Sociology 325.19/LACS434.06 Latin American Societies
J. Hammond
Assignment 1 parts 2 and 3
Parrt 2 due September 24
Part 3 due October 8

     For part 2 of Assignment 1, write a short paper about one of the
people who appears in Hellman's _Mexican Lives_.  It is due September
24.  (You may decide to write about a different person than the one
you chose for last week's assignment.)

     _Mexican Lives_ presents stories of people confronting problems
of survival in the 1990s.  Most of the same problems are faced by
people throughout Latin America, not just Mexico.  Other assigned
readings, especially Green's _Faces of Latin America_, discuss these
problems from a sociological standpoint.

     These firsthand accounts and the sociological analysis of the
same problems illustrate the link between personal troubles and
social issues which C. Wright Mills identifies as the hallmark of
analysis using the sociological imagination.  Read the discussion of
the sociological imagination in A Guide to Writing Sociology Papers
by the Sociology Writing Group (hereafter the Guide), pp. 11-12.  In
this handout, page references are to the third edition (1994).  

     Choose one of the people who appears in _Mexican Lives_ and
analyze his or her life situation from a sociological standpoint. 
Show that that person's experience illustrates (or contradicts) a
proposition about the Latin American experience of some basic
sociological phenomenon such as gender, urban growth, the informal
economy (market vendors, etc.), industrial work, or social movement
activism.  What are the effects of these phenomena on the person's
opportunities in life, on the way he or she interacts with others, or
on some other important aspect of his or her life?  Does the person
find creative ways to overcome the limitations of gender,
occupational status, or whatever other phenomenon you choose to
analyze?

     You may use some other category than the ones just listed. 
Concentrate on only one sociological phenomenon.  Even though a
single person may illustrate interesting phenomena related to gender,
the informal sector, and social movement activism, pick one of these
to discuss.

     You will find the sociological analysis in the relevant assigned
readings for later in the semester.  (You may also use any other
readings you wish.)  In providing this analysis, cite specific
incidents or statements by the person, showing how he or she acts or
feels and the effect of his or her social position.  In addition,
refer to at least two related readings.

     Part 1: Write a first draft and bring it to class for discussion
on September 24.  Papers will be handed in but not graded.  You are
required to complete the draft on time and attend class that day;
part of your grade on assignment 1 will depend on completion of a
class exercise on that day.  When this paper is returned to you, DO
NOT LOSE IT.  You must return this same copy with part 2.

     Part 2: After class discussion, revise the draft and hand in
both the first draft and the revision on October 8.

     The following rules applyAll papers must be handed in on the day
due.  Late papers will be penalized one-third of a grade for each day
late.  (If the grade is a B and the paper is one day late you will
receive a B-; if it is two days late you will receive a C+; etc.) 
Handing in a paper on time means handing it in in class the day it is
due.  Papers handed in later the same day will be counted as one day
late.  Saturdays and Sundays do not count in determining lateness
penalties.

     _Format and Presentation:_ The following rules apply to all
assignments for this class, except that the length may be different. 
Papers must be written in standard edited English, without errors in
grammar or spelling.  All assignments must be 4-6 pages long, word-
processed and printed double-spaced, in 12-point type, with one-inch
margins on the top, bottom, and both sides.  Format should follow the
guidelines in the Guide, 58-60.  Papers must include documentation of
sources in ASA style as described in the Guide, 49-55.  Give your
paper a title which tells what it is about (_not_ "Assignment 1" or
anything similar).  Put the title at the top of the first page, and
in addition include a title page with the title of the paper, the
course and section number, the step number, the date due, the date
submitted, and your name and ID.  Number the pages, not counting the
title page.

     At least two days before handing in your paper, read "A Final
Checklist for Submitting your Paper" in the Guide, 167-68.  Have you
done everything on the list?