Overview

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

Specific details of courses to be offered will be published prior to enrollment each term.

COURSE DETAILS:

This is a seminar-style course that engages in critical analysis of local and global development initiatives in a Latin American context. The course will help students understand the current dynamics of pressing Latin American issues such as Political Instability, Economic Inequality, Migration, Environmental Challenges and Illegal Drug Trade as well as their history and often-surprising interrelated dynamics.

We will explore case studies from various countries (Mexico, Colombia, Brazil, Cuba, South Cone) to provide a comprehensive understanding of the diverse experiences and trajectories within Latin America today.

We will also spend a few weeks discussing and debating the nature/merits of the most dynamic intellectual trends that emerge from Latin America vis-à-vis Decolonial Feminism, Postcolonial Cultural Analysis, Philosophy of Liberation, “Indigenismo”, Coloniality, and Decoloniality as well as the legacies of larger historical forces such as (Neo)colonialism, Neoliberalism, and so called ‘21^st Century Socialism.’

We will engage with traditional academic readings, but we will also analyze new media such as podcasts, social documentary film and contemporary art.

COURSE-LEVEL EDUCATIONAL GOALS:

1. Comprehensive Historical Understanding: Students will acquire a nuanced and comprehensive understanding of the historical development including the socio-economic, political, and cultural factors that shaped Latin America as we know it today.
2. Critical Analysis and Evaluation: Students will develop advanced skills in critically analyzing primary and secondary sources related to the history of extraction in Latin America. You will be able to evaluate the complex relationships between indigenous communities, colonial powers, and postmodern nation-states in the context of mining and resource/oil exploitation.
3. Synthesis and Interdisciplinary Knowledge: You will integrate knowledge from diverse disciplines such as history, sociology, economics, and environmental studies to comprehend the multifaceted identity/subjectivity of the contemporary Latin American subject and relation to a wider global economic/political order.
4. Proficiency in social theory concepts and improvement of communication skills: Students will develop a critical appreciation of recent trends in Latin America, as well as their historical roots. In addition, students will be able to understand, explain and assess contemporary and canonical social theory concepts specific to Latin American politics. Lastly, this class will help you improve and refine writing skills through the composition of research and response papers.

Grading

Materials

REQUIRED READING:

REQUIRED READING NOTES: