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Latina/o, Caribbean, & Latin American Studies Subject Guide — Narrowing Topics in Latina/o, Caribbean, and Latin American Studies

Topics and resources for Latina/o, Caribbean, & Latin American Studies

Narrowing a Topic

Adapt or narrow your topic to match the course expectations or research project assignment.

  • What are expectations around the length of the paper or project?
    • For example, is it a long research paper where you might analyze multiple aspects of the Mexican Revolution or a short paper where you might focus on a specific aspect of the conflict?

     

  • What are the expectations around the use of primary and secondary sources?
    • Are there enough secondary sources (monographs, edited volumes, peer-reviewed journal articles) to support your analysis of a narrow topic?
    • Are primary sources available in a language that you can read and are they digitized or available through the UConn Library?

Examples

Use the examples below as models to think about matching the size and scope of the topic with the expectations for the assignment or research project.

Mexican Revolution

Mexican Revolution Down Arrow Gender and Sexuality in the Mexican Revolution Down Arrow Participation of Soldaderas and Coronelas in Pancho Villa and Emiliano Zapata's Armies

Cuban Revolution

Cuban Revolution down arrow Cuban Revolution and United States Intervention down arrow John F. Kennedy and Nikita Khrushchev's Negotiations of the Cuban Missile Crisis