The basis for Essay 8 is a topic -- of your own selection -- that is located in Southern California. Your task is to create a thesis, based on your research, in which you draw connections between the topic and larger transnational, global networks of exchange.
Be sure to read the prompt for Essay 8 carefully, so you understand the various tasks and deadlines related to this assignment.
To help you start thinking about a topic, some rough, possible
selections are listed below. This is, of course, a partial list: you
can select any topic you wish (with your instructor's approval), as long
as it is pertinent to this essay assignment.
These topic ideas (many generated by UCI Humanities Core
Course students) are arranged by subject area. Note that topics
often fall under more than one category (which can be a benefit
when searching for a variety of primary and secondary source material).
Keep in mind you must make an argument about the topic
-- simple reportage is not enough to write a passing paper. Think
about the various lenses of analysis you have been using throughout
the year, such as gender, race and class. This can get you started
thinking about different ways writers might approach, and argue about,
the same topic.
ARCHITECTURE
- Spanish mission architecture in Southern California
- Irving Gill's fusion of Spanish mission and modernist architectural
styles
- the influence of Europe on American modernism
- European expatriates such as Richard Neutra and Rudolph Schindler
- Japanese influences in the bungalows of Greene and Greene
- Frank Gehry's international impact
ASIAN AMERICANS
- Filipino American debut parties
- Little Saigon and other ethnic enclaves in Orange
County and Southern California
- controversies over the public display of flags and other nationalistic
symbols (e.g. the case of Hi-Tek, the Little Saigon video store where the
owner displayed a portrait of Ho Chi Minh)
- Monterey Park as "the first suburban Chinatown"
- the internment during World War II of Japanese Americans living in
Southern California
- Amerasians (children born of Vietnamese mothers and American servicemen
during the Vietnam War) living in Southern California
/ in Orange County: St. Anselm's
Amerasian Program, aiding Amerasians
- controversies over Orange County-based groups (e.g. Government of Free
Vietnam, a controversial anti-Communist organization in Garden Grove that
works against the Vietnamese government)
BIOLOGICAL/ENVIRONMENTAL
- global warming and Rowland's
Nobel Prize winning research on it at UCI
- animal breeding with
foreign species
- introduction
of foreign plants, animals, diseases into SoCal environment
BUSINESS/CONSUMERISM/ECONOMICS
- Disney -- theme parks, retail stores, overseas markets,
etc.
- Irvine as site of home
base for many international companies, multinationals
- immigrant owned- and/or run-
businesses
- IKEA
- cruise lines
COLLEGE LIFE
- international
students
- Student Exchange Programs, practices
and perceptions
- academic majors and programs
at UCI
- various clubs and associations
at UCI:
/ Muslim Student Union
/ Asian
American Car Clubs
/ Southeast Asian student groups
(e.g. Project Ngoc, which promotes advocacy for refugees in Asian camps)
CULTURE
Art:
freeway murals
Dance
Food:
ethnic restaurants in Orange County/Southern California
distributors of ethnic foods located in Orange County/Southern California
ethnic grocery stores
food festivals
McDonald's and/or other fast food chains
Holidays and Festivals
Literature:
Orange County/UCI authors (Munoz, Villegas, Morales, etc)
Movies:
Hollywood and cultural exchange
influence of Asian film industries (Hong Kong, Korea, India et al.) on
American movies
influence of Bollywood on Hollywood musicals
influence of Hollywood on Bombay
historical influence of French film (film noir, new wave criticism
and cinema) on Hollywood
impact of talking films on
international film industry
Music:
Latin, Asian rap music
ethnomusicology
specific figures/groups originating from Southern California
(Gwen Stefani, Los Lobos, Ozomatli etc.)
concert halls, clubs
impact
of international influences on music industry in SoCal
Poetry
EDUCATION
- biligual programs
FASHION
IMMIGRATION
- personal family histories
- generational differences
in immigrant groups
- migration patterns of groups
- refugee histories
- border regulations
- regional support groups
for immigrants
LABOR
- citrus workers
- domestics
- employment of illegal aliens
in Southern California
- poverty and unemployment
in OC
- firms that outsource jobs
overseas
- sweatshops
LANGUAGE
- English-only initiatives
- debates about public signs
- hybrids of English and
other languages (e.g. Spanglish)
LEISURE
MASS MEDIA
- multi-language television
stations such as KSCI in Los Angeles
- Southern California-based
distributors of imported CDs, DVDs., VCDs
- piracy, copyright issues
- ethnic newspapers
MEDICINE
- pharmaceuticals
from Canada
-
International Red Cross
-
Eastern medicine: meditation, acupuncture, Indian medicine
NATIONAL SECURITY
- homeland security
in UCI, Orange County, Southern California
- impact of Patriot Act on
OC foreign trade and travel
POLITICS
RELIGION
-
a
local manifestation or adaptation of a religious aspect, ritual or festival:
/ Eid
/ Passover
/ Day of the Dead
/ hymns in a local Coptic Orthodox
church
/ changes in worship services in
the local Mexican Catholic church
/ role of women immigrants in local
Catholic church vs. churches in Mexico
- a local institution that belongs to
a global religion (e.g. Buddhist monastery in Trabuco Canyon)
- the effects of American materialism,
etc., on a certain religion
- immigrating for religious reasons
- local missionary group and its work
overseas
- ethnic churches
and temples
- the role of the clergy
in aiding immigrants in Orange County (e.g. St. Anselm's Cross-Cultural
Community Center in Garden Grove)
- local/regional religious
centers
- interfaith organizations
- exchange and impact of Christian and Buddhist beliefs/practices
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA - HISTORICAL
- the Rancho era
/ in Orange County: prominent landowners
such as Jose Antonio Yorba
- Spanish missionaries/missions
in Southern California
/ effects on the Indian population
/ narratives by missionaries, Indians
SPORTS
- foreign players
on the Angels and other professional teams
- marketing sports teams
to Spanish-speaking audiences in Southern California
- import car racing: UCI
as "the University of Civics and Integras"
- martial arts
TECHNOLOGY
- international technology
companies based in Orange County/Southern California
THEATER
TOURISM
TRADE
- maquiladoras
- North America Free Trade
Agreement (NAFTA)
You will need to select a research area relatively quickly, so
you can start compiling sources and constructing your annotated bibliography.
Use keywords related to your potential topic and do a quick search for sources
(using Melvyl, JSTOR, or any resources that you have used in your
Discovery Tasks). See "ESSAY
8: STARTING YOUR RESEARCH PROJECT" for guidance, and review "ESSAY 8: RESOURCES AVAILABLE AT THE UCI LIBRARIES."
This list is designed to help you find a basic area of research. Keep in mind that you will need to generate a THESIS for your paper that articulates an original argument based on your reading of primary and secondary sources. Compiling and reading sources early will help you refine and further narrow the focus of your topic, so it is important for you to keep up with the research and writing assignments that your instructor will be giving you in the upcoming weeks.
If you are interested in a subject area not on this list, let your instructor know. These are suggested areas, so do not be afraid to modify any that are on this list, or to generate your own topic, as long as you get the approval of your instructor.
<--- I. CHOOSING A TOPIC
---> II. FINDING
SOURCES
This page maintained by Jon Mochizuki.
Please send comments, suggestions and corrections to jamochiz@uci.edu.