The are two lists of documentaries from two nationally recognized educational resources,
Kanopy and Docuseek, exploring different perspectives of Latino/Hispanic trajectories in the
U.S., some of them discussed in class during the semester, and specifically in connection to the
experience of living and growing in New York City.
For your final exam, you have to choose two (2) documentaries, one (1) from each list, watch
them twice, take notes, establish and understand their themes or topics. Second, draw parallel
lines of arguments, and look for contrasting perspectives and/or similarities. Finally, write a four
(4) pages contextual analysis of the documentaries, emphasizing how well the directors were
able to convey and communicate their ideas in the context of Puerto Rican and Latinx
experiences and which documentary was more successful in achieving that goal. Contextual
analysis is an analysis of the documentaries as part of a broader context.
Here some guidance: Think about the culture, time, and place where the documentaries were
created. What might the documentaries say about the Latino/Hispanics themes weve discussed
in class? What are the major social and political concerns of the time period of the
documentaries? Other examples of contextual approaches might be analyzing the documentaries
in terms of its civil rights perspective or how does their meaning changes when seen outside of
their culture? What characteristics distinguishes each documentary as being about their particular
culture? When using examples to explain your arguments, always refer to the timeline (e.g. on
minute 14:30) and cite your sources using MLA style.
List A: Kanopy (w/o citations)
1) Not My Neighbourhood https://brooklyn.kanopy.com/video/not-my-neighbourhood
2) House Divided https://brooklyn.kanopy.com/video/house-divided-0
3) True New York https://brooklyn.kanopy.com/video/true-new-york
4) Los Sures https://brooklyn.kanopy.com/video/los-sures?pos=1
5) In Jackson Heights https://brooklyn.kanopy.com/video/jackson-heights
List B: Docuseek (w/ citations)
1) La Americana.”, directed by Anonymous, Scorpion TV, 2010. Alexander Street,
https://video-alexanderstreet-com.ez-proxy.brooklyn.cuny.edu/watch/la-americana
2) “Brother Towns / Pueblos Hermanos.”, directed by Anonymous, Bullfrog Films, 2010.
https://video-alexanderstreet-com.ez-proxy.brooklyn.cuny.edu/watch/brother-towns-pueb
los-hermanos.
3) “Multiracial Identity.”, directed by Anonymous, Bullfrog Films, 2011. Alexander Street,
https://video-alexanderstreet-com.ez-proxy.brooklyn.cuny.edu/watch/multiracial-identity.
4) “From the Other Side.”, directed by Anonymous, Icarus Films. Alexander Street,
https://video-alexanderstreet-com.ez-proxy.brooklyn.cuny.edu/watch/from-the-other-side
.
5) “The Hand that Feeds.”, directed by Anonymous, Bullfrog Films, 2015. Alexander Street,
https://video-alexanderstreet-com.ez-proxy.brooklyn.cuny.edu/watch/the-hand-that-feeds
