This course is a historical survey of the most important political divide in the Western Hemisphere, between the U.S. and the countries of Latin America. The first part of the course will emphasize topics such as U.S. diplomacy toward revolutions and independence movements in Haiti and the Spanish colonies; imperialism and the so-called Spanish-American war of 1898; the Panama Canal; and the Good Neighbor Policy. The middle part of the course will concentrate on the Cold War period, considering how enduring economic interests and new strategic priorities shaped the U.S. response to leftist movements and regimes in Guatemala, Cuba, Chile and Nicaragua, as well as the role of human-rights concerns in policymaking. The final part of the course will discuss, in historical perspective, the main issues that have arisen with the end of the Cold War: trade and investment, drugs, immigration, "post-modern" guerrilla movements, and the embargo on Cuba. Format: lecture/discussion. Requirements: two short (5-page) papers and either a third short paper and a regular final exam or a medium-length (12-page) research paper and an abbreviated final exam. No prerequisites. Enrollment limit: 39. Preference given to Political Science majors. International Relations Subfield