History 508:262
Modern
Latin America
Spring
2008
Monday
and Thursday
2nd
Period (9:50-11:10am)
Syllabus
This course on Modern Latin America is
designed to introduce you to contemporary Latin American life, and to show you
how the historical development of the region has shaped today's Latin
America. Inevitably for a region
as large (more than 20 countries) and diverse as Latin America,
covering a period of 2 centuries, we cannot address every significant trend and
occurrence in every country. We will focus our attention on how people have
lived their lives in Latin America, paying attention to
their personal lives as well as the effects of large-scale political, economic
and cultural circumstances on the opportunities and constraints for Latin
Americans.
Class sessions will include lectures, discussion
sessions, videos, and music. The readings are from a wide selection of
books. In addition to the text (Martin
and Wasserman, Latin America and its
People), readings include novels, personal accounts, journalistic
descriptions, and scholarly articles. The assigned readings and class sessions
are complementary; they do not repeat each other. So, to follow the lectures, it will be
necessary for you to stay current on the readings.
A summary outline for
each class session (or group of sessions), with a question about the reading
for you to think about, will be available on the web site a day or two before
the class to help you begin thinking about the issues we will cover.
The readings are from a wide selection
of books. In addition to the text, readings include novels, personal accounts,
journalistic descriptions, and scholarly articles. Articles and chapters are
available on-line, from my website.
Please
read the syllabus carefully; it includes:
·
a description of the course and its requirements
·
a schedule of class
sessions and assignments
·
writing guidelines to assist you
in writing essays
·
a map of Latin
America, with capital cities noted by a star, to prepare for the
map test
·
a note on electronic resources for the course.
Course
Requirements:
The
components of the final grades for this class are:
|
25%
40%
20%
10%
5%
|
mid-term
essay (take-home)
final
essay (take-home)
participation
book
review
map
test (cannot pass course without passing map test) – see attached map
|
Participation
and Discussion sessions:
Preparation
for class participation is an essential component of the course. For several of
the classes, short questions on the readings will be passed out before the
class, or at the beginning of class sessions. Your written answers to the
questions will not receive a letter grade, other than to note if you do not
provide an answer. Missing more than one out of every five of these questions
will result in a deduction of one-half of a letter grade from your
participation grade for the course.
As noted in the syllabus, we have
scheduled several discussion sessions, in place of lectures. Attendance at, and participation in, the
discussion sessions is mandatory. The leader
of the discussion session will assign each student a grade to reflect the
quality of participation for the semester. The nature of the sessions will
vary, depending on the topics. We will
organize the class into discussion groups after the first week of the semester.
Map
Quiz
Every student must pass the map quiz
(scheduled for 7 Feb.) in order to pass the course. A map of Latin America,
identifying countries and their capital cities accompanies this syllabus; the
quiz will draw from this map.
Book Review
Below, in the readings section and in
the body of the syllabus, I have identified four books. You should choose any one of them to read thoroughly. Write a
review of 4 to 6 pages that gives an overview of the book and answers the
questions raised in the syllabus. The due date for the book that you choose is
indicated in parentheses below and in the body of the syllabus
Essays:
The course requirements include
take-home midterm and final essays. I will distribute the exam questions to
allow sufficient time for all students to consider the questions and write
well-developed answers. I do not accept late exams.
Readings
Books available at Rutgers University Bookstore or
Alexander Library Reserve Desk
C.E. Martin and M. Wasserman Latin America and its People, volume 2.
M. Azuela; The Underdogs
(can access as e-book from within
Rutgers computer system)
C. Garcia Dreaming in Cuban
Short pieces:
Chasteen, ed. “Making Sense
of Caudillos in Nineteenth Century Latin America”
Beezely, Judas at the
Jockey Club
Farnsworth-Alvear;
Dulcinea in the
Factory; Introduction, Chapters 1 and 2
Levine &
Crocetti (eds.) The Brazil Reader
selected readings on Getúlio Vargas
S. Besse, Restructuring
Patriarchy selected readings
D. Palmer (ed.)
The Shining
Path of Peru, selected readings
N.
Scheper-Hughes; Death Without
Weeping; Chapter 6
J.A. Hellman; Mexican
Lives, selected readings
S. Leite Lopes; “Transformations in National Identity through
Football in Brazil”
Books for book reviews –
available at Alexander Library or through Amazon.com (Problems with
availability is not an excuse for late submission.)
K. M. de Queirós
Mattoso; To Be a Slave in Brazil,
1550-1888 (papers on this book are due 14 February)
M. Johns; The City of Mexico in the Age of Diaz (papers
on this book are due 25 February)
A.
Farnsworth-Alvear; Dulcinea in the
Factory: Myths, Morals, Men and Women in Colombia’s Industrial Experiment,
1905-1960 (papers on this book are due 24 March)
M. Guzman Bouvard; Revolutionizing Motherhood: The Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo (papers
on this book are due 21 April)
Electronic resources for
508:262:07
Modern Latin
America
Spring 2008
Students
enrolled in Modern Latin American can access the class
syllabus and class session outlines
through the course website. Links to the on-line readings are inserted into the
syllabus. I will post any changes to the syllabus as the semester progresses. I
will also keep the outline updated.
This information
is also available through the course site on Sakai.
When you register for the course, you automatically receive access to the Sakai
site. The syllabus is available through the “syllabus” link on the course site
(on the left side of the page); you can get to the outline through the “web
content” link. Through the semester, additional materials will appear on the Sakai
site. These will include the mid-term and final essay assignments. Once in a
while, I may alter assignments and readings. If that happens, I will post the
new material to the course site and send an e-mail notice.
You will submit
your essays through the course site’s “drop-box.” I will insert any comments on
your paper, and grade your essay, from the file that you send through the drop-box,
and then return it to you by e-mail as soon as I am finished. The drop-box also
records the time that you submit your file; I use that time-stamp to determine
that you have submitted your paper on time.
If you are
unfamiliar with Sakai, go to the “Quick
Guide for Site Members” for an introduction.
Please let me
know about any problems you have with Sakai,
and any suggestions that you have about how additional uses of the course site.