HTY 394-P4842
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HTY 394-P4842
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HTY 394 / P4842
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OBJECTIVES:
African influences are paramount throughout Latin America in myriad
venues: culture, religion, music, language. As one of the major ethnic
groups, Africans were instrumental in building and shaping Latin
America’s past and reality. They have been victims of slavery and
racism but also agents of their history and contributors to Latin
America’s development. This class will examine the role of Africans in
Latin America beginning with their arrival during the Spanish invasion
and subsequent transatlantic slave trade through their struggles for
freedom in the nineteenth century and formation of new ethnic and
national identities in the twentieth century. We will analyze primary
sources, secondary literature, and films through the lenses of gender,
class, and ethnicity to unravel the internal diversity of this group and
their complex role throughout Latin America’s history. Course
Requirements: ATTENDANCE: Attendance is mandatory; it will be taken each class meeting; and it will factor into your grade (you are allowed one unexcused absence). You should arrive to class on time. Tardy arrivals to class meetings will count as a 1/2 absence. PARTICIPATION: All students are required to contribute vocally to the class by asking questions and offering comments throughout the length of the course. Students must do the readings for each class and be prepared to discuss the material. In addition, the class will be split up into two groups (1 and 2). Each group will have assigned readings and lead the class discussion one day. Part of your assignment is to assign your alternate group partner two chapters from your readings and photocopy it for him/her. Choose a reading that is informative and will help spark class discussion (not necessarily the introduction or conclusion). POSITION PAPERS: You need to do six positions papers throughout the semester. A single-spaced, one page (or double spaced front and back) position paper on the readings (at least four of your papers must be on assigned readings) will be handed in at the beginning of class for the six weeks that you choose to write the paper. DO NOT HAND IN MORE THAN ONE PAGE. The first couple of weeks I will provide suggestions for the topics of your position paper. In subsequent weeks, however, you will come up with your own thesis/question to write about. This assignment is not a research paper and requires no outside sources. However, in order to write a clear analytical paper, you will find it necessary to thoroughly read the weekly assignments. You must write carefully, giving special attention to grammar and style. Clarity and organization of thought, thematic focus, and a concise, grammatically correct structure will be the primary grading measures. I suggest that students do a number of rewrites prior to turning in the final version, correcting for grammar, spelling and structure. I also encourage students to make an appointment to see a student tutor at the Learning Center, 253 Luther Bonney (780-4228) for assistance and feedback regarding writing assignments. Finally, I strongly recommend that you purchase, if you have not already done so, Diana Hacker’s A Writer’s Reference. It will prove to be an invaluable writing tool and I will refer you to it in my written comments on your papers. This syllabus includes a photocopy of the revision symbols in the back of her book for you to refer to when digesting my critiques of your written work. Due
Dates: You must hand in the reflection paper the same day that we will
discuss those readings. A half grade will be deducted for each day the
paper is late. The goal is
to improve your writing through the course of the semester.
Consequently, I have established three dates by which you must have
completed reflection papers:
By October
7 hand in 2 papers
By November
4 hand in 4 papers
By November
25 hand in 6 papers RESEARCH PAPER AND PRESENTATION: Each student will write a research paper on any aspect of Africans or Afro-Americans in Latin America. The research paper should be 2500-3000 words (10-12 pages) in length including footnotes. Consult The Chicago Manual of Style for details on how to present footnotes and bibliography. You must write carefully, giving special attention to grammar and style. Clarity and organization of thought, thematic focus, content, and a concise, grammatically correct structure will be the primary grading measures. I suggest that students do a number of rewrites correcting for grammar, spelling and structure. An annotated bibliography and thesis statement is due on October 21st. If you want to hand in a rough draft it must be submitted by November 18th. If you receive a B or higher on your rough draft you may count that as your final grade and forego the final version. Student presentations of their research will begin on December 2nd. Presentations should be between 15 to 20 minutes long, followed by a short question and answer period. You should not read your paper for the presentation, but rather prepare an oral version of your findings. If you would like to reserve any instructional technology (video or audio equipment, equipment for power point presentation, slide projector, etc.) call 780-4280 or 780-5356. The final written product is due on the last day of class, December 9th. No late papers will be accepted. A list of possible topics follows, but you are in no way restricted to these topics. You may, however, want to restrict your topic to a certain time period or country: The role of Afro-Latin American (ALA) women Oral history/oral tradition in ALA communities ALA political leaders Indigenous people and ALA Middle Passage Slavery (single country or comparative case) Rebellions/resistance ALA art, music, dance, literature, culture African influences in LA ALA religions Identities/Ethnicities/ Race Mixing of ALA ALA intellectuals Historiography of ALA ALA in independence movements Public Health of ALA ALA and economic development ALA social structures Latin American influences in Africa ****A NOTE ON AN HONOR CODE**** I will assume that you are familiar with the Student Academic Integrity Policy and understand precisely what it entails, especially regarding plagiarism and cheating. I will also assume that you know the potential consequences of violation of the integrity policy. I take it seriously and I expect you to do so also. FINAL NOTE: If you need course adaptations or accommodations because of a disability, please make an appointment with me as soon as possible. Furthermore, if at any point in the semester you encounter difficulty with the course or feel you could be performing at a higher level, consult me. LATIN
AMERICAN TRAVEL MONEY: Students should be aware that there is a Latin
American Student Travel fund. This fund has provided grants, which have helped USM students
travel to the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Costa Rica, Chile, Cuba.
For information see the International Programs office in 101
Payson-Smith. In addition a study abroad program to the Dominican Republic is run through USM during the winter break. Students interested in this program should see me or the history department for further information. Alternatively, you can contact Anne B. Keith, Associate Professor of Nursing, College of Nursing, 228 Masterton, Portland, 780-4138. She will ask you for a letter of intent with as much information as possible. Participants are selected on a first come first serve basis. Grade Distribution: Class attendance and participation 20% Position Papers 30% (5% each) Annotated Bibliography 10% Research Paper 30% Research Presentation 10% Required Texts: Conrad, Robert Children of God’s Fire: Documentary History of Black Slavery in Brazil. Princeton University Press, 1994. Davis, Darien. Slavery and Beyond: The African Impact on Latin America and the Caribbean. Wilmington, DE: Scholarly Resources, 1995. Thornton, John. Africa and Africans in the Making of the Atlantic World, 1400-1800. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1998. Each
student will select one book of the following books: Castillo Bueno, Maria de los Reyes. Reyita: The Life of a Black Cuban Woman in the Twentieth Century. Durham: Duke University Press, 2000. Prince, Mary. The History of Mary Prince, A West Indian Slave. Related by Herself. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 1997 (Edited by Moira Ferguson). Recommended Hacker, Diana, A Writer’s Reference, Bedford/St. Martin’s, 1999. Klein, Hebert. African Slavery in Latin America and the Caribbean. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1986. Montejo, Esteban (Miguel Barnet). Biography of a Runaway Slave. Curbstone Press, 1997. On ReserveQuerino,
Manuel Raimundo. “The African Contribution to Brazilian
Civilization,” Translated by Bradford Burns. (Tempe: Center for Latin
American Studies Arizona State University, 1978). The following journals may be helpful: The
Afro-Hispanic Review Wadabagei:
A Journal of the Caribbean and Its Diaspora The
Journal of Afro-Latin American Studies and Literatures History in Africa Research in African Literatures Journal of African History Journal of Black Studies A Scholarly Journal on Black Women Race
and Class American
Historical Review Americas:
A Quarterly Review of Inter-American Cultural History Ethnohistory
Journal
of Latin American Studies Hispanic
American Historical Review Latin
American Research Review Journal
of Negro History The following general texts may be helpful: Ed. Arlene Torres and Norman E. Whitten, Jr., Blackness in Latin America and the Caribbean: Social Dynamics and Cultural Transformations (1998) Ed. Darlene Clark Hine and Jacqueline McLeod, Crossing Boundaries: Comparative History of Black People in Diaspora (1999) Leslie Rout, The African Experience in Spanish America: 1502 to the Present Day (1976) Ed. Manuel Moreno Fraginals, Africa in Latin America: Essays on History, Culture, and Socialization (1977) Franklin Knight, The African Dimension of Latin America (MacMillan, 1974) Richard Jackson, Black Literature and Humanism in Latin America (Georgia, 1988) Anne Pescatello, The African in Latin America (1975) The following websites may be helpful: www.mnh.si.edu/africanvoices/
--Smithsonian initiative, although Africa is main focus, info on slave
trade and African influences in Americas www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/latam/africania.html—“Choosing a Color for the Cosmic Race: African Americans and National Identities in Central America.” Has textual and visual materials to reframe historical debates while offering fresh perspectives and emperical evidence
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