Latin American History (HIST 365)
“Poor people inhabit rich lands”
- E. Bradford Burns
| Fall 2018, Truman State University BH 212, MWF 1:30-2:20 Office: MC 227 |
Marc Becker |
Description
This course surveys the history of Latin America from independence from European colonial powers at the beginning of the nineteenth century to the early twenty-first century. We will examine a variety of issues including inequality, leadership styles, democracy, religion, and gender.
See the syllabus addendum on Blackboard for additional class policies.
Readings
Virginia Garrard, Peter V. N. Henderson, and Bryan McCann, Latin America in the modern world (New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 2017) w/ sourcebook 2V PK – ISBN#: 9780190910747; website: http://www.oup.com/us/garrard
Assignments and grades
Assignment Points
Daily identification terms (3 pts ea.) 100 pts
15 Weekly quizzes (5 pts ea.) 75
14 Primary source analyses (20 pts ea.) 280
Research paper proposal (Oct 24) 45
Primary source analysis (Nov 7) 100
Research paper (Dec 7) 200
Final exam 200
Daily identification terms. We will begin each class period with identifying and giving the significance of one of the key terms listed at the end of each chapter in the textbook. These will be graded on a scale of 1 to 3 points. One point indicates an incorrect response, two summarizes material from the text, and three demonstrates analytical and critical thinking that extends beyond the textbook.
Weekly quizzes. A weekly quiz is on the Blackboard webpage for each chapter from the textbook. Complete the quiz by class time on Monday.
Primary source analyses. Write a one-page essay analyzing one of the primary sources (your choice) in the source book. The essays must be typed and are due each Friday.
Research paper proposal: Submit a paragraph describing your project, the research questions you seek to address with the project, a hypothesis of what you expect to find (the thesis statement of your research paper), and a preliminary bibliography of sources that you plan to use. Due Oct 24. 45pts.
Primary source: Select a primary source related to your research topic from the microfilm collection (http://library.truman.edu/microforms/subject_list.htm#Latin%20American%20History). Try to find something that relates as closely as possible to your research topic. Have me approve the source in advance, and then write a paper (typed, double-spaced, about 3 pages, citations, bibliography, page numbers) analyzing the document and its historical perspective. Attach a copy of the document to the essay. Due Nov 7. 100pts.
Research paper: Write a research paper on a topic related to Latin American history. The paper must use a minimum of six scholarly sources (including at least one book and one journal article) and one primary source, and should be 15-20 pages long, typed, double-spaced, and include citations, a bibliography, and page numbers. The format should follow Mary Lynn Rampolla, A pocket guide to writing in history. Due Dec 7. 200pts.
Final Exam. The final exam is comprehensive (200 pts).
Class Schedule
Week 1 (Aug 20-24) Intro & Geography
Read: Prologue
Week 2 (Aug 27-31) Independence
Read: ch. 1
Week 3 (Sept 5-7) Regionalism
Read: ch. 2
Week 4 (Sept 10-14) Liberalism
Read: ch. 3
Week 5 (Sept 17-21) Exclusion
Read: ch. 4
Week 6 (Sept 24-28) Modernization
Read: ch. 5
Week 7 (Oct 1-5) Imperialism
Read: ch. 6
Week 8 (Oct 8-12) Progress
Read: ch. 7
Week 9 (Oct 15-17) Populism
Read: ch. 8
Week 10 (Oct 22-26) Modernity
Read: ch. 9
Week 11 (Oct 29-Nov 2) Revolutions
Read: ch. 10
Week 12 (Nov 5-9) Dictatorships
Read: ch. 11
Week 13 (Nov 12-16) Cold War
Read: ch. 12
Week 14 (Nov 26-30) Neoliberalism
Read: ch. 13
Week 15 (Dec 3-7) Identities
Read: ch. 14
Final Exam: Tues, Dec 11, 1:30-3:20