Admission requirements
This course is only available for students in the BA International Studies.
Limited places are also open for exchange students. Please note: this course takes place in The Hague.
Description
This course provides a general introduction to Latin America, emphasizing both the similarities as well as the main socio-economic, political and cultural differences existing between the various Latin American countries. Several key topics and debates about the Latin American development are analyzed from an interdisciplinary perspective. Hence, contributions coming from history, anthropology, sociology of development, economy and political science will be included in the overall analysis. The current developmental problems of this region are not studied in a static manner, but as being the result of complex historical processes, in which all kinds of social, political, economic and cultural factors have played a role in the course of time. In addition to the analysis of endogenous factors, particular attention will be given to foreign influences
Overview:
1. Geographic and Cultural dimensions of Latin America
2. The Spanish and Brazilian Colonial Rule: Features and Legacy
3. Nation-Building during the 19th Century
4. The 1930 Depression and Inward-Oriented Development
5. Development and Underdevelopment in Latin America
6. The Rural-Urban Divide in Latin America
7. Women and gender relations in Latin America
8. The Evolution of US-Latin American relations
9. Military Regimes and Societal Reactions
10. The New Social Movements in Latin America
11. Democratization and Neo-liberalism in the 1980s
12. Neo-populism and the ‘Pink Tide’ since the 1990s
Course objectives
This course aims to allow students to acquire new insights about the main socio-economic, political and cultural processes that are currently taking place in Latin America, from a long-term historical perspective. In addition, students will be introduced in the main academic debates which have dominated the discussions on Latin American development in recent decades. Finally, students will learn to look at a specific historical event making use of a series of analytical instruments coming from several academic disciplines.
Timetable
The timetable is available on the BA International Studies website
Mode of instruction
One two hour lecture per week; bi-weekly tutorials. Lectures are held every week, with the exception of the midterm exam week. Weekly lectures will cover both issues discussed in the readings, and issues outside of the readings.
Attending all tutorial sessions is compulsory. If you are unable to attend a session, please inform the tutor of the course in advance, providing a valid reason for your absence. Being absent without notification and valid reason or not being present at half or more of the tutorial sessions will mean your assignments will not be assessed, and result in a 1.0 for the tutorial (30% of the final grade).
Course Load
Total course load for this course is 5 EC (1 EC = 28 hours), this equals 140 hours, broken down by:
Atending lectures: 2 hours per week x 12 weeks: 24 hrs
Atending attending tutorials 2 hours per two weeks: 12 hrs
Assessment hours (midterms and final exam): 4 hrs
Time for studying the compulsory literature: 64 hrs
Time for completing assignments, preparation classes and exams: 36 hrs
Assessment method
Assessment
Midterm Exam:
- Written examination with essay questions
Final exam:
- Written examination with essay questions
Weighing
Tutorials 30%
Midterm Exam 30%
Final Exam 40 %
To complete the final mark, please take notice of the following: the final mark for the course is established by determining the weighted average.
To pass the course, the average of mid- and end term exams (70%) has to be 5.5 at least.
Resit
If the final grade is insufficient (lower than a 6), there is the possibility of retaking the full 70% of the exam material, replacing both the earlier mid- and endterm grades. No resit for the tutorials is possible.
Blackboard
Blackboard will be used. For tutorial groups: please enroll in blackboard after your enrolment in uSis
Students are requested to register on Blackboard for this course.
Reading list
Richard S. Hillman and Thomas J. D’Agostino (eds) (2011), Understanding Contemporary Latin America. Boulder: Lynne Rienner Publishers (fourth edition)) (ISBN: 978-1-58826-791-7).
Registration
Enrolment through uSis is mandatory.
General information about uSis is available in English and Dutch
Registration Studeren à la carte and Contractonderwijs
Not applicable