HS 230 - The History of Latin America

2.  Use high-quality, credible, relevant sources to support writing. (GELO2)

3.  Create and/or organize data and information into meaningful patterns in order to interpret and draw inferences from it. (GELO3)

4.  Evaluate information to identify limitations and biases. (GELO3)

5. Analyze scholarly sources and primary sources from the pre-Columbian history through the present in order to understand the history of Latin America from multiple different cultural, political, social, environmental, and economic perspectives.

6.  Articulate and understand the ways in which various categories of human scholarship and creativity both shape and reflect cultural values and perceptions, such as those related to race, gender, ethnicity, religion, and social class in Latin American history, using case studies drawn from the pre-Columbian era, as well as the eras of the conquest, colonization, empires, revolutions, liberal states, the Cold War, and the present.

7.  Through the discipline of history, students will learn how past generations have labored to explain Latin America, explore the causation for diverse cultural traditions, and appreciate the diversity and complexities of Latin American communities and cultures.

8.  Through selected readings, lectures, group discussions, and documentary films, students will comprehend how the changing historic context and social, cultural, political, and economic conditions affect the behavior of individuals and communities, the operation of societal institutions and/or cultural perceptions of social phenomena, such as trade, exploration, migration, and conflict.

9.  Through detailed analysis and comparison of primary and secondary sources, students will explore questions and hypotheses related to the causation and significance of Latin American historical phenomena (such as social stratification, gender inequality, revolutions, and shifting value systems), as well as develop the capacity to gauge historical debates and their relevance to the present.
Course Outline:
I. Introduction: History, Identity, and the Environment

II. Native Cultures of Latin America

1. Mayan

2. Aztec

3. Incan

III. Europe and Africa on the Eve of the Encounter

1. Empires

2. Culture

3. Trade

IV. The Encounter

1. Columbian Exchange

2. Slavery

3. Genocide

V. The Conquest of Latin America

      a. Colonization in Mexico

      b. Colonization in Central America

      c. Colonization in South America

VI. Hegemony: Colonial Systems and Structure

1. Spain

2. Dutch

3. Portuguese

VII. Cracks in the Colonial System

1. Indigenous Cultural Resistance

2. Catholic Church

3. Revolution

VIII. Origins of Independence and the Wars

1. Mexico

2. Brazil

3. Caribbean

IX. Postcolonial Difficulties and Disappointments

1. Mexico

2. Peru

3. Central America

X. 19th Century Progress and the Origins of Modern Problems

      a. Mexico

      b. Central America

      c. South America

XI. Neocolonialism

1. Mexico

2. Central America

3. South America

XII. Nationalism

1. Mexico

2. Central America

3. South America

XIII. Revolution

1. Communism

2. Socialism

3. Militarization

XIV. Reaction

1. Good Neighbor to Walls

2. Mexico

3. Central America

4. South America

XV. Neoliberalism

1. Trade

2. Climate

3. Resources

4. War

XVI. Prospects & Problems of Modern Latin America

1. In the shadow of the United States

2. CIA

3. Drug Trade

4. Immigration

Discussion based on secondary resources and primary sources: 20-50%
Mandatory Course Components:
Course components can be modified as long as the student learning outcomes are being met for humanities and social sciences, and as long as they fall within the ranges listed below. Any major deviations from the suggested material will have to be vetted through the department.

Papers: 30-40%

Exams: 40-50%

Presentation and Participation: 10-20%

Quizzes and Written Assessments: 10-20%
Equivalent Courses:
None