History 3399 – Modern Latin America

Primary Document Project Guide

Fall 2011

Projects should be an in-depth analysis and/or creative presentation of a specific primary document of your choice. The overall theme of your document must pertain to material we are covering in class and you must have my approval on the document you select. You MAY NOT select a document that has been assigned as part of the weekly readings in the class. See below for suggestions of possible documents.

The format for the primary document project is relatively open. You may work in groups (encouraged) or individually. You are free to choose from any number of scholarly and creative media to craft your project and articulate your arguments. I encourage you to choose a format that will allow you to showcase your strengths and skills.

Deadline for project approval is October 17. On that day you must turn in a typed proposal that includes the following:

· Description of your project (formal essay, creative project, etc.)

· Citation and brief description of your primary document.

· Citations and brief descriptions of 2 secondary sources that will contribute to your project.

· Thesis statement (this is the argument you anticipate making in your project).

· Brief outline

I encourage you to consider any number of formats for presenting your ideas. You may select traditional methods of scholarly communication such as writing an essay or giving a presentation. You may also consider less traditional methods such as any variety of creative projects (make a short documentary; compose a piece of literature, music, or artwork; etc.) You may also think about putting together a website or a blog, creating a scenario in second life, putting together a video game, writing a wiki entry, or any number of other possibilities. Regardless of the format, each primary document project must have a clear and well-articulated scholarly thesis. You should use the primary document(s) and other relevant secondary works to support the thesis.

At the end of the semester, you will all present your primary document projects to the class on the dates specified on the course schedule. Students giving formal presentations as the format of the project will be limited to NO MORE than 10 minutes (group projects will have 15 minutes). Note that if there are many students opting to give individual presentations the time allowed per person may be shortened in order to accommodate everyone. Other formats (essays, blogs, etc.) will be limited to NO MORE than 5 minutes. Presentations running over the allotted time will be docked at least one full letter grade.

** Each project will be graded on its articulation of a clear scholarly thesis, use of evidence, style/interest, content accuracy, and sources. (There will be a grading rubric and all of these elements will be scored.)

Each project (excluding scholarly essays) must include a brief written description of the project and an annotated bibliography. Annotated bibliography means a bibliographic list of sources with a short summary of the content of the source and how it was used in the project. Summaries and annotated bibliographies will be due on the day of the presentation. Students who give a formal presentation (ie. with power point) should turn in a print out of the power point slides along with other required materials.

The presentation should include a brief summary of the nature and content of the document, followed by a thorough analysis of how that document can be used in the context of material we have covered in class. Creative projects may deviate from this model, but an overall understanding of the meaning and usefulness of the document must be communicated in creative projects as well.

Requirements for Project:

Primary Sources: You may choose any primary documents from the modern period in Latin American history, as long as they provide suitable connections to the course as a whole. Any of the primary documents from the Problems volume are good choices (note that not all readings in that volume are considered primary documents). I have also placed alternate books of primary sources for the modern period on reserve at McDermott Library. Finally, there are several reputable websites with translated texts of primary documents relating to Latin American history. Click here for links to web based sources and for a list of books on reserve.

You may use other primary sources aside from those listed above. All documents must be approved by me on or before the deadline listed in the course schedule.

Secondary Sources: You should consult secondary sources to complement the information gleaned from your primary document. The project should place the primary documents in a historical context (who, what, where). This will require the use of secondary sources. Essays readers and the textbooks assigned for class are suitable choices for secondary sources. You are not limited to those sources, but please make sure to consult only scholarly secondary sources.

Do not use encyclopedias or web sites, however reputable, as sources of secondary information. In particular, do not use Wikipedia as a source for your project—it is not a scholarly source (often articles on Wikipedia contain factual errors). The one exception to this is the use of articles from on-line, peer-reviewed academic journals available through the university library. J-STOR, Project Muse, and Academic Search Premier are useful sources for electronic journals. Note that you must gain access to them through the library website. DO NOT use popular magazines of any kind as your secondary sources. A good rule of thumb: if an essay does not have footnotes, it is generally not a scholarly work.

Annotated Bibliography: You must prepare an annotated bibliography to turn in on the day of your presentation. “Annotated” means that your bibliography must list the citation for each source, plus a brief summary and description of how you used the source. Citations for your primary document and for your secondary sources must be included in the annotated bibliography.