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 Latin
American Studies
Elizabeth
Kiddy, Ph.D., Director
Courses:
| LAS
195 |
Tradition and Revolution in Contemporary Latin American Literature
and Society
Latin American government and society arises out of a tradition
of centralized power that is vastly different from that of democratic
society in North America. Hopefully, the course will provide
some insight into the often troubled relationship between the
U.S. and its Latin American neighbors. We will begin by examining
the development of this tradition in some classic statements
by D. F. Sarmiento, José MartÌ, and Octavio Paz,
among others. But the bulk of the reading will be comprised
of literary works that either support or subvert the authoritarian
tradition of government and society in Latin America. Emphasis
will be placed on class discussion analyzing the ways in which
the literary works in question tend to support or subvert the
portrait of Latin America established at the opening of the
semester. |
| LAS
201 |
Salsa, Samba, and Santana: The World of Latin Music
Latin music is a rapidly rising phenomenon. This course
will explore the roots and evolution of Latin musical styles
from their origins in the Catholic cultures of southwestern
Europe and its mixing with Native American and African cultures
in the colonial Americas beginning in the 15th century. Our
main focus will be the urban popular
musical styles that emerge in the late 19th century, and which
develop into the famous regional styles of Argentine tango,
Brazilian samba, Cuban son and salsa, Dominican merengue, Mexican
rancheros and baladas, and many others, over the course of the
20th century. We will also consider the roles the Latin regions
have had in other styles such as jazz, classical music, rock
and roll, and rap. We will assess the varying degrees of
success Latin sounds are having in the major world musical markets
today. |
| LAS
215 |
US and Latin America
The aim of this course is to examine thoroughly the multiple
facets of US-Latin American relations. In this course, we will
attempt to find a synthesis between general approaches to the
topic and specific applications of such approaches. With this
goal in mind, I have divided the course into two parts. The
first part will look at the bigger, more general picture of
the relationship. This part is divided into three sections:
(1) general explanatory theories of the relationship; (2) the
historical evolution of the relationship; and (3) specific issue-areas
of the relationship. The second part will examine case studies
of US relations with individual Latin American countries to
see whether or not the information presented in part one of
the course is effective and appropriate in explaining the nature
of US-Latin American relations on a specific, case-by-case basis. |
| LAS
224 |
Latin American History – 1492-1900
This survey course examines Latin American history from
the time of Columbus’ first voyages to the end of the nineteenth
century. The course will discuss the contact between and mixtures
of diverse peoples in the Americas, especially the pre-Columbian
populations, the Spanish and Portuguese, and the Africans brought
forcibly to the Americas as slave laborers. We will cover period
of conquest, the colonial period, the wars of independence,
and the first decades of nation building in Latin America in
order to build a foundation in Latin American history. The course
will examine political, economic, social, and cultural factors
and how they played off one another throughout the four hundred
year period under study. The readings will be a combination
of primary texts and scholarly works on Latin American history,
and we will also use film to explore parts of this history.
The course format will be a combination of lecture and discussion. |
| LAS
225 |
Introduction to Latin American Studies
This course introduces students to the many aspects of that
region of the world known as Latin America. The course is interdisciplinary
in nature in order to give students a more complete and unified
picture of how the many aspects of cultural, economic, social,
and political life in Latin America come together to explain
what is generally meant by the phrases “Latin America”
and “Latin American.” The course explores native civilizations,
historical evolution, political systems and institutions, cultural
and artistic movements, social structures, regional economic/development
issues, and many other topics such as drug trafficking, the
environment and gender studies. |
| LAS
259 |
Religious Traditions in Latin America
This course will examine the many religious traditions that
co-exist in the diverse region we know as Latin America. Specifically
the course will discuss Catholicism, including Liberation Theology,
Indigenous religious traditions that have survived, and African
traditions that have continued to thrive throughout Latin America.
The course will emphasize how these traditions often adapted
and blended together to form what we know as syncretic traditions.
Finally, the course will examine the growing influence of Pentacostalism
in Latin America. |
| LAS
320 |
Civilization and Culture of Mexico
The purpose of this course is to explore Mexican history,
civilization, and culture through a variety of different forms
such as literature, film, song, and other written and vocal
media. The intent is for students to gain an appreciation
of the Mexican perspective of their own history, culture,
and civilization. Consequently, the course will be in Spanish,
and all course requirements such as exams, reports, oral presentation,
projects, etc. will be in Spanish. Satisfies Spanish concentration
requirement.
Prerequisite: SPA 301 or permission.
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| LAS
321 |
Contemporary Culture in the Southern Cone
The countries of the Southern Cone of South America, which
include Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay share many
characteristics: they are all located geographically in the
Southernmost part of the Western Hemisphere; they have been
somewhat removed from contemporary global balance-of-power
rivalries; for the most part they have fairly homogenous societies
(Paraguay is the one exception to this); they generally have
more developed economies; and they have all experienced harsh
dictatorships followed by democratic transitions. But these
countries also have features which distinguish them as well.
This course will explore the many aspects of contemporary
life and culture in these Southern Cone Countries with the
intent to introduce students to a part of Latin America that
often gets overlooked. Readings and lectures will be conducted
in Spanish. Satisfies Spanish Concentration requirement.
Prerequisite: SPA 301 or permission.
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| LAS
322 |
The Andean World
This course focuses on the Andean nations: Columbia, Ecuador,
Peru, Bolivia. Topics include the geographic setting of desert
highlands and jungle; the Inca culture and its legacy; Inca
and Spanish cultures in contact; social problems and social
protest; transitions from dictatorship to democracy; writers
and artists from the pre-Columbian era to the present who
reflect the Andean experience. Readings and lectures will
be in Spanish. Satisfies Spanish Concentration requirement.
Prerequisite: SPA 301 or permission.
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| LAS
325 |
Latin American Perspectives
The course will begin with a study of some of the basic
premises about Latin America. Then, using these ideas, a particular
question or problem will be examined in each of the following
areas: Latin American history; political science; economics;
anthropology; art; and literature. Along with the readings,
other cultural events will be incorporated into the course,
including films and slides. |
| LAS
330 |
Modern Mexico
This course will take an in-depth look at Mexico from an
interdisciplinary perspective over the course of the nineteenth
and twentieth centuries. The course will examine multiple aspects
of Mexico’s evolution in the political, historical, social,
and economic realms. Specific topics examined in the class will
include Mexico’s Independence, the U.S. War with Mexico,
the Mexican Revolution of 1910, Mexico’s Current Political
System, U.S.-Mexican Relations, the NAFTA, and Mexico’s
current transition towards democracy. |
| LAS
340 |
Women and Gender and Latin America
This course follows the history of women and gender ideologies
in Latin America from the beginning of the colonial period up
to the present. In the first half of the course, the colonial
period, we discuss European gender expectations in Latin America,
and look at the responses to those expected roles that many
women took: mother, lover, nun, wife, widow, plantation owner
and adventurer. We also look at the very different experiences
of and standards for non-European women in the Americas. The
second half of the course looks at women in Latin America from
the mid-nineteenth century up to the present, again exploring
different roles those women assumed, from workers, to suffragettes,
to artists, politicians, and revolutionaries. We also look at
gender ideologies such as patriarchy, machismo, and marianismo,
and how they impacted both men and women. Throughout the course
we examine both extraordinary and ordinary women and discuss
at the diverse roles they have played in the history of Latin
America through the reading of texts, primary accounts, and
the viewing of films, and documentaries, and discussion. |
| LAS
352 |
Africans in the Making of the Atlantic World: Explorations in
the History of the Black Diaspora from Sao Tome to Saint Dominigue
A majority of the persons who migrated to the Americas before
1800 came from Africa. Very few of them came willingly, but
without their economic and cultural contributions the world
we know today would not have come into being. The goal of this
course is to begin to understand the experiences and achievements
of these Africans and their descendants in four regions of the
Atlantic world – Africa itself, Brazil, the West Indies,
and the Chesapeake – between the mid-15th century and the
revolutionary struggle for Haitian independence at the beginning
of the nineteenth. |
| LAS
400 |
Seminar on Latin America
This advanced level course will take an in-depth look at
Latin America from an interdisciplinary perspective. The purpose
of this course is twofold: (1) Students will be exposed to interdisciplinary
methodologies and will learn in the process how to synthesize
effectively multiple disciplines around common themes; and (2)
Students will then review current trends and research directions
on Latin America from a variety of disciplines (politics, economics,
history, society, and culture) and, in a major seminar research
project, will apply an interdisciplinary methodology to this
material in order to gain a broader, more holistic understanding
of the region. |
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