HIS 243: Latinx Histories: Course Guide

PRESENTATION (15%)

Each student will choose one week to present on a chosen concept or theme from that week’s readings. You will then identify a primary source that
illustrates this idea. Examples include a magazine article, an object, a public policy, comic, etc. Presentations should be 5-7 minutes long. Make sure your presentation:

• Introduces your example
• Defines your chosen concept/theme
• Identifies the reading it is from
• Connects your example to the reading
• If you show a video clip, it must be under 2 minutes
• No online submissions will be accepted

NEWSPAPER ESSAY (20%)

Students will write a 3–5-page midterm paper that compares two articles using newspaper sources available at UK Libraries (see course
library page for more information). Students will be expected to draw from at least one course readings to contextualize their analysis within the course. Do not just summarize the articles, but put them into some bigger context—develop themes, identify a thesis. What can we learn from this glimpse into the past? Due: March 3, at 11:59pm on Canvas.

PROSPECTUS FOR EXHIBIT PROPOSAL (5%)

Write a 1-page plan of action for your exhibit proposal. Describe what your exhibit will cover (the topic, what it's about, etc.).
Explain why the exhibit would be an important addition to a national museum of Latinx history (who cares? what might its impact be?). Provide a preliminary sense of the contents or contours of the exhibit (what will visitors learn about? what will they see? how will you hold their interest?). List 1-2 possible sources for your final project in a bibliography. I encourage you to speak with me in advance about your ideas. Due: April
4 at 11:59pm on Canvas.

EXHIBIT PROPOSAL (30%)

Students will imagine, explain, and argue for the creation of a new museum exhibit that the Smithsonian Institution might develop for a "National
Museum of the American Latino" (which opened its first gallery in Spring 2022). Some possible examples include: "Dominican activism in the United States," "the Spanish language press," "Mexican immigrants in Topeka, Kansas," "Central Americans in the 1980s," "Latinx communities and the AIDS crisis," "Latina labor activists in the 20th century," or "histories of deportation." Due: May 5 at 11:59pm on Canvas. You will have 5 minutes to present your project during in-class presentations at the end of the semester.
Your proposal should:

• Draw on 1-2 assigned readings and 1-2 outside secondary sources.
• Include a 500-word statement that introduces your exhibit to museum visitors.
• Make an argument for the importance of your exhibit: Who should spend time in this space, and why will it be important for them to do so? Be specific.
• Include THREE objects, documents, or art pieces to showcase. Write 1-2 sentence label for each item. This is your chance to consider what kinds of artifacts or objects will visitors see, and what will they read or hear or encounter as they move through the space.
• Write a 2-3-page essay that links your exhibit to Latinx History. Convince reviewers (including your instructor) that your exhibit will be based in scholarship and research, that it will have academic credibility. What scholarship will you draw from, how will you represent individuals and communities, and what (if anything) will your exhibit try to prove? Why framing choices have you made in your exhibit and why?
• You'll also need to make your sources (primary and secondary) clear in footnotes or endnotes or parenthetical citations, and if you are using a significant number of sources, you will likely need to include a short bibliography.

State and Local Resources

La Voz de Kentucky 

Full-text access to a bilingual newspaper with distribution throughout Central Kentucky, 2001-2018.

Apoyo KY: Supporting Latino Communities in Kentucky

Oral history series featuring individuals who support Latino communities in Kentucky. 

Kentucky Hispanic Heritage Project 

Database with indexed records of information sources about Latino people in Kentucky. Full-text access available for most sources.

Documenting the Presence of Latinx Students at the University of Kentucky: A Living Digital Exhibit

Digital version of an exhibit held at the Special Collections Research Center at the University of Kentucky in December 2022.

Newspaper Databases

Oral History Resources

Additional Resources at UK

When searching in databases, use keywords that best represent your topic and separate those terms with the word OR in the search box. Use different search boxes for distinct concepts. See below for an example of a properly formatted database search. 

Be sure to put quotation marks around any search term with more than one word (e.g. "United States"). You can also insert an asterisk in a search term to see all variations of the word in the results list (e.g. latin* = Latin Americans, latinos, latinx, latinity, etc.).

Use the limiters on the left-hand side of the search results screen to narrow your results. Usually, limiting by date and source type are good places to start. See image below. 

Cite your sources using the Chicago Manual of Style. Use the resources below to properly format your citations. Also, be aware that you can often copy citations when searching in databases (see image below) by clicking the quotations mark icon. While this is a quick and convenient trick, you will need to double-check the accuracy of the format because there will often be errors.

I am here to help you. You can always email me (taylor.c.leigh@uky.edu) with questions. You can also request a individual or group consultation. That is a opportunity for us to discuss whatever issue you are having with your research process. Consultations can be done on Zoom, in-person, or even on the phone. You can email me or schedule a consultation by clicking the buttons under my profile picture at the top-right of this page. 

For definitions and information about primary, secondary, and tertiary sources, please see the following guide: Primary, Secondary, & Tertiary Sources