History 471
History of Brazil

Second Writing Assignment

http://www.history.umd.edu/Faculty/DWilliams/courses/Spring12/HIST471/paper2.html

The following writing assignment should draw explicitly from the assigned reading and the supplemental materials, as well as lectures.


Develop a teaching guide on the history of human rights abuses and the struggle against such abuses during the Brazilian military dictatorship.

The final product must include a 1000-word (not including notes/bibliography) critical historical overview of the subject matter, pitched to a university-student audience. This written overview should lay out the basic outlines of the history of human rights and military rule in Brazil, as well as some of the major problems of historical analysis and interpretation. You may frame such problems as open-ended, without any specific conclusions, but such problems must be presented in a way to provide your audience with information and concepts sufficient to develop a critical understanding of the issues at hand.

Materials in addition to the historical overview are encouraged, and may take a number of formats (paper, website, podcast, edited video, PowerPoint, etc.).

Your key sources will be:

  1. Sattamini, Lina. A Mother's Cry: A Memoir of Politics, Prison, and Torture under the Brazilian Military Dictatorship. Durham: Duke University Press, 2010. [ISBN: 978-0822347361]
  2. Dassin, Joan. "A Report on Human Rights in Brazil: A Report as of March, 1979." Universal Human Rights 1, no. 3 (July-September 1979): 35-49.
  3. Vlado: Thirty Years Later (2005; João Batista de Andrade, dir.)

    Download: http://docverdade.blogspot.com/2009/11/vlado-30-anos-depois-2005.html
  4. Brazil: A Report on Torture (1971; Haskell Wexler and Saul Landau, dirs)

    LinkTV site (including interview with former directors)
    http://www.linktv.org/programs/brazil-a-report-on-torture

    Spilt into five parts, the documentary is available on YouTube
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hyoHq_IJfPI
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZJ9xpKvsK8
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KScjYeQO_Rw
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sIB-medJ6A8
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UpIO8m9xjMI

  5. Materials identified independently

This writing assignment is due at the beginning of lecture on Thursday, May 10, 2012 (the last day of class). The last day will be devoted to in-class presentations.

The written portion of the assignment should use conventional formatting (i.e. double-spaced, reasonable fonts and margins, pagination) and CMS/Turabian notes/bibliography.

See the syllabus for the late policy.

Feel free to seek out the professor or your teaching assistant for guidance in writing a well-organized and engaging paper.

Outlines and/or rough drafts are always welcome. Or, consider making a visit to the Writing Center, located in 1205 Tawes Hall. Tel: (301) 405-3785.



HIST 471 Homepage
Email: Professor Williams