...Thursday 1:00-2:00 PM, or by appointment Instructor contact information: Melville Library N3013, joseph.pierce@stonybrook.edu COURSE DESCRIPTION An introduction to a continental perspective of 20th-century Latin American culture. Latin America's political, historical, and cultural developments of this century are studied. Latin America | Today This course proposes to study the events of today by tracing the social, political and economic structures of the past. On the one hand, the region under study is comprised of a dramatic variety of cultures, geographies and politics. On the other, it shares a history of colonization from “discovery” to independence to modernity based on its particular geographic and historical location. In order to interrogate this conjunction, we will pay special attention to the social groups that are often marginalized from the pages of “the official history”: Indigenous communities, Afro-Latin organizations, gay, lesbian, and trans activism, immigrant groups. We will pay special attention the discourses of belonging and identification that mark their relationships with the region, as well as the ways in which “Latin” America becomes a concept in relationship with these groups in the context of globalization. Thus, race, class, gender, sexuality, and coloniality are some of the central concepts that we will utilize; we will draw on historical, journalistic, artistic, and literary works that help us theorize not simply what Latin America is, but why it...
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...The True Meaning of Rip Van Winkle In order for a prosperous future to occur, the present must be secure and the past must not be forgotten. Much can be said though, about the advance of mankind throughout the ages, with complete disregard to the woes and struggles of the past. Furthermore, while it would appear that the brawls of the present are almost always shaped to lend perception of a greater future, history dictates that this is not always true. In this vein, the story of America is not that much different than other epics from our past. From great reason, our ancestors sought significant change. Change brought about revolution both in the literal and intrinsic sense, and soon broader horizons quickly unfolded into an unprecedented amalgamation of opinion, social action and success. Throughout this time however, America has not been absent its critics, nor has it been isolated from internal critique either. One such example of this internal American critique can be found in Washington Irving’s, “Rip Van Winkle.” Therefore, the purpose of this brief work is to discuss the theme of Irving’s timeless masterpiece and offer critical insight as to its deeper meanings. The tale of Rip Van Winkle is set in the whimsical wilderness of the Catskill Mountains in pre-revolutionary America. As the story portrays, Rip is a simple man caught between his own ferocious hedonistic motivations, and the insurmountable demands of his condescending and oppressive wife (Perkins). ...
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...[University Name] Metaphysics: The Transcendental Attributes of Being A research paper submitted to [Professor Name] In Partial Fulfillment of the requirements For The course [Course Name] [Seminary Name] By [Student Name] Place Date Introduction While Plato had also covered the notions surrounding the properties of being, Aristotle was the first to bring the term transcendental to the context of the attributes of being. Plato offered valuable insight regarding the four transcendental attributes of being. [1] Aristotle shaped the transcendentals in a specific manner and refined his own perspective. Later philosophers also expanded the discussion surrounding the transcendental attributes of being. These transcendentals become significant in the context of theology because they possess a link with Christian theology and unfold in the form of what man desires. For explicating the four transcendental attributes of being, it becomes significant to first explore the definition of an attribute. An attribute falls under the category of that aspect which does not exist in the form of the embodiment but originates from the same. As regards ‘being’, it can only give rise to what is also being and thus, a ‘being’ cannot spawn attributes or properties while discussing these terminologies in a firm manner. Nevertheless, while approaching the subject in a broader manner, an attribute can be defined for a specific perspective on being as long as it applies to each instance...
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... The word realism, in the everyday use, is a word we are very familiar with. Join magical and realism together and they take on a whole new meaning. The marriage of these two words transforms their very individual definitions into one unique meaning. Magical realism has since developed into a literary genre; it represents more than just a definition. Magical realism has, in essence, become a philosophy, a real way of seeing things. It also represents much more than an attitude, or a window to view the world; it has become a philosophy of life. The very wording itself is an oxymoron (Rodgers, 2002). According to many critics, Magical Realism was thought to have originated, as a new art form, in the early twentieth century. Having been given credit for coining the term, Franz Roh, writes about this new art form in one of his articles. The 1925 article “Magical Realism,” Mr. Roh explains Magical Realism through the examination of artistic styles. He further explained that an artist may review the texture, the light, and the shape of an object to influence the portrayal of what is simply a caricature of reality; there isn’t any significant meaning other than the obvious real qualities of what is being examined. Mr. Roh continues to explain that Magical Realism can also be used, in contrast, to portray something having boring yet deep meaning. Only in the realm of Magical Realism can you stimulate an exciting and intellectual thought of the ordinary real world (Roh, 1925). Magical...
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...devoted to understanding how a society creates and shares meaning. So, cultural studies searches to understand how meaning is brought about, constructed and dispersed throughout all social structures, practices, beliefs within each certain culture. It is important to remember that cultural studies is a holistic analysis, taking the social whole into consideration, including and combining every known theory from political theory, feminist theory, social theory, media theory and so on. ‘This approach analyses culture in order to understand the lives, experiences, consciousness, values and struggles of particular groups in society’[i] There are a number of important concepts when it comes to cultural studies. Society creates meaning for everything that exists. All of these meanings are constructed; therefore they are only perceptions of reality. our understanding of meaning and view of the world has been created by the society in which we are surrounded in, brought up in and bred in. who plays the major role in all of this, who makes meaning out of what we see and learn? Is it the man on the side of the road who believes god is real, because he came from a religious background? Or is it the politician that we all elected and trust will tell us what’s right and wrong, and what really means what. Culture then goes on to create social roles for each individual. Our identity becomes shaped by our culture’s expectations. Our identity is shaped by a tension between our own ideas (culturally...
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...* Allusion – A brief reference to a person, place, thing, event, or idea in history or literature * Allegory – a narration or description usually restricted to a single meaning because its events, actions, characters, settings, and objects represent specific abstractions or ideas. * Alliteration – the repetition of the same consonant sounds in a sequence of words, usually at the beginning of a word or stressed syllable. * Apostrophe – an address, wither to someone who is absent and therefore cannot hear the speaker or to something nonhuman that cannot comprehend. * Assonance – the repetition of internal vowel sounds in nearby words that do not end the same. i.e. “asleep under a tree” * Consonance – a common type of near rhyme that consists of identical consonant sounds preceded by different vowel sounds. * Cliché – an idea or expression that has become tired and trite from overuse * Cacophony – Language that is discordant and difficult to pronounce * Caesura – a pause within a line of poetry that contributes to the rhythm of the line * Couplet – Two consecutive lines of poetry that usually rhyme and have the same meter. * Heroic Couplet – A couplet written in rhymed iambic pentameter * Euphony – refers to language that is smooth and musically pleasant to the ear. * Elegy – a mournful, contemplative lyric poem written to commemorate someone who is dead. * Enjambment – In poetry, when one line ends without a pause and continues...
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... or the exotic intricate designs of the Indian “Saris”, Vietnamese women who wear “Ao Dai”, flaunts a simple yet elegant beauty in everyday life. Context Thesis Statement The “Ao Dai” is a Vietnamese traditional costume, commonly worn by women. Influenced by a combination Western and Eastern elements of fashion , consisting of a silky cascading gown with trousers, Ao Dai has become the icon of Vietnamese feminine beauty. The ao dai has its way to differentiate its own effortless yet unique style, modified throughout three hundred years of history making it suitable for its environment, yet still remains popular and influential in the modern day Vietnamese culture, gradually growing its way out of borders. Today, due to its timelessness, the ao dai remained the national dress for both Vietnamese women and men. Body Paragraph #1 Topic Sentence “Ao Dai” literally meaning “Long Dress”, is a pure, demure, and yet provocative outfit that suits all ages. Evidence Analysis Ao Dai has become the most preferred dress on an everyday wear and during formal events for Vietnamese women. Transition Ao Dai is a two piece attire, thorough length, worn over silky trousers. It is split by a front and back panel, making it convenient for movement. Women wear ao dai in varied colors and patterns, expressed of the wearer’s age and status. Young schoolgirls wear...
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...Sumer Ismail Professor Benjamin Delloiacono English 105 19 February 2015 Identity in Colors An individual’s personality represents their identity and also symbolizes the new changes in their identities. The story “Clothes” from Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni’s short story provides a connection between the color of clothes of a person and their identity. The main characters changing clothes at the different stages of her life symbolizes her changing characteristics, which ultimately forms a new identity for her. Moreover, the theme of identity in colored clothing in “Clothes” by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni’s connects to the various colors on the gay pride flag. In “Clothes”, Mita wears different colors of saris which symbolize the beginning of a new life, adding to how the rainbow colors of the flag have become widely recognized as a symbol of LGBT pride and identity. In the article “Meet Gilbert Baker, the Man Who Invented the Gay Pride Rainbow Flag” by Samantha Grossman, the author states how Gilbert Baker created a rainbow flag that became a new symbol representing diversity and acceptance. This paper will compare how colors have become a symbol of pride and identity as they are represented in Grossmans article within the framework of “Clothes”. Through this careful examination the evidence will reveal how the use of color represents identification and hinder the author’s arguments. While on the surface Divakaruni’s story is about cultural transition...
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... |of racial categories, and by which they are in turn shaped by racial meanings. | |Segregation |The physical and social separation of categories of people. | |De jure segregation |Is the separation of individuals on the basis of race as required by law. | |Pluralism |This is a state in which people of all ethnic as well as racial categories have about the same | | |overall social standing. | |Assimilation |This is the process in which minorities gradually adopt cultural patterns for the dominant majority| | |of the population. | Part II Answer the following questions in 150 to 350 words each: • Throughout most of U.S. history in most locations, what race has been the majority? What is the common ancestral background of most members of this group? Throughout most of US history in vast locations, the white race has been known to be the majority. The common ancestral background of most members of this group is European. The White race has been the majority of the population throughout most of U.S. history. The reason for this is that many immigrants came from Europe and began forming the...
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...of related theoretical approaches known collectively as Literary Theory. Many Departments have become divided between "theory people" and opponents who see themselves as defending the traditional values central to the culture against Theory’s perceived anti-humanism. Literary Theory is part of a wide-spread movement in the culture which has affected a number of disciplines, occasioning similar disputes in some, a movement which has explored and elucidated the complexities of meaning, textuality and interpretation. Literary Theory is not a single enterprise but a set of related concepts and practices — most importantly deconstruction, post-Althusserian ideological or 'political' criticism, post-Lacanian psychoanalytic criticism, New Historicist or 'cultural' criticism, some reader-response criticism and much feminist criticism. The aim of this essay is to define the issues that ground these contemporary literary theories. There have always been literary theories — about how literature works, what meaning is, what it is to be an author and so forth. The central interpretive practices in force and in power in the academy which are being...
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...Sheniqua Glover October 27, 2014 Dr. A. Pierre ADW 111 The Story Behind “SHHHHH!” Joyce J. Scott was born in 1948 in Baltimore, Maryland. Scott has a mixed ethnicity of Scots, and African and Native American. As a young child, the young Scott watched her mother, a well-known fiber artist created majestic quilt. Her mother’s work along with her African American family’s heritage of storytellers, quilters, basket makers, and wood metal, and clay workers contributed to the ideas Scott uses for her artwork pieces. She is known as the “Queen of Beadwork”. Each of Joyce J. Scott’s beaded statues address the stories of current political and social issues, like race, gender, and class difficulties. In one of her interviews asking about how she thinks of her artwork, Scott responds, “It’s important to me to use art in a manner that incites people to look and then carry something home – even its subliminal – that might make a change in them.” Looking at her art pieces one can really take something from just viewing it. Out of the works she has in the “Brides of Anansi: Fiber Contemporary Art” on display at Spelman College, the “SHHHHH!” statue has a lot of information to pass off to those who stop to admire its craftsmanship. In this figurine, the tale of the life of an African woman is entailed as she take of the challenge of balancing the individuals around her. Joyce J. Scott’s “SHHHHH!” statue gives the perception that Scott wanted to deliver a message on gender, feminism,...
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...Comparing and Contrasting Essentialist Approaches to Social Psychology with Social Constructionist Approaches to Social Psychology. A widely recognised definition of social psychology is “an effort to understand and explain how the thought, feeling, and behaviour of individuals are influenced by the actual, imagined, or implied presence of others” (Allport, 1985). However, how to measure this, the research methods to be used and what constitutes useful evidence has caused much debate in the history of social psychology. This essay will compare and contrast the two epistemologies of essentialist and social constructionist approaches to social psychology and the research methods of quantitative and qualitative used in each approach. Essentialists’ view of the world is that the properties possessed by a group are universal in that group and do not depend on context. However, a member of a group may possess other characteristics that are not required to include it as a group member but, it must not have characteristics that preclude it from being a member of the group (Burr, 1995). For example, essentialists believe that personality consists of a number of traits and personality of an individual is established by the level of each of these traits. Essentialists also believe that these traits remain more or less stable over time and it is our personality that influences behaviour (Maltby, 2010). As essentialists are able to classify groups as such, they use quantitative research...
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...ASEAN and its ECONOMIC INTEGRATION 1) Objectives of this paper The objective of this paper is to dissect the concept of the ASEAN integration by looking into the history of the ASEAN, a brief analysis of the past treaties that have been passed and implemented, a scrutiny of the pillars of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) and the challenge it poses to all its member nations – including the Philippines. 2) Introduction ASEAN, A brief history Before analyzing the AEC or the treaties that ASEAN have passed, it is a need to understand the rationale and the history behind its formation. The goals and precepts the ASEAN have been outlined as such because of a myriad of significant historical events. South-East Asia was a region experiencing turmoil during the 1960s. Malaysia and Philippine relations were damaged between the years of 1962-66 owing to the conflict over Sabah. Singapore, Malaysia, and Brunei were all reeling from the departure of Great Britain as colonizers. This event led these countries posed a daunting challenge, both economically and politically, that these newly independent countries needed to overcome. Then the clash between Indonesia and Malaysia; in 1965 after just barely three (3) years after union of Indonesia and Malaysia the two (2) countries decided to sever their ties and declared themselves independent from each other. The Vietnam War was ongoing which was further heightened by the increasing popularity of communism in the South-East...
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...Meaning the two languages are equal to one another and one is not greater than the other. Allowing for Quebec to receive a sense of priority and equality, diminished their demand for sovereignty. With the passing of the Official languages act on 9th September 1969, it not only created a sense of peace with the Québécois and their demands but also gave Canada a greater sense of collective consciousness among the people. The act affirmed a sense of identity among many minority French speaking groups, as well as unity for both English and French speakers, and something for everyone in Canada to bond behind as neither language is now greater than the other. A brief history on Elijah Harper from Red Sucker Lake community, located in Manitoba. Elijah Harper was once the Cree MLA (Member of the Legislative Assembly) for the Rupertsland constituency from March 3, 1949 – May 17, 2013. Elijah Harper was not only a Canadian politician, but a Chief too, specifically to the Red Sucker Lake community, where he was born. Elijah Harper was once even responsible for Native Affairs, and later...
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...History of VoIP Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) enables individuals and companies to communicate the delivery of voice communications and multimedia sessions over the usage of the internet. The VoIP industry success is stimulated by the US Federal Communication Commission decision not to control or limit voice traffic over the Net, and the low price of these services. According to the Pike & Fischer’s research forecasts, “ a 14% growth rate for the VoIP market over the next five years, and predicts that 30 million US households will use some form of VoIP by the end of 2010”. (sipnology.com). It is now the year 2012 and the VoIP technology growth is still rising due to the documented benefits that VoIP has to offer our society. “Specialists consider that 31.4 million USA households will use a VOIP as the main and the only home phone line by 2012”, according to SNL Kagan’s ten-year outlook. (sipnology.com). It is obvious that the VoIP technology concept is making a major impact on our society. Statistics show that VoIP is really going to change the way people communicate in the present and the VoIP revolution may be compared with mobile revolution of last years. VoIP is a new technology that has influenced our lives in these ways: political, social, economical, and through the media. The first telephone system was introduced back in the 1870s by the inventor Alexander Graham Bell. He had designed a device that could transmit speech electrically from one point to another...
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