Course Syllabus
Course
Information
Modern
Latin American History
HIST 3399.001 – JO
4.102
Fall 2009, M/W
12:30 – 1:45
Professor
Contact Information
Dr. Monica Rankin
JO 5.204
(972) 883-2005
Mobile: (972) 822-5375
Office Hours: M/W 11:00-12:00 or
by appointment
Course Description
This
course is designed to give students an overview of the political, economic,
social, and cultural history of Latin America from independence (roughly 1821)
to the present, with the colonial backdrop as a foundation. Broadly speaking, class material will be
presented in a chronological fashion, but within those broad chronological
divisions, we will be examining material thematically and regionally by
focusing on specific countries as examples.
We will specifically focus on the different themes that affected the way
societies were organized and developed during the nineteenth and twentieth
centuries and how broad national trends affected individuals’ lives. Specific themes include: independence movements, nation-building,
liberal-oligarchical regimes, revolutionary movements, US-Latin American
relations, and popular culture.
Student Learning Objectives/Outcomes
Required Textbooks and Materials
Lawrence
A. Clayton, et. al. A History of Modern
Latin America 2nd ed. (Thompson Wadsworth, 2005). ISBN:
0-534-62158-9
Lyman
Johnson (ed) Death, Dismemberment, and Memory: Body
Politics in Latin America (Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press,
2004) ISBN: 0-8263-3201-3
John
Charles Chasteen, et. al. (eds.) Problems
in Modern Latin American History: Sources and Interpretations Revised Edition (Wilmington, DE: SR
Books, 2004). ISBN: 0-8420-5061-2
Other
readings will be posted on the McDermott Library’s E-Reserve system. The password to access E-Reserves will be
announced in class.
E-Reserve
Readings:
1. Ana María Alonso, “What the
Strong Owe to the Weak: Rationality, Domestic Violence, and Governmentality in
Nineteenth-Century Mexico,” in Rosario Montoya, et. al. (eds.) Gender’s Place: Feminist Anthropologies of
Latin America (Palgrave MacMillan, 2002) pp 115-134.
2. Ingrid E. Fey, “Peddling the
Pampas: Argentina at the Paris Universal Exposition of 1889,” in William H.
Beezley (ed.) Latin American Popular
Culture: An Introduction (SRBooks, 2000) pp61-86.
3. Matthew D. Esposito, “Death and
Disorder in Mexico City: The State Funeral of Manuel Romero Rubio,” in William
H. Beezley (ed.) Latin American Popular
Culture: An Introduction (SRBooks, 2000) pp87-104.
4. Gary Gerstle, “Theodore Roosevelt
and the Divided Character of American Nationalism,” in The Journal of American History Vol. 86, No. 3 (Dec. 1999) p.
1280-1307.
5. Primary documents on the Mexican
Revolution
6. Primary documents on Latin
America in World War II
**Note: There is a website for this course with
pertinent information such as the syllabus, lecture questions, recent news
stories on Latin America, and lecture questions. I will also post copies of all handouts such
as exams and study guides. Any important
announcements will be posted on the course homepage. Finally, you will find some specific
discussion questions on the website to guide you through the non-textbook
readings every week. You may use any/all
of the discussion questions as a guide for writing your reading responses if
you choose, but you are not required to follow the discussion question format.
The
four required books for this course are on reserve in the McDermott
Library. Most are also available in
paperback and/or in used copy through the University Bookstore and at
Off-Campus Books. Most are also
available at a significant discount through a variety of web-based book
retailers.
Assignments
Class
Participation:
All students are expected to participate in class discussions by incorporating
information from assigned readings and class lectures. Students’ participation should be
constructive and contribute to the overall discussion. Please consider quality as well as quantity
in class discussions. Formal class
discussions will take place on most Mondays.
Reading assignments out of the Beezley, Johnson, and Chasteen books will
correspond thematically to the previous Wednesday’s lecture. Students should use their reading responses
as the basis for class discussion.
Reading Response:
Students will prepare a reading response journal for each secondary reading
assigned from the Beezley and Johnson volumes.
(Please note: no response papers
are required from the Clayton text.) The papers should include a brief summary
stating the author’s main argument, followed by general points that tie the
readings and lectures together. Students
will also prepare a response for each of the primary documents assigned from
the Chasteen volume. These responses
should include the most important points students have identified from the
primary documents and a brief analysis of how the documents relate to lecture
and other readings. These papers must be
typed and turned in at the end of class on the due date. Responses should be approximately 2-4 typed
pages, double-spaced (or 1-2 good paragraphs per reading). They do not need to be written as formal
essays. Instead, think of them as a set
of notes to provide quick reference to reading material for in-class
discussions and in writing the mid-term and final exams.
PLEASE NOTE: Typed response papers will be
collected at the end of each discussion.
Only students who have signed the attendance sheet for that day’s class
will be allowed to turn in response papers.
If you miss class or if you arrive extremely late your paper will not be
accepted. There are NO immediate make-ups
allowed for reading response papers. At
the end of the semester, I will drop your TWO lowest response paper scores in
lieu of allowing make-ups of weekly assignments.
See
my website for suggested topics for response papers.
General Guide for Reading Response Journals
Outside readings (non-textbook readings) will be assigned every
week in my classes. These are listed on the course schedule and on the
course website. Books are available on reserve at the library.
Students are to prepare reading response journals for all non-textbook reading
assigned in class. Reading responses should be considered INFORMAL
writing. Think of them as a set of notes for the assigned readings.
I will look for evidence that you have completed the reading and that you have
processed the information in an analytical way. I WILL NOT grade for
style, grammar, and writing format. Nevertheless, you may find it helpful
to practice good writing techniques on the reading response journals in
preparation for the formal writing assignments due periodically throughout the
semester. Specific suggestions for each reading are posted on the course
websites. General points to consider include the following:
Essays:
These will be secondary sources. Secondary works are written
accounts that were recorded after the fact about an event in history (usually
by a historian).
Primary Documents:
Primary documents are written accounts that were recorded at the
time that an event was happening. Examples of primary documents are:
newspaper reports, letters, journals, legal documents, etc. Interviews,
transcripts, song lyrics, and images may also be primary sources.
Map Quiz: There
is a map quiz scheduled for early in the semester. Study guides will be posted on the course
website. You will need to be able to
locate Latin American countries and their capitals, plus major bodies of
water.
Primary Document
Project:
Students will complete a major project analyzing and presenting a primary
document or documents of their choice, subject to instructor approval. Acceptable project formats include individual
or group presentation, video and/or other electronic media, or a traditional
written essay. Students may also opt to
produce a creative or artistic project related to a primary document of their
choosing. Regardless of format, all
students will briefly present their project to the class in the final weeks of
the semester. Topics, outlines, and
other preliminary materials related to the primary document project are due on
the date listed in the course schedule.
All students must submit the materials listed on the schedule on the due
date and receive instructor approval for their project. Students who have not secured instructor
approval for their topic will not be allowed to turn in the final project.
A
collection of sources with suitable primary documents will be on reserve at the
McDermott Library. Any primary documents
from the Major Problems reader that
have not already been assigned in class are acceptable primary documents for
the assignment (please be aware that not all readings in Major Problems are primary documents). You MAY NOT use a document that has already
been assigned in class as your main primary document. Additional information and guidelines for
completing the primary document will be posted on the course website.
Exams:
The exams in this class will be take-home exams. They will comprise various ID terms that must
be defined and tied to specific examples from the assigned readings. I will provide students with exam questions
and thorough instructions in advance.
Exams will be due on the days listed in the course schedule. They must be typed and uploaded to
TURNITIN.com.
Writing
Format: All journal entries and exams
must be typed with 12-point font and all pages should be stapled. Your name, course number, assignment
description (ex: Journal 1, etc.), date, and my name should appear at the top
LEFT corner of the first page for journal entries. Exams must be double-spaced, journals may be
either double or single spaced. All
exams should include a cover page with pertinent course information. Exams must follow the format for formal
academic writing. In addition to
content, exams will also be graded for suitable grammar, appropriate style, and
proper mechanics. Formal citations are
not necessary in exams, but I urge you not to resort to direct quotes. Please do not use outside sources on
exams. Your notes, textbooks, and other
reading assignments are sufficient to write a proper exam. Any use of outside sources will be considered
plagiarism. You should make obvious from
where you are taking your examples in the exams, and all examples should come
from readings that have been assigned in class. Students opting to write a formal essay for
the primary document project must follow formal writing protocol. Please see Kate Turabian’s Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses
and Dissertations for a guide to grammar and stylistic concerns in formal
writing (see also www.dianahacker.com). You may also see my website for general
writing tips. All exams and/or essays
must be uploaded to TURNITIN.com by midnight on the due date.
Grading
Policy
The
grading in this course is based on two exams, the primary document project, a map
quiz, weekly responses, and class participation. The breakdown of the grading is as follows:
Mid-term Exam 100 points
Final Exam 100
points
Map Quiz 50 points
Primary Document
Presentation 100 points
Reading Response
Journals 50 points
Class Participation 100 points
Course & Instructor Policies
Students
will sign a sign-in sheet every day to track attendance. It is your responsibility to make sure you
have signed in before leaving class. No
one will be allowed to sign in after the professor has left the classroom. Students who arrive late may not be allowed
to sign in. Please keep in mind the
following. It is not possible to
“make-up” class participation. If you
are not physically (and mentally) present in the classroom, it will affect your
participation grade. Furthermore, past
experience has proven that students who attend class regularly tend to earn
higher grades. I frequently include
information in my lectures that is not necessarily covered in your
reading. It behooves you to be present
to listen to lectures and participate in class.
Finally, please refrain from disruptive behavior such as arriving late,
departing early, texting, Facebooking, talking, sleeping, reading the
newspaper, etc. (I reserve the right to add to this list as needed).
No
late assignments will be accepted and there is no make-up policy for in-class
work. I will drop TWO response journal
from the final grade for each student in lieu of allowing late work or make-ups. I will NOT accept final versions of any
assignments as e-mail attachments unless previous arrangements have been made.
A
typed copy of all journal responses must be turned in at the end of class on
the due date. All formal exams and
formal papers must be uploaded to TURNITIN.com by midnight on the due date.
All
assignments for this class are mandatory.
Materials used in this course have been carefully selected for their scholarly
value, but some audiences may take offense at or disagree with topics of a
sensitive nature. There will be NO
substitutions of readings, films, documents, presentations, and/or other course
requirements to suit personal preferences, opinions, and/or sensitivities. There are NO EXCEPTIONS to this rule.
Field
Trip Policies
There
are no field trips scheduled for this course.
Academic Calendar:
The
following schedule outlines the topics and reading assignments for each
class. This schedule is subject to
change. Any changes made to the schedule
and/or any other course requirements will be announced in class and will be
posted on the course website: www.utdallas.edu/~mrankin
Week
1
|
|
August 24
|
Introduction to the Course/What is
Latin America
|
August 26
|
Lecture 1: The Colonial Legacy
Textbook:
pp1-9 |
|
|
|
Week 2
|
|
August 29
|
Lecture 2: The Wars of
Independence
Textbook:
Chapters 1-3 |
September 2
|
Discussion/Journal 1
Human Tradition,
Chapter 1
Death, Chapter 3 Problems, Chapter 1 (#1) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Week
3
September
7 |
Labor
Day NO
CLASS |
|
|
|
September
9
|
Lecture 3: Introduction to the Caudillo
Textbook:
Chapters 4-5 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Week 4
|
|
September 14
|
Discussion/Journal 2
Death, Chapter 4 Problems, Chapter 3 (#s 4, 5, & 6) |
September 16
|
Lecture
4: The Consolidation of Liberal-Oligarchic Regimes
Textbook:
Chapters 8-9 |
|
|
|
Week 5
|
|
September 21
|
MAP
QUIZ
Discussion/Journal
3 Human Tradition, Chapter 3 E-Reserve
Reading #1 Problems, Chapter 4 (#5); Chapter 8 (#2) |
September 23
|
Lecture
5: The Paradigm of Progress Textbook:
Chapters 6 & 7 |
|
|
|
Week 6
|
|
September 28
|
Discussion/Journal 4
E-Reserve
Readings #s 2-3 Problems, Chapter 5 (#s 2, 3, & 4) |
September 30
|
Lecture 6: The U.S. and Latin
America in the 19th Century
Textbook:
Chapters 10, 11, 13, & 14 |
|
|
|
Week 7
|
|
October 5
|
Discussion/Journal
5 E-Reserve
Reading #4 Problems, Chapter 6 (#s 3-7); Images pp
175-178 |
October 7
|
MID-TERM EXAM Due by Midnight to TURNITIN.com |
|
|
|
Week 8
|
|
October 12
|
Lecture
7: The Mexican Revolution Textbook:
Chapter 15 |
October 14
|
PRIMARY DOCUMENT PROJECT APPROVAL
DEADLINE Discussion/Journal
6 Human Tradition, Chapter 5 Death, Chapter 6 E-Reserve
Reading #5 |
|
|
|
Week 9
|
|
|
October
19 |
Lecture
8: Early Populism Textbook:
Chapter 12 |
October 21
|
Discussion/Journal
7 Human Tradition, Chapters 8 and 10 Problems, Chapter 7 (#1 & 2) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Week 10
|
|
October 26
|
Lecture
9: Depression and War Textbook:
Chapters 16, 17, & 18 |
|
|
|
October 28
|
Discussion/Journal
8 Human Tradition, Chapter 11 Death, Chapter 7 E-Reserve
Readings #6 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Week 11
|
|
November 2
|
Lecture
10: The Second Rise of Populism Textbook:
Chapter 19 |
|
|
|
November 4
|
Discussion/Journal
9 Death, Chapters 8 & 9 Problems, Chapter 8 (#4) and Chapter 9
(#4) |
|
|
|
Week 12
|
|
November 9
|
Lecture
11: Intervention and Revolution Textbook:
Chapters 22-23 |
November 11
|
PRIMARY DOCUMENT PROJECTS –
ESSAY DUE Journal
10 Human Tradition, Chapter 12 Death, Chapter 10 Problems, Chapter 7 (#5); Chapter 10
(#1); Chapter 11 (#2) |
|
|
|
Week 13
|
|
November 16
|
Lecture
12: National Security State Textbook:
Chapter 24 |
|
November
18 |
PRIMARY DOCUMENT PROJECTS Journal
11 Human Tradition, Chapter 14 Problems, Chapter 10 (#5); Chapter 11
(#3) |
|
|
|
Week 14
|
|
November 23
|
Lecture
13: Post 1980 Intervention Textbook:
Chapters 21 & 25 |
November 25
|
PRIMARY
DOCUMENT PROJECTS Journal 12 Human
Tradition, Chapters 15-16 Problems,
Chapter 7 (#6); Chapter 10 (#2) |
|
|
|
Week 15
|
|
November
30
|
Lecture
14: Latin America Today Textbook:
Chapter 26 |
December 2
|
PRIMARY DOCUMENT PROJECTS No
Journal Due Problems, Chapter 12 (#s 2, 3); Chapter
13, (#s3, 6) |
|
|
|
|
Week 15 |
|
|
December
7 |
PRIMARY DOCUMENT PROJECTS |
|
|
|
|
|
|
December 16
|
FINAL
EXAM DUE Upload
to TURNITIN.com by midnight |
|
|
|
Student
Conduct & Discipline
The University of Texas System and The
University of Texas at Dallas have rules and regulations for the orderly and efficient
conduct of their business. It is the
responsibility of each student and each student organization to be
knowledgeable about the rules and regulations which govern student conduct and
activities. General information on
student conduct and discipline is contained in the UTD publication, A to Z
Guide, which is provided to all registered students each academic year.
The University of Texas at Dallas
administers student discipline within the procedures of recognized and
established due process. Procedures are
defined and described in the Rules and Regulations, Board of Regents, The
University of Texas System, Part 1, Chapter VI, Section 3, and in Title V,
Rules on Student Services and Activities of the university’s Handbook of
Operating Procedures. Copies of
these rules and regulations are available to students in the Office of the Dean
of Students, where staff members are available to assist students in
interpreting the rules and regulations (SU 1.602, 972/883-6391).
A student at the university neither
loses the rights nor escapes the responsibilities of citizenship. He or she is expected to obey federal, state,
and local laws as well as the Regents’ Rules, university regulations, and
administrative rules. Students are
subject to discipline for violating the standards of conduct whether such
conduct takes place on or off campus, or whether civil or criminal penalties
are also imposed for such conduct.
Academic
Integrity
The faculty expects from its students a high
level of responsibility and academic honesty.
Because the value of an academic degree depends upon the absolute
integrity of the work done by the student for that degree, it is imperative
that a student demonstrate a high standard of individual honor in his or her
scholastic work.
Scholastic dishonesty includes, but is
not limited to, statements, acts or omissions related to applications for
enrollment or the award of a degree, and/or the submission as one’s own work or
material that is not one’s own. As a
general rule, scholastic dishonesty involves one of the following acts: cheating, plagiarism, collusion and/or
falsifying academic records. Students
suspected of academic dishonesty are subject to disciplinary proceedings.
Plagiarism, especially from the web,
from portions of papers for other classes, and from any other source is
unacceptable and will be dealt with under the university’s policy on plagiarism
(see general catalog for details). This
course will use the resources of turnitin.com, which searches the web for
possible plagiarism and is over 90% effective.
Email
Use
The University of
Texas at Dallas recognizes the value and efficiency of communication between
faculty/staff and students through electronic mail. At the same time, email raises
some issues concerning security and the identity of each individual in an email
exchange. The university encourages all
official student email correspondence be sent only to a student’s U.T. Dallas
email address and that faculty and staff consider email from students official
only if it originates from a UTD student account. This allows the university to
maintain a high degree of confidence in the identity of all individual
corresponding and the security of the transmitted information. UTD furnishes each student with a free email
account that is to be used in all communication with university personnel. The
Department of Information Resources at U.T. Dallas provides a method for
students to have their U.T. Dallas mail forwarded to other accounts.
Withdrawal from
Class
The
administration of this institution has set deadlines for withdrawal of any
college-level courses. These dates and times are published in that semester's
course catalog. Administration procedures must be followed. It is the student's
responsibility to handle withdrawal requirements from any class. In other
words, I cannot drop or withdraw any student. You must do the proper paperwork
to ensure that you will not receive a final grade of "F" in a course
if you choose not to attend the class once you are enrolled.
Student
Grievance Procedures
Procedures for student
grievances are found in Title V, Rules on Student Services and Activities, of
the university’s Handbook of Operating Procedures.
In attempting to resolve any
student grievance regarding grades, evaluations, or other fulfillments of
academic responsibility, it is the obligation of the student first to make a
serious effort to resolve the matter with the instructor, supervisor,
administrator, or committee with whom the grievance originates (hereafter
called “the respondent”). Individual
faculty members retain primary responsibility for assigning grades and
evaluations. If the matter cannot be
resolved at that level, the grievance must be submitted in writing to the
respondent with a copy of the respondent’s School Dean. If the matter is not resolved by the written
response provided by the respondent, the student may submit a written appeal to
the School Dean. If the grievance is not
resolved by the School Dean’s decision, the student may make a written appeal
to the Dean of Graduate or Undergraduate Education, and the deal will appoint
and convene an Academic Appeals Panel.
The decision of the Academic Appeals Panel is final. The results of the academic appeals process
will be distributed to all involved parties.
Copies of these rules and
regulations are available to students in the Office of the Dean of Students,
where staff members are available to assist students in interpreting the rules
and regulations.
Incomplete Grade Policy
As per university policy,
incomplete grades will be granted only for work unavoidably missed at the
semester’s end and only if 70% of the course work has been completed. An incomplete grade must be resolved within eight
(8) weeks from the first day of the subsequent long semester. If the required work to complete the course
and to remove the incomplete grade is not submitted by the specified deadline,
the incomplete grade is changed automatically to a grade of F.
Disability Services
The goal of Disability
Services is to provide students with disabilities educational opportunities
equal to those of their non-disabled peers.
Disability Services is located in room 1.610 in the Student Union. Office hours are Monday and Thursday, 8:30 a.m.
to 6:30 p.m.; Tuesday and Wednesday, 8:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.; and Friday, 8:30
a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
The contact information for
the Office of Disability Services is:
The University of Texas at
Dallas, SU 22
PO Box 830688
Richardson, Texas 75083-0688
(972) 883-2098 (voice or
TTY)
Essentially, the law
requires that colleges and universities make those reasonable adjustments
necessary to eliminate discrimination on the basis of disability. For example, it may be necessary to remove
classroom prohibitions against tape recorders or animals (in the case of dog
guides) for students who are blind.
Occasionally an assignment requirement may be substituted (for example,
a research paper versus an oral presentation for a student who is hearing
impaired). Classes enrolled students
with mobility impairments may have to be rescheduled in accessible
facilities. The college or university
may need to provide special services such as registration, note-taking, or
mobility assistance.
It is the student’s
responsibility to notify his or her professors of the need for such an
accommodation. Disability Services
provides students with letters to present to faculty members to verify that the
student has a disability and needs accommodations. Individuals requiring special accommodation
should contact the professor after class or during office hours.
Religious Holy Days
The University of
Texas at Dallas will excuse a student from class or other required activities for
the travel to and observance of a religious holy day for a religion whose
places of worship are exempt from property tax under Section 11.20, Tax Code,
Texas Code Annotated.
The student is
encouraged to notify the instructor or activity sponsor as soon as possible
regarding the absence, preferably in advance of the assignment. The student, so excused, will be allowed to
take the exam or complete the assignment within a reasonable time after the
absence: a period equal to the length of the absence, up to a maximum of one
week. A student who notifies the instructor and completes any missed exam or
assignment may not be penalized for the absence. A student who fails to
complete the exam or assignment within the prescribed period may receive a
failing grade for that exam or assignment.
If a student or an
instructor disagrees about the nature of the absence [i.e., for the purpose of
observing a religious holy day] or if there is similar disagreement about
whether the student has been given a reasonable time to complete any missed
assignments or examinations, either the student or the instructor may request a
ruling from the chief executive officer of the institution, or his or her
designee. The chief executive officer or designee must take into account the legislative
intent of TEC 51.911(b), and the student and instructor will abide by the
decision of the chief executive officer or designee.
Off-Campus Instruction and Course Activities
Off-campus,
out-of-state, and foreign instruction and activities are subject to state law
and University policies and procedures regarding travel and risk-related
activities. Information regarding these
rules and regulations may be found at the website address given below. Additional information is available from the
office of the school dean.
(http://www.utdallas.edu/Business Affairs/Travel_Risk_Activities.htm)
These descriptions and timelines are subject to change at the
discretion of the Professor.