Thesis Major Research Paper and Topic Samples
Guidelines for the Major Research Paper and M.A. Thesis
Latin American and
General Description
LACS Major Research Paper (MRP) LACS*6100 U [1.0 credit] and LACS M.A. Thesis should bee interdisciplinary and comparative in nature. They may also be written from a point of view of a single discipline in the context of a regional, national, or global politics, society, or culture.
They may be written in either English or Spanish. Papers written in Spanish will need to be accompanied by two-page summary in English, and vice versa.
MRP and/or Thesis are very important part of the program. They give students an opportunity 1. to develop their research skills, 2. to expand their knowledge, and 3. to apply critical thinking in presenting and defending an argument delivered in good (carefully edited) writing. In these two research projects students will organize their researched material around a central problem or a theoretical concept, and they will present their position in precise and persuasive written language.
The Introduction will present the problem and the researcher’s (original) position regarding the problem. The approach or methodology to be used should be stated in the introduction. In the body of the MRP and M.A. Thesis, the problem will be discussed on the bases of textual analysis, or on collected data, and a review of relevant secondary sources. Results and Conclusions will be drawn at the end.
The body of the MRP and Thesis may be organized by chapters or sections. Materials discussed in different chapters/sections must be connected.
Works Cited and a Table of Contents are required at the end of the paper and thesis. Either MLA (literature) or APA (social sciences) format is acceptable. They should be typing, double spaced, in Courier New font, size 12 on good quality paper, 8.5”X11”.
The student must be the principal author of the manuscripts and must have had a major role in the design of the research, and the preparation and writing of the manuscripts.
Some Differences between Major Research Paper and Thesis
The length of the Major Research Paper should be around 40-50 pages, and the length pf the Thesis should be approximately 100 pages. The quality of arguments and research, and the level of independent thinking are preferred over quantity.
Major Research Paper and Thesis differ in scope, dept and in the level of originality. They do not have to be at the publishable level, but publication of Thesis should be a goal. MRP must be comprehensive and thoroughly researched but need not be a novel contribution. A Master’s Thesis must be a modest new contribution to theory or practice: a new idea, interpretation, application of theory, etc.
The major paper is assigned a course number and appropriate credit. The course may extend over two semesters and the student's performance may be indicated by a numeric grade. The paper will be graded by the advisor (chosen by the student) and by another reader (chosen by the advisor in consultation with the graduate coordinator). The final mark for the course will be produced by averaging the two marks. There is no MRP oral defence.
A copy of the major paper must be kept in SOLAL.
According to the
Procedure and Schedule:
Fall Semester: LACS6010 (Culture Core), LACS 6030 (Social Science Core) LACS 6000 (Methodology)
Winter:
Recommended Version A: LACS6020 (Culture Core II), plus two electives. MRP description and the name of the advisor (with their signature) to be submitted March 15.
Version B: LACS 6020 plus work on Thesis. Thesis description and the name of advisor (with his/her signature) are to be submitted by January 5.
Summer
MRP and Thesis are to be written during the third semester. Individual advisors will set their own schedule of dates. Finished work must be submitted to the Graduate Coordinator by August 1. Keep in mind that it takes 3-4 weeks to evaluate projects and to book the thesis defence at the
Thesis research and writing should take place over second and the third semester. Two months should be dedicated to the writing and editing of the thesis. A thesis at the Master’s level can be seen as a half-way-house on the road to the Ph.D dissertation, and as such, should contain an amount (however big) of original research.
Before writing MRP or Thesis student must submit a proposal with a bibliography. Choosing a topic may be the most difficult part of the project, because if the topic is too broad, it is not easy to have a good focus and to do a refined literature search.
The title of the MRP and a two-page abstract with the name of advisor should be submitted to the Graduate Coordinator two and a half months into the second semester, of by March 30. Project description must be signed by the faculty member who agrees to supervise MRPs.
The student will choose the thesis advisor who will then chose together with the student the reader. The role of the reader is to review the draft version of the MRP or Thesis, to make comments and to read and evaluate the final version. The advisor and the reader may discuss the final mark of the MRP, they may mark the MRP separately and the final mark will be made from the average of the two marks.
In case of thesis writing the advisor and the reader will perform the same function as in MRP process. There will also be an external examiner who will be chosen by the advisor in consultation with the graduate coordinator. The External examiner will carry the most wait in the evaluation and the defence. The examination committee will normally be chaired by the Director of SOLAL or by Director’s delegate.
Two copies of the completed thesis will be submitted to the
Examples of Master’s theses by graduate students in the Latin American and Caribbean Studies program
Chang, Xintong. “La relación económica sino-chilena desde el año 1970 hasta el año 2015.” 2016.
Advisor: Pascal Lupien, LACS/Political Science
Scully, Jerome Aaron. “Denials and Declarations of Queerness: The Concept of el Hombre Nuevo.” Master’s thesis, University of Guelph, 2016 <http://atrium.lib.uoguelph.ca/xmlui/bitstream/handle/10214/9705/Scully_J....
Advisor: Gordana Yovanovich, LACS/Latin American Literature and Culture
Abstract: To better understand the socio-historical struggle for inclusion of the queer subject in the concept of el hombre nuevo, this study examines landmark essays on revolution by José Martí and Ché Guevara, their liberatory intent, and their rejection of the queer subject. This study also contemplates Anzaldúa’s articulation of European/Indigenous/queer mestizaje as a site of creative resistance, as well as her call for those in the struggle for liberation to listen to the queer voices in their movements. Finally, acclaimed works on queer sexuality and revolution by Manuel Puig, Senel Paz, and Tomás Gutiérrez Alea are analyzed to demonstrate the struggle to create el hombre nuevo, explore the challenging of stereotypes, and show the transformation of the revolutionary man and queer subject into allies, and also to reveal some conceptual tensions around sexuality that arise in bringing Paz’s text to film.
Beltramo, María Luciana. “Magical Realist Historical Fiction by Women Writers: Isabel Allende’s The House of the Spirits and Gioconda Belli’s The Inhabited Woman.” Master’s thesis, University of Guelph, 2014 <http://atrium.lib.uoguelph.ca/xmlui/bitstream/handle/10214/8688/Beltramo....
Advisor: Gordana Yovanovich, LACS/Latin American Literature and Culture
Abstract: This study is based on two contemporary novels written by Latin American women writers: The House of the Spirits (1982) by Isabel Allende and The Inhabited Women (1988) by Gioconda Belli. The purpose of my study is to discuss the ways in which the female characters respond to the social and political imperatives that history imposes on them, as they also question traditional structures and move a step forward towards their personal liberation. As witnesses of a political and social revolution in their countries, Allende and Belli articulate women’s voices, intertwine their personal experience and write alternative fictional stories which is mixed with the official story producing thus a new historical novel in Latin America. They also show that women are empowered through subtle means such as their collective memory, love and spirituality. After introducing the concepts of the new historical novel in Latin America, and after reviewing ideas regarding concepts as magical realism and collective memory, I will discuss how magical realism as a mode of expression widely used by Latin American writers that bridges historical realities, spirituality, and collective memory to give Latin American women writers a distinctive voice in the 1980s. This distinctive voice in The House of the Spirit and The Inhabited Woman take advantage of the Boom male writer’s achievements and create their own spaces to portray the revolutionary times in the 1970s in which women made significant contributions independently and in their relationship with men.
Laird Barry, Kuusta. “Troubling Frames: Linking Past, Present and Future Through an In-Depth Analysis of the Madres de Plaza de Mayo.” 2014 <http://atrium.lib.uoguelph.ca/xmlui/bitstream/handle/10214/8443/lairdbar....
Advisor: Candace Johnson, LACS/Political Science
Abstract: This thesis analyzes the Madres de Plaza de Mayo, a social movement based in Argentina that began in 1977. One of the main goals of this thesis is to try to account for the split in the movement that occurred in 1986 as well as its surprising longevity to date. Scholars tend to apply either a human rights or gender-identity frame to studies of the Madres however I posit that framing the movement and its demands as strictly rights- and/or identity-based claims sets in motion a “crippling reduction” that is the central problematic of this thesis. Because of this, I argue that understanding of this movement has been limited in a fundamental way that occults its transformative potential. This study begins to reveal the complexity inherent in one of the longest-standing social movements, underlining its significance as a model for effective sustained criticism that has theoretical applicability as a heuristic device beyond the national context from which it derives. This thesis demonstrates that the Madres’ importance as a social movement can be seen not just in terms of the claims they made against the Argentine state but in terms of how they evolved and have sustained complex political and moral principles.
Perez, Mery Angeles. “Empowered by Song: The Relationship Between Misa Campesina and Peasant Involvement in Nicaragua’s Revolution.” Master’s thesis, University of Guelph, 2014 <http://atrium.lib.uoguelph.ca/xmlui/bitstream/handle/10214/8134/Perez_Me....
Advisors: Howard Spring and Roberta Rice, LACS/Music, Political Science
Abstract: This thesis explores the relationship between the 1975 recording of Misa Campesina and peasant involvement in protest during the Nicaraguan revolution of 1979. It also looks at the mechanisms that were in place that caused this Mass to become a catalyst for protest and revolution. Through interviews of individuals who were involved in Ernesto Cardenal’s community of Our Lady of Solentiname and close analysis of the music and text found in this Mass, this thesis carries out a qualitative assessment and gathers testimonies that reflect the emotional involvement that this Mass and this community promoted among peasants and other members of the less privileged sectors of Nicaraguan society. The evidence found that this music’s capacity to articulate peasant cultural and moral values as well as its emotional appeal lie at the very foundation of what moved this community into protest.
Suazo Flores, Maca. “Comunidad y memoria en Crónica de una muerte anunciada de Gabriel García Márquez, La novia oscura de Laura Restrepo y Solibo Magnificent de Patrick Chamoiseau.” Master’s thesis, University of Guelph, 2013. <http://atrium.lib.uoguelph.ca/xmlui/bitstream/handle/10214/7495/suazoflo....
Advisor: Gordana Yovanovich, LACS/Latin American Literature and Culture
Abstract: Este estudio explora la representación de comunidades ficticias aplicando distintas teorías de comunidad y memoria encontradas en las ciencias sociales. El propósito de este análisis es entablar un puente entre comunidad y memoria a través de la narración, examinando de qué manera se construye la ‘idea’ de comunidad en las obras literarias Crónica de una muerte anunciada de, La novia oscura de Laura Restrepo y Solibo Magnificent de Patrick Chamoiseau; que tipos de comunidades se encuentran en ellas, como se expresa en las novelas el sentido de comunidad y pertenencia, que elementos determinan su cultura en común y qué función tiene la memoria colectiva en la conceptualización de comunidad. Se propone que en las tres novelas existen comunidades de memorias y que las representaciones de comunidades propuestas por estos autores pueden ser vistas como validas alternativas que ayudan al lector a formar ideas de cómo una comunidad escoge actuar y de qué manera decide recordar.
Zabalza, María Soledad. “La Representación de la Feminidad y de la Masculinidad en el Facundo: Un Estudio de Género del texto de D. F. Sarmiento.” Master’s thesis, University of Guelph, 2013 <http://atrium.lib.uoguelph.ca/xmlui/bitstream/handle/10214/7508/Zabalza_....
Advisor: M. Gloria González-Morales, LACS/Psychology
Abstract: Esta Tesis analiza la feminidad y la masculinidad como construcciones sociales del género de mediados del siglo XIX. Mediante la representación de los personajes de Juan Manuel de Rosas, el gaucho, Facundo Quiroga, la mujer y la Naturaleza como metáfora de mujer, se estudia el condicionamiento del género en la sociedad de la época y en la formación de la nación argentina. El Facundo divulga y reafirma los ideales de feminidad y masculinidad que son impuestos mediante prácticas de educación y empleo, entre otras, reafirmando las diferencias de roles de la mujer y del hombre en un intento de mejor controlar a la sociedad. El fin es uno ideológico burgués de modernización y crecimiento económico entendido como civilización. De esta forma, las actuaciones de género que son percibidas como un escollo al progreso son combatidas. El Facundo refleja, construye, reafirma y perpetúa esta política sobre el género.
Brenes Reyes, Jaime. “Ontological and Political Search for ‘El Hombre Nuevo’: Julio Cortázar’s Rayuela and Libro de Manuel.” Master’s thesis, University of Guelph, 2011 <http://atrium.lib.uoguelph.ca/xmlui/bitstream/handle/10214/3116/jaime%20....
Advisor: Gordana Yovanovich, LACS/Latin American Literature and Culture
Abstract: Despite the wide range of publications about Julio Cortázar, there is no study that specifically addresses the question: what does Cortázar mean by 'el hombre nuevo'? Based on a careful reading of two of his novels, Rayuela / Hopscotch and Libro de Manuel / A Manual for Manuel, my thesis defines 'el hombre nuevo' as Cortázar's attempt to establish a dialogue with the reader in order to invent together a new understanding of the human being. 'El hombre nuevo' involves an extended ontological search which is continued outside of the text, and the relationship author-reader goes beyond a dyadic model into the construction of a new community of new men and new women.
Major research papers written by past and current graduate students in the Latin American and Caribbean Studies program can be found below.
Lucio Pereira de Paula, Flavia. “Zero Hunger Program in Brazil: Is the Strategy Targeting Hunger or Poverty?” Forthcoming.
Abstract: The aim of this paper is to analyze the Zero Hunger policy and try to identify the actions that are truly related to improvement in nutritional conditions rather than only being related reduce levels of poverty through money transferences.
Rodrigo Tello. “Barrio Football Clubs and Ethnic Identity Construction in Peru and Argentina.” University of Guelph, 2016.
Advisors: Alan McDougall and Karen Racine LACS/History
Barra, Tania. “La capoeira: desde emblema de la identidad cultural y nacional brasileña a producto cultural en Norteamérica.” University of Guelph, 2015.
Advisors: Susan Douglas, LACS/Fine Arts and Gordana Yovanovich, LACS/Latin American Literature and Culture
Costas, Samantha. “Haydée and Mariela: Activism Under the Authority of the Cuban State.” University of Guelph, 2015.
Advisors: Gordana Yovanovich, LACS/Latin American Literature and Culture and Lisa Kowalchuk, LACS/Sociology
González, Osvaldo. “El papel del carnaval en la relocalización de la memoria colectiva en las novelas Solibo Magnificent de Patrick Chamoiseau y Green Grass, Running Water de Thomas King.” University of Guelph, 2015.
Advisors: Gordana Yovanovich, LACS/Latin American Literature and Culture and Pablo Ramirez, LACS/English Literature
Lopez Mejia, Oscar Fernando. “La tendencia progresista de los Gobiernos en América Latina: ¿Colombia marcha en Contravia?” University of Guelph, 2015.\
Advisors: Stuart McCook, LACS/History and Roberta Rice, Political Science
Munera, Betty. “Champeta: Entre Mestizaje y Multiculturalismo.” University of Guelph, 2015.
Advisors: Susan Douglas, LACS/Fine Arts and Gordana Yovanovich, LACS/Latin American Literature and Culture
Seguin, Krista. “Hybridization as Adaptation: Jewish Compromise and Exchange with Argentina, 1889-1930.” University of Guelph, 2015.
Advisors: Susan Douglas, LACS/Fine Arts and M. Bermudez (Argentina)
Milner, Darby Michalina. “Long Lasting Quality / The FNC, small-scale farming, and high quality beans: How fair trade coffee produced in Colombia has maintained long lasting success in fair-trade coffee production and exportation.” University of Guelph, 2014.
Advisors: Stuart McCook, LACS/History and Roberta Rice, Political Science
Charles, Shenella. “‘This Land is Our Land’: Changing State-Society Relations and Indigenous Land Rights Claims in Early Post-Independence Guyana.” University of Guelph, 2013.
Advisors: José Alejos García (University of Mexico) and Stuart McCook, LACS/History
Ferretti, Dustin. “Political Opportunities and the Anti-Neoliberal Mobilizing Framework / Explaining the (re)Emergence of the Chilean Student Movement in 2011.” University of Guelph, 2013.
Advisors: Gordana Yovanovich, LACS/Latin American Literature and Culture and Roberta Rice, Political Science
Garcia, Jennifer. “A Step Towards Genuine Multiculturalism: Exploring the Perspectives of Four Hispano-Canadian Writers.” University of Guelph, 2013.
Advisors: Gordana Yovanovich, LACS/Latin American Literature and Hugh Hazelton, Concordia University
McKenzie, James. “Identity Formation through Institutionalism: Tracing the Evolution of British Caribbean Identity through Regional Bodies from the Perspective of Sport, Politics and Education.” University of Guelph, 2013.
Advisors: Cecil Foster, Sociology and Joubert Satyre, LACS/Education
Pinto Mendoza, Juan Pablo. “Recovering Memories and Speaking Out: An exploration of cuenteria as a counter discourse within the context of armed conflict in Colombia.” University of Guelph, 2013.
Advisors: Susan Douglas, LACS/Fine Arts and José Alejos García (University of Mexico)
Rodriguez Camacho, Juan Carlos. “La hibridización constructiva desde la Identidad y el Arte: el caso Isleño-Raizal.” University of Guelph, 2013.
Advisors: Susan Douglas, LACS/Fine Arts and Lee L’Clerc, Spanish Language
Usin Rojas, Leslie. “The New Cuban Art Between Collective Memory and Official Discourse: Wifredo Lam Contemporary Art Center's Role Within Cuba's Cultural Identity.” University of Guelph, 2013.
Advisors: Susan Douglas, LACS/Fine Arts and Pablo Ramirez, LACS/English Literature
Bellstedt, Lisa. “Comparative Illustrations of the Urban Bohemian Intellectual Group in Julio Cortázar's Rayuela and Roberto Bolaño's Los detectives salvajes.” University of Guelph, 2012.
Advisors: Stephen Henighan, LACS/Hispanic Studies and Gordana Yovanovich, LACS/Latin American Literature and Culture
Brejkaln, Veronica. “Regional Integration in Europe and Latin America: A Comparative Study.” University of Guelph, 2012.
Advisors: Gordana Yovanovich, LACS/Latin American Literature and Culture, Jorge Nef, Political Science, and A. Rodríguez Sumano (University of Guadalajara)
Ivosevic, Jasmina Nina. “The ‘Free the Cuban Five’ Movement & the Miami-Washington Connection.” University of Guelph, 2012.
Advisors: Lisa Kowalchuk, LACS/Sociology and Lana Muglie (McMaster University)
Abad Puelles, José. “‘Trick or Treat’: Fairtrade Certification and its Implications for Rural Peruvian Coffee Farmers.” University of Guelph, 2011.
Advisor: Stuart McCook, LACS/History
Arellano, Manuel. “Strength in Networks: The Impact of Community Structures in Indigenous and Afro-Descendant Mobilizing in Colombia’s Southwest.” University of Guelph, 2011.
Advisors: Lisa Kowalchuk, LACS/Sociology and Renee Sylvain, Anthropology
Bates, André. “On the Fringes of Politically Permissible Protest in Contemporary Cuba: Afro-Descendant Cultural Forms of Political Expression and the Marches of Las Damas de Blanco.” University of Guelph, 2011.
Advisors: Lisa Kowalchuk, LACS/Sociology and Candace Johnson, LACS/Political Science
Foy Alizaar, Levi. “Distance and Difference: Muxes and Zapotec Femininity in North American Media.” University of Guelph, 2011.
Advisors: Jacqueline Murray, History and John Potvin (Concordia University)
Lawlor, Lisa Joan. “National Identity in the Bahamas: A Literary Perspective.” University of Guelph, 2011.
Advisors: Cecil Foster, Sociology and Candace Johnson, LACS/Political Science
Paciulan, Melissa. “The Gendered Experience of Latin American Mothers and Fathers in Canada's Agricultural Guestworker Programs.” University of Guelph, 2011.
Advisors: Kerry Preibisch, Sociology, Lisa Kowalchuk, LACS/Sociology, and Belinda Leach, Anthropology
Zaldivar, Allisson. “A Re-Vision of Andean conceptions of rights: Bolivian Indigenous Women and the Struggle Between Individual Rights and Collective Rights.” University of Guelph, 2011.
Advisors: Lisa Kowalchuk, LACS/Sociology and Beth Finnis (York University)
Lupien, Pascal. “The Impact of Indigenous Social Movements on Constitutional Reform in Ecuador and Bolivia.” University of Guelph, 2009.
Advisors: Jordi Diez, LACS/Political Science, Lisa Kowalchuk, LACS/Sociology, and Roberta Rice, Political Science
Martino, Jennifer. “One Laptop Per Child Project in Latin America.” University of Guelph, 2009.
Advisors: Karen Racine, LACS/History, Jorge Nef, Political Science, and Richard Gorrie, History