How does Valdez portray the events around the Sleepy Lagoon incident and/or the so-called “Zoot Suit Riots” compared to accounts from historians?
How does Valdez portray how Chicano/es suffer from and/or resist oppression by powerful institutions or systems, such as the criminal justice system, the U.S. military, systemic racism, the mass media, etc.?
What did solidarity look like between different racialized groups (Chicano/e, Filipino/e, Black, Jewish, etc.) during the “Zoot Suit Riots” and what is a key lesson we can take today about this form of solidarity?
What is the mythological and/or symbolic role of “El Pachuco” in the play? For instance, how does he relate to stereotypes about Mexican-Americans, Chicanos, Aztecs, and/or Pachucos?
How do gender roles shape the play? For instance, how are men and women represented or treated differently in society (e.g., when it comes to clothing, personal freedoms, voice, family roles, etc.)?
How is Zoot Suit animated by the concerns or objectives of the Chicano movement (aka El Movimiento)?
What is the message or moral of the play and how does it apply to current concerns?
How does the play illustrate or challenge one of the ten monster theses?
Other? (check with Prof. Garcia)
Chicano Frankenstein
What is message or moral of Chicano Frankenstein and how does it apply to current concerns?
Is Olivas’ novel a “retelling” or “remixing” (or something else) of the Shelley original and why does he draw on Shelley's novel for his own?
How does Olivas’ novel compare in some key way(s) (theme, plot, symbolism, characters, style, or genre) to a work inspired by Frankenstein by another writer or artist of color?
How does Olivas’ work speak to the modern experience of being oppressed and/or created by powerful institutions or systems, such as ONE of the following: Big Science, Big Tech, Big Pharma, Govt. institutions, or mass media?
How do gender and gender roles play into the novel? E.g., how would it be different if the “monster” or doctor were represented as a woman? Or why is the President characterized as a woman?
Why does Olivas center the novel on reanimation? E.g., is he presenting a realistic future scenario or a metaphor for current situations?
How is Chicano Frankenstein animated by the ideas, objectives, or symbols of the Chicano movement?
How does the novel draw on and/or depart from the conventions of one of the following genres: Chicano Literature, Romanticism, Gothic Literature, Science Fiction, or Political Satire? Or how does it blend two genres? For example, is this an example of Chicano Gothic or Chicano Science Fiction?
How/why does Olivas' novel draw on a work of art (such as Rodin's The Walking Man) to symbolize a message or accomplish its aim?
How does the novel illustrate a psychological concept or phenomenon, such as the return of the repressed, the uncanny, individuation, PTSD, intergenerational trauma, intergenerational healing, etc.?
How does the novel illustrate or challenge one of the ten monster theses?
Other? (check with Prof. Garcia)
Creating Strong Research Questions
The video below offers some tips for creating good, open-ended research questions to help guide your research:
