American Studies 110: American Identities

KU Libraries Database Project – Domestica, Maid in America, A Day Without a Mexican (short), and This Is CHIRLA!

Length: 3-4 pages

Project Goal: to familiarize you with KU libraries databases and refine your ability to compare several different types of texts – an academic book, a popular film, a documentary, and a popular press article.

Using the KU libraries databases (for example, New York Times: 1851 - current file, Wilson OmniFile: Full Text Select, LexisNexis Academic, or Expanded Academic ASAP) find a popular press article on Latino/a domestic workers, Latino/a undocumented workers, or Latino/a immigration:

http://databases.lib.ku.edu/

This article must be published after 2000 and from a national newspaper or magazine (for example, the New York Times, Newsweek, or Time). Analyze the article's portrayal of Latino/as; in a 3-4 page paper with an identifiable thesis statement compare the popular article's representation of Latino/as to portrayals of Latino/as in Domestica AND Maid in America AS WELL AS A Day Without a Mexican OR This Is CHIRLA!

Your paper must be typed in 12 pt., Times New Roman font, double-spaced with 1" margins. Cite all sources correctly using footnotes and the Chicago Manual of Style format.

To receive full credit, you must turn in a print-out of your chosen popular press article from one of KU libraries' online databases with your paper.