Written assignments comprise 80% of the course grade, with each of the following accounting for 20%.

Weekly Discussion Posts

Regular writing is intended to help you clarify your thoughts before class, and prepare for the midterm and final. As such, you will be asked to write eight 250-350 word reflections on the week’s themes and readings and post them to our public forum on Blackboard. Successful posts will respond directly to my discussion prompt and demonstrate a close-reading of the texts, including the authors’ main arguments, use of sources, and relation to other themes and texts discussed in the course. Posts are due at 11:59pm each Tuesday night. Each post after the required eight boosts your final grade by half a point.Since this assignment is intended to prepare you for class, late posts will not be accepted.

Midterm Primary Source Analysis

2-3 page primary source analysis. I will provide a bank of primary sources related to course topics. You will select two of these sources and write a comparative analysis.

Group Project

In the second half of the semester, we will examine the main themes of the class through a mock United Nations hearing on the status of Puerto Rico, held on the final day of class. I will assign students to represent various interest groups—e.g. the chamber of commerce, trade unions, the Puerto Rican diaspora, the Financial Oversight and Management Board (“la junta”), etc. Each group of students will research its interest group’s position on the decolonization of Puerto Rico, write a brief, historically-informed position paper, and deliver it as testimony at the mock United Nations hearing.

Final Reflective Essay

A short reflective essay on how your understanding of history has changed over the course of the semester.