Joaquín Murrieta

I thought you may enjoy this video:

Preparing for a take-home Exam

Anthony asked what is the best way to prepare for a take-home exam. I really would not make any distinction between the take-home and the in-class exam. You will have more time to finish it, 2 hours, versus 1:20 in class, so that should help. But I would not make any more distinction that that.

Midterm

Please remember that on Monday we will do a review for the midterm, and at the end of the class, you will get the take-home exam. Please make sure that you have done all the readings before you take the exam, and that you only spend a couple of hours working on it. The exam will be due on Wed. in class.

I apologize for not being able to be in class (LLS 301 A), but I had a meeting at the Graduate School to review graduate student applications.

Please post any comments or concerns you may have.

Accessing E-reserves

I have found there to be problems in accessing PDF files when browsing with Foxfire, because foxfire will attempt to download the files with its proprietary PDF reader, which most campus computers do not have. Try opening Adobe first than downloading the PDF file.

E-Reserves

I went online and was able to download the documents we are reading tomorrow, so everything seems to be fine. You may want to call the undergrad library, they can be very helpful.

Problem accessing ereserves :(

Is anyone else having trouble with reading tomorrow's (Wednesday) readings? I tried to look them up through the link AND on the ereserve website and all the pages are blank?? I will try on another computer (besides the one in the computer lab I am in) but does anyone else have this problem?

Midterm Information

Some of you have asked me about the midterm exam which is coming up next Monday. The exam will cover the material read in class (the exam is not cumulative), and will consist of two parts:

I. 30 points. Simple identification of characters, and simple plot resolutions. You will be asked ten 3 point questions.

Example:
What is the name of the captain in Two Years Before the Mast?
Why does Thoreau go to jail?

II. 70 points. You will also be asked to answer two essay questions. These questions are designed for you to show how well you handle the information you read in the class throughout the semester. This class is a 300-level class, so the questions are designed to elicit certain concepts and certain texts. You will be expected to remember which texts are relevant to your discussion. That is, if you are talking about the Criollo elite in the 19th century, you should also remember that these types of families are represented in Cirilo Villaverde’s Cecilia Valdés, and in Amparo Ruiz de Burton’s The Squatter and the don. Since the questions will ask you to be specific, you will receive more credit if you mention the characters’ names, than if you use generic terms like “the protagonist.” You will also be expected to remember the author’s names in the texts you read.

Examples:

1. The ship in the iconography of the nineteenth century, often symbolized the state. What does the resolution of the revolt/mutiny in Benito Cereno by the African slaves imply in terms of their hopes for a future in countries like Spain, and the U.S.?

2. The film Two Years Before the Mast often compared the sailors to slaves. The association between the fate of the sailors on the ship and the fate of the slaves in the U.S. (remember the ship was named the “Pilgrim”) is not hard to make. And yet Dana’s progressive depiction is contradicted in his writings, for example when he talks about the “California fever.” Comparing the film to his writings, what can you say about the relationship of progressive political ideas and racism in the nineteenth century?

Corridos: 2nd Website at Handbook of Texas Online

I told one of the groups I was going to post this information on the corrido/ballad. The Handbook of Texas online has a page that might be helpful. Link is below:

http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/CC/lhc1.html

I hope the page is helpful for those of you who will be making the presentation about the ballad on Wednesday.

Corridos

I found a whole website dedicated to the corridos, and it posts other corridos having to do with the war with Mexico. The website is good as an introduction. You may want to check it out.


http://www.corridos.org/

Also, for those of you who decided to make the presentation on the introductions to the books in English and Spanish on Murrieta, please remember that you can find the translation of the second Murrieta book at the library. It was written by Ireneo Paz, below is the full title.

Joaquin Murrieta : life and adventures of the celebrated bandit : his exploits in the state of California / Ireneo Paz ; translation by Frances P. Belle ; introduction by Luis Leal ; introduction translated by Francisco A. Lomeli and Miguel R. Lopez.

Institution: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Library
Location: Main Stacks
Call Number: 979.404092 M945p
Copy: 1

Status: Available

Presentations for Monday

Please remember that the presentations for Monday are supposed to be informing the reading of John Rollin Ridge's Joaquin Murieta. Keep that in mind as you prepare your individual presentations.

Prof. Romero

Welcome

As we discussed, this blog is designed for students of LLS 301 to post comments, questions, concerns, etc. This forum is open to anybody in the class. Welcome.