research

IAH211C/Fall 2019 Research Essay Guidelines Diaz-Muñoz

Due date: Wednesday December 11th in Wells Hall Room 480 between 09:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m.

Final Exam: Monday, December 9th 8:00 - 10:00 pm in 114 Berkey Hall

To receive full credit please follow these requirements:

You will have to develop a research topic that clearly relates to the (1) course description and (2) class aims initially stated in our syllabus (listed below):

This course explores the development of the Cuban nation within a global perspective since the European invasion on its shores in 1492.  It addresses Cuba’s dynamic interdependence with the world, the social revolution of 1959, and its persistent cultural dilemma between (a) autonomy or (b) integration with the surrounding capitalist world (particularly after the cold war).  The course aims in particular to give students a greater understanding of Cuba’s unique culture and cultural production through the examination of its history, its literature and the visual arts (particularly in the first half of the Twentieth Century).  Issues of cultural identity, race, ethnicity, diaspora, religion, nationhood, capitalism, imperialism, and revolution will be examined in relation to the different groups that have shaped Cuba; how these issues still matter and show culturally as Cubans seek to affirm their place in the world.   The course will be organized chronologically: 1) colonialism, 2) independence-neocolonialism, 3) revolution-socialism and/or democracy.

Thesis: Your essay must address the subject of Cuba based on the knowledge you have gained from our readings and lectures, showing your understanding of its historical and cultural evolution from a Cuban perspective, and NOT from traditional perspectives/views on Cuba. You will need to focus on one or more of the interrelated forces (factors) that have contributed to the development of the unique Cuban cultural identity as listed in the course description above and offer a thesis (what you are going to argue/prove to your reader). Your essay should present a clear thesis and develop a coherent argument that is supported by a) your own reflection and also by b) research (sources). Both are required to be acceptable.

Sources (a Ratio of 75% from course packs 1 and 2 + 25% additional reputable sources): You will need to make extensive use of both Course pack 1 and Course pack 2 to support your thesis, quoting numerous sources (a minimum of 9 different ones) from the many readings assigned throughout the semester, as well as other sources available in the course pack that we did not cover in class. If necessary, you may need to seek additional sources (not copied in your course pack), but that can be easily found in the course pack, guided by the indexes included in it. Each reading in the course pack has a book index section that lists other chapters that were not included in the course packs, but that are part of the books initially used to create your course packs. All those books can be easily found at the MSU Main Library .

-A minimum of 12 sources in total: 9 different sources from your course packs + 3 you found on your own

=>a different source is a work [be it a book or a journal article] by a different author OR a different work [be it a book or a journal article] from the same author. Different chapters from the same book are not different sources.

Only readings from (a) the course packs and (b) academically reputable sources through the MSU library will be considered acceptable. If you decide to use electronic sources, only sources filtered through the MSU library will be accepted. Be aware that while you may make use of unfiltered internet sources (googled info. for example) as part of your process, these will NOT count in your List of Works Cited. The majority (or all) of your sources MUST be from your course packs (a minimum of 75%). You will need to quote course pack sources you list in your List of Works Cited, as well as quote from those you have found on your own through the MSU library and listed in your List of Works Cited. You CANNOT include sources in your List of Works Cited that you do not quote from in your essay. The quotes selected must also contribute clearly to your argument and cannot just be inserted with no clear relevance to the topic.

Essay topics which are not backed by academically reputable sources or essays which only offer researched information and do not include your own thinking process are not acceptable. You should address and fully develop the specific question(s) you pose in your thesis and not jump from one undeveloped idea to another undeveloped idea. Your paper should include: an introduction (with a thesis), the body, and a conclusion.

Format: A minimum total of 2,200 words. This includes some 1,800 words of your own writing (plus other info. such as material quoted in the text, notes, and list of works cited). Your essay should be typed double space, 1 inch margins all around, font 12, Times Roman style , stapled with the pages numbered. You also need to include the number of words. The preferred format for the essay is MLA style. Please refer to the MSU library home page for help using MLA style.

Grading: Papers will be graded for: a) the degree to which you are able to address Cuba from a Cuban perspective , b) the depth and originality of your own thoughts, c) the quality of content, your ideas, your thesis, d) the quality of your critical analysis (how well argued your points are), e) the quality of information sources used to support analysis (Remember, only course pack and MSU Library sources are acceptable), f) how well sources of information are documented/referenced g) the quality of your writing (how well written/ organized/edited).

In grading the following criteria will also be applied to your essay:

-must be of minimum length or greater. Meeting the minimum does not guarantee maximum credit/grade.

-main ideas should be your own, but they must also be supported with research.

-must NOT be a mere account of personal opinions concerning Cuba, whether you like or dislike it, prefer it or not,

agree with their system or not. The previous are personal opinions, and personal opinions alone are not valid

arguments. Instead, you should offer well-founded ideas, backed by reputable research. “I don’t like

communism, therefore Cuba’s system is wrong” is not an argument, and therefore, it is not an acceptable essay

topic.

-must approach the subject from the island’s perspective, NOT the US perspective. The essay should not be about

what we traditionally think of Cuba in the US, but about what you have learned Cuba’s history has been and what

that says about its people and their cultural identity. Papers which lack such perspective are NOT acceptable and

will not receive credit.

-must present the subject within the greater historical context (the world and Latin America) as well as Cuba’s local

context.

-should consistently clear connections (in a logically and convincing way) between your own insights and issues and

themes discussed in class.

Along with the Research Essay, a check list will need to be turned in listing the minimum requirements met by your essay.

List of topics we will have addressed in class by the end of the semester:

=>you may combine any of these topics to produce a thesis you will argue in your essay.

-Religious syncretism and the emergence of Afro-Cuban music and Cuban culture in general.

-Slavery, racism, Catholicism, and the rise of Cuba’s religious syncretism: Santeria and other Afro-Cuban religions.

-The place of Cuba within the New World colonial system: colonialism, capitalism, imperialism.

-Cuba’s prolonged colonial status (80 years beyond the rest of Spanish colonies in the Americas).

-Cuba’s continued foreign dependence: Spain, the United States, and the Soviet Union.

-Cuba’s exceptionalism: a socialist system beyond the Soviet Union.

-How Sugar became Cuba’s destiny: the role of sugar in Cuban history and culture.

-The role of sugar and slavery in Cuba’s (inter)dependence with the world.

-Cuba’s utopian independence since 1492: is it possible?

-Jose Marti’s political thought and influence on Cuban nationalism and independence movements.

-Cuba libre (free Cuba) and “Cubanidad” (Cubanism): The emergence of a unique cultural identity.

-The Cuban political dilemma: colonialism, capitalism, socialism, democracy, independence =>which one and why?

-The Cuban-Spanish-American war and Cuban neocolonialism: 1895-1959.

-The Batista dictatorship and the rise of Castro and socialism in Cuba.

-Cuba’s twentieth-century history and the emergence of its unique literature and visual arts.

-The Afro-Cuban dimension in twentieth century Cuban literature: Alejo Carpentier, Nicolas Guillen.

-Caribbean negritude movement and Cuba’s cultural production: African presence in art and literature in Cuba.

-Cuban history and Cuban literature: Jose Marti, Alejo Carpentier, Antonio Benitez Rojo.

-Cuba’s Socialist Revolution: the triumphs, the lows, the challenges, and the lessons.

-Cuba’s socialist gains and triumphs versus the capitalist appeal.

-The Cuban perspective and the Cold War: Castro, the U.S., and the Soviet Union.

-Fidel Castro and the quest for a revolutionary culture in Cuba: the new man.

-Political dissidence and exile in post-revolutionary Cuban fiction: Reinaldo Arenas.

-The Chinese experience and Cuba’s cultural diversity/hybridization.

-Racial (in)equality in Cuban society before and after the 1959 Revolution: mestizos, Africans, Chinese, and

other “minorities” =>in the case of Cuba “minorities” actually made up the majority.

-The future of the Cuban Revolution and the Cuban dilemma: What next?

-Cuba and the Platt Amendment: US military intervention in Cuba in 1898-1902, 1902-1934.

-The Cuban Revolution of 1959 and the role of the US in its radicalization.