This will explain the 3-5 page final paper. I give you topic ideas but you can pick your own as long as I approve it. Email me if you want to propose a topic you don’t see on this list.
After the potential topics, there is a list of sources below. Make sure you use at least 3 of these critical, independent sources. The other 2 can be whatever sources you want (not wikipedia though)
Make sure there is an identifiable thesis. For example, This paper will examine U.S. foreign policy towards Puerto Rico and demonstrate how neocolonial policies have forced millions of Puerto Ricans to flee their homeland. This thesis should be in your introduction. Then the body of your paper backs this up.
After your 3-5 page paper there should be a Bibliography page with the sources you used.
Brainstorming Final Paper / Presentation topics
Around themes of Resistance, Struggle and Revolutionary Optimism
Women leaders left out of history, Nanny the Maroon (Google 365 Days of Resistance: We Stand on the Shoulders of Giants)
U.S. Foreign policy towards Chile, El Salvador
creates === resistance i.e. Allende, MIR, FMLN,
Cuba: socialist in a capitalist world, surrounded by sharks & jackals
Maroons: Assata Shakur, Cimarron, quilombos,
Immigrant communities in Queens/Bronx organizing against Trump, rent hikes/gentrification/Amazon shut down
Ecuador Andres Arauz/Rafael Correa, the Citizens Revolution vs Lenin Moreno/the IMF
Hugo Chavez anti-imperialist revolution
Should Puerto Rico be an independent country?
Lolita Lebron
Grito de Lares, Filiberto Ojeda Rios
The lesser known countries of the Caribbean
Grenada US govt invasion 1983
Nicaraguan revolution 1979 (Revolution: the overthrow of one social class (rich) by the masses of poor/workers)
Haitian/Dominican unity
Self-definition: language liberation Are you a Latin@? la raza,
Brazil revolution, defense of Dilma and Lula / Bolsanero = mini Trump
Duterte & executions of poor in the Philippines
Monoculture = one crop economy i.e. bananas or flowers in Ecuador, sugar in Caribbean, dependency
Environmental devastation = resistance
Ancestors struggles
Womens liberation
Tainos, Arawaks, Caribs, = native peoples of the caribbean
Independence movements, El Gran Colombia, Simon Bolivar: first wave of Ind Movements, second wave beginning
Honduras: coup (golpe de estado)
Native Spirituality: architecture, pyramids, El Yunque, national treasures, roots
Race: is it real? Artificial?
AMLO in Mexico
Cannot use these topics because they are too common but important to talk about in class
Colorism/self-hatred/internalized racism
House slaves vs field slaves, Malcolm X
Sexual exploitation, sex tourism
You can pitch your own topic but the professor would have to approve it
*****A key part of this paper is learning to use critical, independent media sources in addition to mainstream ones. Here is a list….
Where can I get my news?
Alternative / Anti-Imperialist Media Sources
The Grayzone
Popular Resistance
Council on Hemispheric Affairs (Latin Am)
https://www.telesurtv.net
Red Fish short documentaries on youtube
Jacobin
https://www.liberationnews.org
https://www.alternet.org
https://venezuelanalysis.com
https://www.democracynow.org
rt.com
presstv.com
therealnews.com
https://www.workers.org
TheIntercept.com
http://en.granma.cu
http://theempirefiles.tv
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHgnQzZY7T9TxhI40BmKJwQ
https://haitiliberte.com (Haiti)
Loud and Clear https://sputniknews.com/radio_loud_and_clear/
By Any Means Necessary
https://sputniknews.com/radio_by_any_means/
Counterpunch.org
AresteguiNoticias.com (Mxico)
http://www.resumenlatinoamericano.org (America Latina)
https://nacla.org (Latin America)
https://merip.org/blog/ (Middle East)
Anticonquista.com
The Young Turks tyt.com
Moderate Rebels
Youtube Pages/Podcasts where you can learn:
Renegade Culture https://soundcloud.com/renegade-culture
Anticonquista https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCl1bDSVi34xE65YzreytVxQ
Code Pink
Eva Bartlett (On Syria)
Faultlines https://sputniknews.com/radio_fault_lines/
The Convo Couch with Fiorella Isabel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnESeKWQPmL85jLaZU6Babg
The Majority Report https://www.youtube.com/user/SamSeder
Secular Talk with Kyle Kulinsky https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCldfgbzNILYZA4dmDt4Cd6A
Last Completed Projects
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