THIS PAPER IS DUE ON OCTOBER 21st at the beginning of class.

As I look around our classroom, I see all shapes, sizes, and colors.  We're like a United Nations!        

I have been assigning reflection papers for the past five years.  Not only is it a good way for me to get to know you better; it is a good way for you to get to know yourself better!  Sometimes the assignment may be on something we cover in class, other times it may be an outside assignment or an event that is happening on campus.  Learning doesn’t just take place in the classroom.

Format:
1. Double space and type your paper.
2. G# in the top right-hand corner.
3. Write as you would in essay form.
4. Please spell check and PROOF READ your paper.
5. This paper should be a minimum of four full pages.

Many of us are of mixed-race.  Choose two of the questions below and reflection on them.  Use your personal experiences to illustrate your answers.

1. Is it true that it’s “easier to be with your own kind.”   Is being with “your own kind” beneficial?  Why or why not?

2. In your opinion, what effects – both positive and negative - may an individual experience as a result of having two cultural identities?

3. Discuss whether or not you have personally ever had to balance two different cultures (see below*) and what that experience was like. In this instance “culture” may defined as an ethnicity, blending different family structures/values, your work environment, etc.

* Now, perhaps you don’t fit into this category.  Frankly, there are very few of us who are all just one ethnicity.  However, you can apply religion, gender, sexual orientation, immigrant status, or disability to answer some of the above questions.  If you have any questions please see me.

                                             OR

The title is "This is Who I Am"

Here are some questions to help you reflect.  Please use at least three questions and incorporate three ideas at least into your essay.

1. Tell me about your background, where you are from, ethnic group, etc.
2. Tell me about your family.
3. What do you like about your culture?
4. What do you dislike?
5. If you are an immigrant, what were some of the issues/problems you had assimilating into American culture?
6. What would you like to change about yourself and why?
7. Is there anything about your culture you wish you could change and why?
8. What are some of your values and how do they tie into your culture?

CONTEMPORARY ISSUES ASSIGNMENT

Due: Tuesday, November 16th.  For each weekday it is late I will deduct ten points.

I want to take a different approach regarding your CI assignment.  You've heard the old saying, "A picture is worth a thousand words…" or that "music has its finger on the pulse of popular culture".  Using Latin American art, music, literature and movies, you are going to describe a particular era in Latin American history.  Oftentimes, cultural figures will use their craft to tell a story, or glorify a time in their country's history, or to protest a political regime, or to sing praises to those who have made a significant contribution to their lives.  You will focus on the 20th century, the last 100 years of Latin American history. 

Format:
1. Type and double-space your paper.
2. 12" Times font, 1" margins all around.
3. G# on all papers.
4. Please staple your paper.
5. Spell check, and proofread it before you hand it in.
6. A works cited page must be attached.
7. Your paper should be a minimum of five full pages.

Here is an example:

In the 1970s, in Argentina a repressive political regime conducted the "Dirty War."  A vocal opponent was Jacobo Timerman, publisher, journalist, and writer.  He wound up being arrested in 1977.  He was sent to prison, tortured and was subsequently released in 1979.  In 1980, Timerman was awarded the Golden Pen of Freedom by the World Association of Newspapers in recognition of his courage in defending the right to free expression and press freedom. He received the Conscience-in-Media Award in 1981, from the American Society of Journalists and Authors. Also in 1981, he received the Letelier-Moffitt Human Rights Award from the Institute for Policy Studies.  In 1981, he published Prisoner Without A Name, Cell Without A Number, about his experiences.

1. In your paper, you will give me a synopsis of the political situation in Argentina during the 1970s.  You'll tell me who was in charge, what their policies were, and describe the "Dirty War." 
2. You'll give me a brief biography of Jacobo Timerman. 
3. What prompted him to take a stand against the 'powers that be?' 
4. What is the significance of what Jacobo Timerman did?  You must mention his book.
5. A conclusion.

Art - Following the template above, you are to include an image of the artwork you are writing about.  I would like two examples of the artist's work.  Make sure you label the image.  For example:  Frida Kahlo, Self-Portrait, Prado Museum, Madrid, Spain.

Music - Again, following the template above, you are to discuss two songs and include the song lyrics (English translations please!) so I can follow along as I read your paper.

Literature - Again, include copies of the poems, sonnets, or even a quote from the book that the person wrote.