SMC Core Curriculum Course Proposal
Fall 2013
1. Name of proponent: Professor Myrna Santiago
2. E-Mail address: msantiag@stmarys-ca.edu
3. Department of proponent: History
4. Name of Department hosting the course: History
5. Name of Department Chair: Myrna Santiago
6. Course Information: History 151: Latin American Women’s History
7. Semester in which the course will be offered: Fall 2014
8. How often is this course taught: Every other year
9. Course prerequisites: None
10. Unit value of course: One
11. Proper audience for course: sophomores, juniors, seniors
12. The learning goals for which the course is being submitted: Social, Cultural or Historical
Understanding
Teaching Narrative for Social, Cultural or Historical Understanding
The course will examine the history of women in Latin America, either in selected countries or
of specific women (see syllabi for the two variants of this course) from the sixteenth to the
twentieth centuries. In terms of content, the course asks students to examine how the lives of
Latin American women were affected by historical forces and how, in turn, women shaped
history in their countries of origin, paying close attention to causation and change over time and
across geographical location. Students are asked to analyze the tension between the individual
and economic, political, social, and cultural structures and how the interplay between the two
give rise to histories that may not have been recorded until quite recently (the twentieth century).
The key questions the course asks are: what brought women out of the private sphere of home
and family into the public arena of politics? The follow up question that guides the course is,
then, what happened when women, individually or collectively, became involved in the public
sphere? Did anything change in the private sphere? Did anything change in the public sphere?
Because the course covers either several countries or several individual women, students will be
able to use a comparative framework to study the history of women. That means that they will
also be asked to identify what changed over time that might have made the history of women
different from one century to the next and from one country to the next.
The course will emphasize the skills and methods stressed in history, specifically collecting
evidence and interpreting it. In the collecting of evidence goal, students will be taught how
historians find primary and secondary sources, that is, via library research and online databases,
including specific Latin American media and academic journals, documentary and feature-length
fictional films, published collections of documents from each country, and oral interviews with a
Latin American women to practice biography or testimony. In terms of interpretation, the course
will teach students to use the historian’s critical lens to approach texts of all kinds. First and
foremost, students will be taught the importance of historicizing every source they encounter (i.e,
placing the source in its original context and historical period, identifying the author’s social
location and the major socio-political and economic or cultural factors that shaped the text itself),
identifying point of view in the text, filtering the text for bias, reading between the lines, looking
for intentional or unintentional missing information by comparing texts on the same topic written
by different authors, using the language of the discipline competently (e.g., primary sources,
secondary literature, monographs, synthesis, periodization, historiography, history from above
and history from below), and being specific in the use of language (including the definition of
terms and how those might change over time). Throughout, students are taught to acknowledge
the limitations of their sources and the non-finality of their interpretations, as new information
may come to light and change previous interpretations or changing national or international
contexts make older interpretations subject to good critique.
Learning Narrative for Social, Cultural or Historical Understanding
The course will use oral participation and three papers to evaluate students’ performance in the
two learning goals above. Using a Socratic method, I aim to steer oral participation in the
direction of discussing notions of class, gender, race, the construction of memoir and testimony,
cumulative knowledge, and historical context. Students thus demonstrate that they understand
how historians link causation and change orally first, in preparation for their papers. The
requirements for participation are stringent and student participation is carefully monitored. A
historical critique of the social order, memory and testimony emerges in discussion as students
move from one case to the next and they do comparisons. Here the instructor’s task is to make
sure students can articulate how historical change takes place in local and international contexts
and to help them track how women’s lives changed or differed from one era to the next, or in
different countries (causation and change). The conversation becomes cumulative by the second
case, even though the concepts examined remain the same.
Three writing assignments, increasing in length, focus on the constituent parts of the learning
process in history: using appropriate terms and defining and redefining them correctly across
different countries and periods; highlighting the socio-political and economic context of each
woman or women; acknowledging and identifying the point of view of the parties involved and
articulating all points of view accurately and fairly; locating each point of view in its historical
period and social, political, economic, and cultural context; finding appropriate primary and
secondary sources (including texts in Spanish for students who can read the language) and using
them critically. Students start with analytical papers, poking at issues discussed in class and
answering questions of the students’ choice. The final paper is a research paper that reinforces
the skills of the historian. The paper challenges students to develop sound historical research
questions, delve into the historiography of a particular country or woman, and seek out
appropriate primary sources. In addition, students are expected to acknowledge the limitations
of their sources and the temporary nature of their interpretations.
Two syllabi are attached by way of samples of the two variants of this course: the multi-country
approach or the biography, memoir and testimony alternative.
History 151: Women in Modern Latin American History: Mexico, Argentina, and Cuba
Course Content. The lives of women were not always the focus of history books, yet it is
impossible to deny that their experience and their actions were part and parcel of the history of
their nations. In this course, we explore how the lives of women were affected by historical
forces and how, in turn, women shaped historical events in three countries--Mexico, Argentina,
and Cuba. The learning objective of the course is to analyze the tension between the individual
and economic, political, social, and cultural structures and how the interplay between the two
gave rise to history. Special emphasis will be placed on figures or events that highlighted the
participation of women in history, asking the question: how did women interpret their own
realities and what brought them out of the private sphere of home and family into the public
arena of politics? The follow up question that guides course content is what happened when
women, individually and collectively, became involved in the public sphere? Did their
participation change their perception of themselves and make a difference in their private lives
and in the life of the nation?
The periodization of the course is a rough chronological order, beginning with Mexico and the
iconic women of the conquest and the colony, Malinche, the virgin of Guadalupe, and Sor Juana
Inés de la Cruz. A collective turn follows, examining the role of the soldaderas in the Mexican
revolution (1910-1920), with a close look at Frida Kahlo and her art in the context of her time.
The unit closes with an examination of the effects of capitalist development on women workers,
particularly maquiladora workers, and a discussion of the disturbing development known as
“femicide” along the U.S.-Mexico border. Argentina will be the next case, starting with the roles
of women at the turn of the 20th century and the society that shaped its most famous and
powerful individual woman, Eva Perón. We will explore Evita’s life and time through biography
then shift to the collective known as the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo and their role in
Argentina’s history. Lastly, the class will look at Cuba and its socialist revolution through the
experience of women, asking the same questions throughout: does history look different when
the focus is on the female population? In other words, do interpretations of history change when
the focus of the historian is woman?
Method. The professor will use a version of the Socratic method to run this upper division
course, largely seminar style with mini-lectures as necessary. That means students must be
prepared to answer questions in class on a daily basis.
Learning outcomes. Students in this course will work on the skills of the historian. They will
periodize the major economic, social, and political events in Mexican history from colonial times
to the present; and in twentieth century Argentina and Cuba. They will define terms (including
19th century liberalism, capitalism, anarchism, socialism, patriarchy, feminism, desaparecidos,
neo-liberalism, and femicide) and identify their application in each case, paying close attention
to origins, multiple causation, and effects. They will be able to locate all three countries on the
map to gain an appreciation for geography. They will also be able to distinguish genres of texts,
including biography, art history, sociological approaches to history, and testimony, as well as
primary and secondary sources. They will become familiar with debates about women’s history
in Latin America (i.e., historiography) and the role of feminism both in women’s lives and in the
writing of history itself, including the women’s own perspectives on feminism and its meanings.
Students will practice analyzing visual material critically (photographs, art, and film) and express
themselves orally with confidence, sophistication, and poise. Lastly, students will be able to
pose their own historical questions and answer them in writing.
Assessment. Grades measure performance, not personality or any other quality. Thus,
preparation is essential and demonstration is crucial. Students demonstrate their learning in two
ways: participation in class and writing. Participation consists participating in daily class
discussion (20%), demonstrating not only that the student read the text, but also that he/she
thought about it critically and is able to raise questions, answer the professor’s questions, and
comment on the material based on textual references. For that reason, attendance is mandatory,
but not sufficient. Three absences will deduct one whole grade for the course. Students are
required to attend two history-sponsored co-curricular events outside of class. The professor will
make note of attendance. Such events are an integral part of a college education and developing
the habit of life-long learning.
Students will write three papers. Two will be 6 pages of text, plus additional pages for footnotes
at the end (“endnotes”) and a bibliography (25% each). The third paper will be 9-10 pages of
text, plus additional pages for footnotes at the end and a bibliography (30%). Instructions are
attached. Papers must be turned in as hard copies on the day they are due. Neither e-mailed nor
late papers will be accepted. Drafts are encouraged, re-writes are not (but the professor may
mandate them in exceptional cases). All grades are final.
Class Etiquette. Education is a serious and professional affair. Therefore classroom demeanor
should be up to par: no tardiness, no early departures, no walking out of the classroom for any
reason; no food (drinks are fine), no cell phones, no pajamas. Computers will be allowed unless
they become a distraction or a nuisance. The professor will determine what a distraction is and
what constitutes a nuisance. Breaking class etiquette rules will result in a diminished
participation grade. Agreement on issues and ideas is not expected; respect for each other’s
opinions is. Remember the following: if classes do not make you intellectually uncomfortable,
you are not learning.
Final reminder: education is your profession. If you miss work, arrive late, leave early, walk in
and out of your place of employment, and do not perform, you get fired. The same holds for
class: you fail.
Policy regarding disabilities:
Student Disability Services extends reasonable and appropriate accommodations that take into
account the context of the course and its essential elements, for individuals with qualifying
disabilities. Students with disabilities are encouraged to contact the Student Disability Services
Director at (925) 631-4164 to set up a confidential appointment to discuss accommodation
guidelines and available services. Additional information regarding the services available may be
found at the following address on the Saint Mary’s website: http://www.stmarysca.edu/academics/academic-advising-and-achievement/student-disability-services.html
Required Readings:
Julia Tuñón Pablos, Women in Mexico: A Past Unveiled
Elena Poniatowska, Las Soldaderas: Women of the Mexican Revolution
Raquel Tibol, Frida Kahlo: An Open Life
Norma Iglesias Prieto, Beautiful Flowers of the Maquiladora: Life Histories of Women Workers in
Tijuana
Nicholas Fraser and Maryssa Navarro, Evita
Marguerite Guzmán Bouvard, Revolutionizing Motherhood: The Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo
*Items on reserve will be available at the library, both in hard copy and eventually on e-reserve
Highly recommended:
Mary Lynn Rampolla, A Pocket Guide to Writing in History, 6th edition
Class Schedule
Week 1:
Introduction: Women in History / Women and History
Mexico
Historiography and the Romanticizing of the Past
Read before class: Tuñón Pablos, Introduction and Ch 1
Definitions due before class: archetype, patriarchy
Week 2:
The Conquest and its Consequences
Tuñón Pablos, Ch2; *Stafford Poole, “The Woman of the Apocalypse,”
*Elizabeth Salas, “Servants, Traitors, and Heroines,” pp. 11-25
Women in the 19th Century
Tuñón Pablos, Chs 3-4
Definitions: liberalism, capitalism, anarchism, feminism
Week 3:
Revolution and Representation of Women
Tuñón Pablos, Ch 5; Poniatowska, all
Definition: revolution
Biography: Frida
Tibol, Chs 1-3
Week 4:
Art, Politics, Heroism
Tibol, Chs 5-7; *Nancy Deffebach, “Frida Kahlo: The Heroism of Private Life”
Capitalist Development
Tuñón Pablos, Ch 6 and Conclusion; Pablo Iglesias, Foreword and Introduction
Definition: paternalism
Week 5:
Capitalism, Globalization, and Women
Iglesias Prieto, Chs 1-4
Women Workers in the Global Capitalist Economy
Iglesias Prieto, Chs 5-8
Week 6:
Capitalism, Globalization, Death
*Elvia R. Arriola, “Accountability for Murder in the Maquiladoras”
*Alicia Gaspar de Alba, “Poor Brown Female: The Miller’s Compensation for
‘Free’ Trade”
Definitions: misogyny, femicide
Argentina
Women and Structures
*Donna Guy, “Women, Peonage, and Industrialization: Argentina 1810-1914”
*Sandra McGee Deutsch, “The Catholic Church, Work, and Womanhood in
Argentina, 1890-1930”
*Donald Castro, “Women in the World of the Tango”
Week 7:
Paper on Mexico due
Biography: The Individual and Her Times
Fraser and Navarro, Chs 1-3
Evita and His/tory
Fraser and Navarro, Chs 4-6
Week 8:
Evita and Herstory?
Fraser and Navarro, Chs 7-9
Death, Myth, Movies: Heroism?
Fraser and Navarro, Chs 10-11, epilogue
Week 9:
Motherhood and Dictatorship
Guzmán Bouvard, Introduction, Chs 1-2
Definition: desaparecido
Los desaparecidos
Guzmán Bouvard, Chs 3-4
Week 10:
Mothers and Politics
Guzmán Bouvard, Chs 5-6
Revolutionizing Motherhood
Guzmán Bouvard, Chs 7-8
Week 11:
Women and Political Power
Guzmán Bouvard, Chs 9-10; *Marie Trigona, “Argentina’s Mothers of the Plaza
De Mayo Pass on a Legacy of Defending Human Rights,” March 9, 2006;
*Indira A.R. Lakshmanam, “ ‘Recovered Grandchildren’ of Argentina Seek
Truth,” The Boston Globe, January 15, 2007
Cuba
Women before 1959: Cause?
*Lois Smith and Alfred Padula, “Women in Pre-Revolutionary Cuba”;
*K. Lynn Stoner, “Ofelia Domínguez Navarro: The Making of a Cuban Socialist
Feminist”
Definition: socialism
Week 12:
Argentina paper due
Women in the Cuban Revolutionary War
*Julie D. Shayne, “The Cuban Insurrection through a Feminist Lens, 19521959”; *Ernesto Che Guevara, “Lydia and Clodomira”
Definition: femininity
Women in Revolutionary Cuba to 1988
*Vilma Espín and Women in Revolutionary Cuba; *Appendix B: The Family
Code, 1974; *Law No. 1263: The Revolution Protects Motherhood, 1976;
*Muriel Nazzari, “The ‘Woman Question’ in Cuba: An Analysis of Material
Constraints in its Resolution”
Week 13:
Women in Revolutionary Cuba to 1992
*Margaret Randall, Gathering Rage, pp. 120-153
Women in Revolutionary Cuba to 1998
*María López Vigil, “Cuban Women”
Exam week
Research paper on Cuba due
Writing Assignments
Papers 1 and 2 (25%) each. Write 6 pages of text answering a question raised by the readings,
the professor, or class discussion (footnotes and bibliography are additional pages). Review the
evidence and make an argument that answers the question you choose. The style should be
standard expository writing, with a clearly stated thesis (please highlight it) and plenty of
supporting evidence. The objective of the paper is depth and thoughtfulness that demonstrate
historical thinking and understanding of Latin American points of view. This is not a summary of
the reading, nor is it a research paper. It is a paper where you go deeper into analysis,
interpretation, and change over time, demonstrating that you can articulate different points of
view. Paper 1 will be on Mexico. Paper 2 will be on Argentina.
Paper 3. The third paper is a short research paper on Cuba. It is 9-10 pages of text (plus
footnotes and bibliography). Develop a research question you want to investigate about
women’s lives, experiences, and points of view in revolutionary Cuba from 1959 to the present.
Consult with the professor to formulate your question. Your secondary sources must be
scholarly (books, articles in academic journals) or (newspapers, news magazines). You may use
credible internet sources as primary sources, but you must use them with extreme care. Consult
with the professor about any internet source you wish to use. The library has excellent primary
sources available. Check the subject line for History and go to the Latin American page to start.
The librarians are professionals in the art of finding excellent source material, so make an
appointment!
Citations. All papers will have footnotes at the end (“end notes” in computer parlance) on a
separate page. The bibliography will also be on a separate page, after the footnotes (this is your
last page). Follow the style in Mary Lynn Rampolla, A Pocket Guide to Writing in History, 6th
Edition (Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2007). Points will be deducted for not using proper
style. Use accents for words or names in Spanish that require them: if they are missing, the
words are misspelled (and your grade will be affected accordingly). For the research paper, a
good rule of thumb is to have at least as many sources as pages required (that is, a minimum of
9-10 sources in this case).
Honor Code. Not giving credit where credit is due is an academic offense tantamount to
stealing and I take it seriously. A plagiarized paper will mean an “F” in the course (not just the
paper) and a trip to the disciplinary committee, even if the plagiarism was unintentional. Make
sure you are intimately familiar with the definition of plagiarism and College policies regarding
academic honesty, as explained in the Student Handbook.
Grading standards
For written work, I look for the following:
1. Focus. What is your thesis? Did the topic sentence for each paragraph establish what the
paragraph will argue?
2. Evidence. Did you provide sufficient and convincing evidence for your argument? Where
did your evidence come from? Is it reliable? Did you take contrary evidence into account? Did
you acknowledge the limitations of your sources?
3. Development. Did your essay develop the argument logically? Was it organized coherently
from one paragraph to the next? Did the paragraph advance your thesis?
4. Diction and grammar. Was your choice of words as sophisticated as the subject matter?
Were your sentences grammatically correct?
5. Sophistication. Did your paper have something original to say? Are the ideas challenging?
Did you place your paper in the historiography? Is the essay interesting enough for an audience
beyond the professor?
Expectations for grades:
A: Excellent: high quality ideas, thoughtful, challenging, original, coherent, clear, concise,
flawless
B: Good: well-argued, conventional ideas, grammatically correct
C: Average: fair argument, clear thesis
D: Passing: paper with a thesis, but the argument is not developed or coherent; or paper showed
more incoherence than understanding; or did not have a thesis; or paper was a summary/book
report rather than an analysis and interpretation; or serious grammatical problems
F: Fail: paper shows no understanding; or deeply flawed in its argument, ideas, grammar, thesis
History 151: Women in Latin American History: Biography, Memoir, and Testimony
Course Content. Using a selection of biographies, memoirs, and testimonies, this course
examines the history of individual women in Latin American history from the sixteenth century
to the present. The individuals in question are: Malintzin/Doña Marina (Tenochtitlán/New
Spain); Guadalupe (New Spain); Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz (New Spain); Manuela Sáenz (Gran
Colombia); the soldaderas (Mexico); Frida Kahlo (Mexico); Rigoberta Menchú (Guatemala);
María Teresa Tula (El Salvador); Gioconda Belli (Nicaragua); and Rosa Isolde Reuqe Paillalef
(Chile). The class will analyze how the women’s personal lives intersected with social structures
in their given times and societies; how women interpreted and navigated patriarchy, class
divisions, and ethnicity; what triggered them to step out of the private sphere of family and home
and into the public arena of politics; and what changed (if anything) for women in their private
lives and for their countries overall as a result of their participation in the political arena.
Learning goals and outcomes. As an upper division history class, the main learning objectives of
the course is to deepen students’ historical thinking, refine critical reading, strengthen research
skills, sharpen analytical writing, articulate the points of view of historical figures accurately and
fairly, and develop confidence in oral presentation. In addition students will address the
differences in methodology involved in the three genres and investigate the nature of memory
and truth in the construction of texts. By the end of this course, students will know the
differences among biographies, memoirs, and testimonies. Students will also have working
definitions of terms and concepts such as historiography, patriarchy, feminism, revolution,
desaparecidos, democracy, and human rights. Students will also be able to identify Latin
American countries on a map and appreciate geography.
Requirements and assessment. Grades measure performance, not personality or any other
quality. Thus, preparation is essential and demonstration is crucial. Students demonstrate their
learning in two ways: participation in class and writing. Participation consists participating in
daily class discussion (25%), demonstrating not only that the student read the text, but also that
he/she thought about it critically and is able to raise questions, answer the professor’s questions,
and comment on the material based on textual references. For that reason, attendance is
mandatory, but not sufficient. Three absences will deduct one whole grade for the course.
Students are required to attend two history-sponsored co-curricular events outside of class. The
professor will make note of attendance. Such events are an integral part of a college education
and developing the habit of life-long learning.
Students will write three papers. The first one will be 6-7 pages of text, plus additional pages for
footnotes at the end (“endnotes”) and a bibliography (20% ). This paper will analyze a question
posed by the student from material discussed in class and raised by the readings. The second
paper will be a testimony (6-7 pages of text; 20%) by a woman of Latin American descent, with
an introduction (1-3 pages) on the process of collecting the testimony. The third will be a 9-10
page paper on the historiography of a Latin American woman, that is, a comparison and contrast
of interpretations about an individual of the student’s choice (plus additional pages for footnotes
at the end and a bibliography; 35%). Instructions are attached. Papers must be turned in as hard
copies on the day they are due. Neither e-mailed nor late papers will be accepted. Drafts are
encouraged, re-writes are not (but the professor may mandate them in exceptional cases). All
grades are final.
Class Etiquette. Education is a serious and professional affair. Therefore classroom demeanor
should be up to par: no tardiness, no early departures, no walking out of the classroom for any
reason; no food (drinks are fine), no cell phones, no pajamas. Computers will be allowed unless
they become a distraction or a nuisance. The professor will determine what a distraction is and
what constitutes a nuisance. Breaking class etiquette rules will result in a diminished
participation grade. Agreement on issues and ideas is not expected; respect for each other’s
opinions is. Remember the following: if classes do not make you intellectually uncomfortable,
you are not learning.
Final reminder: education is your profession. If you miss work, arrive late, leave early, walk in
and out of your place of employment, and do not perform, you get fired. The same holds for
class: you fail.
Policy regarding disabilities:
Student Disability Services extends reasonable and appropriate accommodations that take into
account the context of the course and its essential elements, for individuals with qualifying
disabilities. Students with disabilities are encouraged to contact the Student Disability Services
Director at (925) 631-4164 to set up a confidential appointment to discuss accommodation
guidelines and available services. Additional information regarding the services available may be
found at the following address on the Saint Mary’s website: http://www.stmarysca.edu/academics/academic-advising-and-achievement/student-disability-services.html
Required Readings:
Camilla Townsend, Malintzin’s Choices: An Indian Woman in the Conquest of Mexico
Pamela Murray, For Glory and Bolívar: The Remarkable Life of Manuela Sáenz
Raquel Tibol, Frida Kahlo: An Open Life
Elisabeth Burgos-Debray, editor, I, Rigoberta Menchú, An Indian Woman in Guatemala
Lynn Stephen, editor, Hear My Testimony: María Teresa Tula, Human Rights Activist of
El Salvador
Gioconda Belli, The Country Under My Skin: A Memoir of Love and War
Florencia Mallon, editor, When a Flower is Reborn: The Life and Times of a Mapuche
Feminist: Rosa Isolde Reuque Paillalef
*Items marked with an * are on reserve and on e-reserve at the library
Class Schedule
Week 1
Introduction and expectations
Interpretation over time: Malintzin, from Doña to “sell-out”
Read: Townsend, Introduction, Ch. 1
Reconstructing Malintzin’s life from historical context
Read: Townsend, Chs 2-3
Week 2
The sources make the history
Read: Townsend, Chs 4-5
Malintzin’s gendered world
Read: Townsend, Chs 6-7
Week 3
The mestizo generation
Read: Townsend, Chs 8-9
The sin of intellect: Sor Juana
Read: *Ilan Stavans, “Introduction” to Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz
Interpretation: Who was the real Manuela Sáenz?
Read: Murray, Introduction, Chs 1-2
Week 4
A woman in high politics (if not high places?)
Read: Murray, Ch 3
A Woman without a man
Read: Murray, Chs 4-5
Exile and longevity
Read: Murray, Chs 6-7
Week 5
Women and Revolution
Read: *Martha Eva Rocha, “The Faces of Rebellion: from
Revolutionaries to Veterans in Nationalist Mexico”
Due: subject for historiography paper due
History by art critic
Read: Tibol, Introduction, Chs 1-3
Frida in the (male) art world
Read: Tibol, Chs 4
Week 6
Frida, the professional
Read: Tibol, Chs 5-7
Testimony by anthropologist, I
Read: Menchú, Introduction, Chs 1-7
Historical context
Read: Menchú, Chs 8-12
Week 7
Becoming politically conscious
Read: Menchú, Chs 13-17
Due: analytical paper
Experiences of repression
Read: Menchú, Chs 18-23
Experiences of repression
Read: Menchú, Chs 24-29
Due: bibliography for historiography paper
Week 8
Womanhood and exile
Read: Menchú, Chs 30-34
Testimony by anthropologist, II
Read: Tula, Introduction, Chs 1-3
Becoming politically aware
Read: Tula, Chs 4-6
Week 9
Experiences of repression
Read: Tula, Chs 7-9
Gendered repression
Read: Tula, Chs 10-11
A woman without a man
Read: Tula, Chs 12-15
Week 10
Womanhood and exile
Read: Tula, Chs 16-17
Memoir
Read: Belli, Introduction, Chs 1-8
Becoming politically conscious
Read: Belli, Chs 9-14
Week 11
Exile
Read: Belli, Chs 15-20
Insurrection
Read: Belli, Chs 21-30
A political woman
Read: Belli, Chs 31-37
Week 12
A woman in high places?
Read: Belli, Chs 38-45
Exile
Read: Belli, Ch 46-Epilogue
Week 13
Testimony by a historian
Read: Reuque, Introduction
Due: Testimony
The personal
Read: Reuque, Ch 1
Week 14
Community
Read: Reuque, Ch 2
Community
Read: Reuque, Ch 3
Week 15
Politics
Read: Reuque, Ch 4
Exam week
Historiography paper due
Writing Assignments
Analytical paper. Write a paper that is 6-7 pages of text (plus additional pages for footnotes and
a final page with a bibliography; 20%) that answers a question you develop based on the
discussion in class, issues raised by the professor, or material presented in the readings. . This is
not a summary of the reading and it is not a research paper. This is a “think piece,” that is, a
paper where you go in depth into a question that has grabbed your attention and that you want to
explore at length because there is no time to do so in class discussion. Review the evidence and
make an argument that answers the question you choose. The style should be standard
expository writing, with a clearly stated thesis (please highlight it) and plenty of supporting
evidence.
Testimony. For this paper you need to find a woman of Latin American descent willing to sit
down with you and give you her testimony. Remember that a testimony is not a biography, but
rather a narrative about a specific topic to present that’s person’s truth and perspective about the
topic. In addition to writing 6-7 pages of text with the woman’s testimony, you will write an
introduction (1-3 pages) explaining the process of taking the testimony (20%). You will give a
copy of your paper to the woman you interviewed at the end as a token of gratitude and respect
for her collaboration with the project, so you have to take that into account as you craft the paper.
Historiography. The last paper will be 9-10 pages of text (plus additional pages for footnotes
and a final page with the bibliography; 35%). This is a historiographical paper, that is, a paper
that examines how historians have interpreted a historical figure, in this case, a Latin American
woman. For this paper, you will need to select three works on a Latin American woman,
including works written by Latin American authors. The paper will analyze how interpretations
of the historical actor you selected have changed over time, paying attention to the publication
dates of each text and what each author contributes to the debates about your subject over time.
Citations. All papers will have footnotes at the end (“end notes” in computer parlance) on a
separate page. The bibliography will also be on a separate page, after the footnotes (this is your
last page). Follow the style in Mary Lynn Rampolla, A Pocket Guide to Writing in History, 6th
Edition (Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2007). Points will be deducted for not using proper
style. Use accents for words or names in Spanish that require them: if they are missing, the
words are misspelled (and your grade will be affected accordingly).
Honor Code. Not giving credit where credit is due is an academic offense tantamount to stealing
and I take it seriously. A plagiarized paper will mean an “F” in the course (not just the paper)
and a trip to the disciplinary committee, even if the plagiarism was unintentional. Make sure you
are intimately familiar with the definition of plagiarism and College policies regarding academic
honesty, as explained in the Student Handbook.
Grading standards
For written work, I look for the following:
1. Focus. What is your thesis? Did the topic sentence for each paragraph establish what the
paragraph will argue?
2. Evidence. Did you provide sufficient and convincing evidence for your argument? Where
did your evidence come from? Is it reliable? Did you take contrary evidence into account? Did
you acknowledge the limitations of your sources?
3. Development. Did your essay develop the argument logically? Was it organized coherently
from one paragraph to the next? Did the paragraph advance your thesis?
4. Diction and grammar. Was your choice of words as sophisticated as the subject matter?
Were your sentences grammatically correct?
5. Sophistication. Did your paper have something original to say? Are the ideas challenging?
Did you place your paper in the historiography? Is the essay interesting enough for an audience
beyond the professor?
Expectations for grades:
A: Excellent: high quality ideas, thoughtful, challenging, original, coherent, clear, concise,
flawless
B: Good: well-argued, conventional ideas, grammatically correct
C: Average: fair argument, clear thesis
D: Passing: paper with a thesis, but the argument is not developed or coherent; or paper showed
more incoherence than understanding; or did not have a thesis; or paper was a summary/book
report rather than an analysis and interpretation; or serious grammatical problems
F: Fail: paper shows no understanding; or deeply flawed in its argument, ideas, grammar, thesis