COURSE OBJECTIVES

Latin America is a disconcerting and fascinating place--Near and similar in some ways, very distant and different in others. Objectives of this class are to develop an understanding of the historical factors that have contributed to these paradoxical similarities and differences. In exploring the Latin American "other" we will learn something about our own history and ourselves.

To cover the history of Latin America since 1825 in one semester requires a great deal of simplification and definition. The key purpose of this class is to develop an appreciation of Latin America’s interesting history and its fascinating culture, but also to understand the historical roots of structural and development challenges facing the region today. The course will concentrate on the tensions in Latin America between forces of change and forces of continuity in order to better understand the positive and negative legacies of Latin America’s past and better appreciate the importance of the region to us today.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS

1. Class Participation: 30% of your final grade is based on class participation, although it may be the most important of all of the factors that determine your grade. Class participation means more than just attendance--it means being a listener, a discussion participant, and a questioner who is not afraid to challenge points that seem unclear or with which you do not agree. But at a minimal level, none of this is possible if you are not in class.

One-third of your class participation grade is based on attendance, the other two-thirds on what you do when you are in class.  ning letter from the Dean of Students, you will receive a WF and be removed from the class rolls.

2. Movie Reviews: (10%) You will be asked to write two short movie reviews. The details will be forthcoming.

All written assignments should be neatly written, typed, or word processed, and free from errors. They will be graded in the same "holistic" way that your rhetoric exams are graded--for the overall impression they give of command of the material and command of the mechanics of writing.

**Points will be deducted from any writing assignment handed in late**

3. Country Project: (20%) You will be divided into groups of 3-5 and assigned a country in Latin America that is NOT one of the four case studies I use (Mexico, Argentina, Brazil, or Bolivia). Your task will be to give us a basic introduction to that country, to its history, to its people and its major attractions. You will compare and contrast the country you were assigned to the ones I discuss in class, and will analyze the history and current condition of that country on the basis of the broad picture and specific case studies I present in class. You will present the information you have gathered and organized to the class, using MS Power Point or some other presentation media. Further details on this assignment are coming soon.

4. Examinations: (40%) There will be two non-cumulative mid-term exams and a final that covers the last third of the class with a short cumulative section. You are expected to take all exams when scheduled, so please check the schedule in this syllabus to be certain that you have no conflicts.