PRE-SESSION STUDY

THE UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY

FACULTY OF COMMUNICATION AND CULTURE

LATIN AMERICAN STUDIES (LAST 303) L27

LATIN AMERICAN FIELD RESEARCH STUDY

SPRING ~ 2008

HELD IN CD. GUZMAN, JALISCO, MEXICO

Instructor:                         Savannah Stannard-Seda

Office/Phone number:      N/A

E-Mail:                               savannahrs@hotmail.com

Office Hours:                     by appointment

Research Journal; Pre-Course Task; and Pre-Course Reading

Short Description of Research Journal:

During the course you will be responsible for keeping a Research Journal, which you will start before arriving to Mexico. The idea behind the journal will be to help you analyze pre-conceptions and notions about Mexican Society, which will eventually lead you to a relevant and interesting research topic.

Once your research topic has been approved, it will allow you to keep track of real life experiences and observations, as well as educated opinions formed by these, allowing you to prove, or disprove your original thesis.

The Research Journal will make up 10% of your final grade and will be check regularly for completeness. Failure to do the pre-course task for the journal will adversely affect both your final journal grade and your participation grade.

 

Pre-Course Task One:

Write no more than 200 words (for each topic) in your journal about the following chapter headings from the course book: "The Mexicans: An Inside View of a Changing Society" by Paula R. Heusinkveld. 

Your entries do not need to be extensive, they are meant to get you thinking about the topics and what you already know, (or think you know!) about each topic!

Answer the following for each topic:

• What do you think is the relevance of this topic to Mexican society?
• What do you already know about the topic? How do you know that? (Even if you don't think you know anything about the topic, what do you expect to experience in relation to this topic?)
• Why do you think that?

Chapter Headings:

 

1. A Mestizo Nation
2. Working and Living
3. Business as usual
4. Dress and Appearance.
5. Mexican Time and American time
6. The Art of Manners
7. Mi casa es su casa
8. Meal Time
9. Leisure Time
10. Holidays
11. Art and Music

Once you have finished your pre-course task, email it to me (your professor!) at Savannahrs@hotmail.com Please put "LAST 303 - Pre-course task" in the subject line of the email.  Make sure to include your full name in the upper left hand corner of every page of the assignment.

Last day to email the pre-course task is Monday, May 12^th.  If you do not receive confirmation of receipt - I did not receive it!

 

Pre-Course Reading:

 

"Jalisco, Tequila's Landscape"

 

• Introduction: That's Jalisco
• Kinds and Apostles
• Laurels in the Sun
• The South Jalisco