Problems in la

How much do we know about LA today?

Instructions:
Research the media, analyze current LA news. Build an argument. Write a two to three page critical commentary to report a personal statement on the core historical values that help explain the contemporary processes in the region.
+ Objective: read the media and explore different cultural and historical issues in order to gain a betterunderstanding of concepts, dynamics, current topics, attitudes and perceptions that are prevalent in some parts of the region Latin American society and culture today.

Work in regards to these issues:
a) role of women, b) role of religion, c) globalization, d) migration, e) health issues, f) energy problems, g) democracy and inequality h) business within the region and with other countriesabroad.

Regarding ways in which LA has changed in the last 10 years? How do we recognize change? What is being debated for each issue? Which causes are being considered? What consequences are being faced or feared?
After reading and researching draw your conclusions based on facts, ideas and factors that the media presents. Make a summary statement as a conclusion of a group discussion ofdetails. Summarize the major points of an argument.

Check as reference and bibliography: Current events in Latin America news headlines in yahoo. http://news.yahoo.com/latin-america/

TEXT FOR EXAM PREP
Read, summarize and explain.

Consequences of globalization
Since the 1980s, globalization has changed drastically both negatively and positively the life of millions of people around theworld, and Latin America has not escaped this change.  In some places of the region globalization affects the traditional territorial political space and its associated claim to sovereignty. In other countries the impact of neoliberal policies promoted by the Washington Consensus (WC), and multinational corporations (MNCs), and specially the “structural adjustment policies” (SAPs) that theInternational Monetary Fund (IMF), and the World Bank (WB), promote when assisting Latin American economic problems have increased percentage of national income or wealth concentrating it in the hands of a few people.
Work in regards to these issues:
Role of women (from http://suite101.com/article/role-of-women-in-latin-america-a327120)
Role of religion in LA (fromhttp://www.philtar.ac.uk/encyclopedia/latam/geness.html)

Migration (From http://www.economist.com/node/999559)

Migration has a long history in Latin america. Many Mexicans began to seek work in the United States half a century ago. Tens of thousands fled dictatorships in South America's southern cone in the 1970s. Those countries in the region that were better-off acted as magnets to their neighbours: Argentina, forexample, has about 1m immigrants from neighbouring countries. During its oil boom in the 1960s and 1970s, Venezuela absorbed more than 500,000 Colombians, as well as Caribbeans. Mexico has long attracted Central Americans, while 500,000 Nicaraguans work in Costa Rica, and 600,000 Haitians in the Dominican Republic. But over the past two decades, not only has migration accelerated dramatically, but thefinal destinations of the migrants are now mainly the United States and Western Europe, and Chile rather than other Latin American countries. The new emigrants include middle-class, educated workers, as well as the poor. 

How is society and culture reflected in movies?
1.  Mi Vida Loca (1985) A drama illustrating the life of Mexican Americans in East Los Angeles, California. The movie depictsmassive gang activity as well as the struggle faced by young Mexican Americans in an effort to mediate values and identify with their society. The movie contains some violence and cursing (in English).
2. Mi Familia/My Family (1994) Depicts the struggles of a Mexican American Family over three generations. Strong contrasts of values between grandparents, children, and grandchildren are...