:

Choose one of the examples of cultural hegemony control (listed below) and conduct research via internet and databases online (see link on class blog).  Discuss information revealed in your search and summarize your findings.  Prepare to read 1 page summaries.

Database Link: http://lanic.utexas.edu/la/region/african/

 

EXAMPLES OF CULTURAL HEGEMONY

 

Catholicism

o      Inquisition kept a list of banned books that people were not allowed to read

o      Church controlled time: tolling of bells signaled the hours of work, rest and prayer

o      Successive Sundays marked the 7-day week

o      Baptism cards = status

 

Patriarchy

o      fathers rule, male hierarchy of the church

o      husbands legal control of wife

o      a man can support more than one woman heightened their social existence

 

Race Mixing/Caste Systems

o      one category – wholly European

o      second category – African descent

o      third category – Mixed

o      fourth category – European father and an indigenous mother

o      fifth category – Indigenous and African mix

·            sixth category – indigenous and other (people in between)

HW#11 - Plague of Ants - de Las Casas Summary

Read pgs. 35-38 in our Latin American Short Stories book and summarize De Las Casas "Plague of Ants" story.  What do the ants represent?  Discuss the meanings of his use of symbols.

How can we create our own history?

HW #10: In a 2-3 page paper, write YOUR OWN account of the Spanish encounter with the Native population in Latin America. 
1) Read the sections a) "Taino Descriptions" and b) "Columbus and his Trajectory" from the article A Note on Tainos: Whither Progress? by Jose Barreiro.

2) As historical background, refer to writings from a) Jose Barreiro, b) Christopher Columbus, c) Bartolome De Las Casas and d) Eduardo Galeano.

3) Some ideas: Write from the perspective of one a chief (cacique), or from the perspective of a father, mother, a child, or from various people.  Describe your home, your lifestyle, your expectations, your emotions before and after the encounter takes place.

Be historical and be creative!

How can history be changed?

HW #9: Read four of Christopher Columbus' diaries from Zinn's "Voices."  How did he perceive natives? What were his intentions? In what tone did he write his accounts?

Aztec Perceptions

HW #8-What is your perception on Aztec culture?  An Empire that was the most advanced in the Americas or A political system built on systematic terror tactics and brutality? OR Both? OR Neither?

Did Hollywood accurately depict Mayan culture?

HW #7: Was the Mayan culture accurately depicted in the movie, Apocalypto?
How did the director portray Mayan culture? Was it positive or negative? Accurate or Hollywood? Both? Use notes from class, your reading of the Popul Vuh, quotes from movie title scene and headline, and the criticisms given distributed in class to support your opinion.

What can we deduct from Mayan images?

HW#6: Mayan Photo Gallery Post
1) Choose two images from National Geographic.  What does each image convey about the Mayan culture? Religion? Art? Beliefs? Society? Add your comments to this post.

2) Complete 20 Question Quiz.  Are you proficient on the Mayan culture?

Does Taino culture still exist?

HW #5: February Break Assignment 
1) Research and choose a Taino symbol. What does the symbol represent? How does the symbol intertwine with Taino culture?
2) In a 2-3 page double spaced paper, describe two aspects of Taino culture that prove the existence of these peoples. You may use resources from the class such as: La Creacion/The Creation, Taino Dissertation and PBS Taino Documentary.

Is the Taino culture extinct?

HW #4: Answer the following questions regarding the dissertation "Myth of Taino Extinction:
1. According to Dr. Guitar, why are Spanish heroes and culture glorified in the Dominican Republic?
2. According to Dr. Guitar, what evidences of Taino culture still exists today?
3. What conflicts do you think exist between “indio claro” and “indio oscuro”?
4. Why do you think popular Dominican culture denies the Taino culture or Taino people still exist?

How does etymology relate to Latin America?

“America was invented, not discovered.” -Edmundo O’Gorman
1) What does this quote mean to you? 2) Where is America? How do you know?
3) How did Latin America receive its name? The Caribbean?
4) What is the importance of Native American names? Spanish renames?

HW#3: a) What is the familial, cultural or religious significance of your first, middle and last names? b) Find out 2 facts about the indigenous name you circled in class.

How do we perceive Latin America?

Does the "upside down" map make you uncomfortable? Why or why not?
1) Are maps infallible? Why or why not?
2) What ideas come to mind as you immediately see different maps? Do maps have intentions?
3) Which map seems the “most correct”? Why?
4) Which map seems the “least correct”? Why?

HW#2: How does cartography relate to social justice?

What is Latin America to you?

What does the term "Latin America" mean to you? Is it a place? A peoples?

HW#1:Free write for 5 minutes about this topic with regards to culture, history, countries, cities, music, stereotypes, economics, and/or geography.

Welcome...

Saludos. Ms. Isern and Mr. Sandoval have set up this blog to provide you with the articles and other resources you need to succeed in the Introduction to Latin American Studies course at AUP. Please use this website to supplement our classwork. Que sigue la lucha...