HIST 243 Modern Latin America, 1822 to the Present (Not offered 2006-2007; to be offered 2007-2008)*
This course will examine salient issues in the history of the independent nations
of Latin America. The first section of the course will focus on the turbulent
formation of nation-states over the course of the nineteenth century. In this
regard the course will analyze the social and economic changes of the period up
to World War I and the possibilities they offered for both political order and
disorder. Key topics addressed will include caudillismo, the role of the Church in
politics, economic dependency and development, and the place of indigenous
and African Latin-American peoples in new nations. The second section will
move us to questions in twentieth-century Latin-American history, including
industrialization and urbanization; the emergence of workers' and women's
movements and the rise of mass politics; militarism, democracy, and
authoritarian governments; the influence of the U.S. in the region; and the
construction of cultural modernism in these "Third World" societies. Here and
throughout the course we will strive for an understanding of how social conflicts
shaped and were shaped by economic and political forces.
Format: lecture/discussion. Evaluation will be based on class participation, two
shorts papers (3-5 pages), and a take-home final exam.
No prerequisites. Enrollment limit 40 (expected: 35-45).
Group C