May 8th, 2020 
Honors Project DescriptionSpring 2020This project isa critical review of the book Memoirs of Bernardo Vega. A Contribution to the History of the Puerto Rican Community in New York.The purpose of the project is to foster a learning experience wherethe student gain a deep understandingof an important stage inthe history of Puerto Rican migration to New Yorkby reading ahistoricaland autobiographical account written in the first person by one privileged protagonist.To do this the student needs to read the book criticallyto identify the main ideas the author expresses.It is useful that the studentgain familiaritywith the history of the Puerto Rican migration to the United States and particularly to New York City. The student should also question the information and opinions expressed in the text. It is also expected that thestudent assessthe strengths and weaknessesof thebook. This will be done adequately if the student becomes familiar withthe literary genre the books belongs to, i. e. memoir or autobiography,as well as otherrelated textslike the writings of PuertoRican feminist and labor leader Luisa Capetillo and Cuando era puertorriquea, by Esmeralda Santiago.This will allow student to consider the content of the book from different historical perspectivesand to contextualize it within a tradition of personal accounts about what it means for Puerto Ricans to migrate to NYC.The student should also evaluate howthe content of thebook is presented, what are the authors objectives and what is hisaudience.An important component of this critical reviewisthe analysis of the text. This aspect entails ability to identify the way the text is structured, what elements make part of it and how they connect.The book was originally written in Spanish.There is also an English translation available. The student is free to choose the version she wants to readto compose the critical review.The critical review is to be 7-10 pages in length. It shouldbe submitted using MLA format, 12-point font, Times New Roman, doubled-spaced, with even margin text
Posted in 